Toenail Troubles?

Wed, Jun 11, 2008

Our feet are most probably the part of the body that most of us overlook. We disregard them by letting them be exposed to the most terrible conditions. The wear and feet our feet have to suffer would normally kill any other part of our body. Our feet maybe tough to take it all including the weight of our entire body but they do cry out at times. Even our feet need looking after and have to be pampered once in a while. Toenails need attention or else it can be very painful. Nails are made of keratin which is sort of hair to protect the toes and make it tough. Damage is done by letting them dry out or if an infection is caused due to socks that are really dirty. They get injured when we exercise or if the shoes are too small and uncomfortable. There are many natural solutions though to help solve these problems.

Ingrown Toenails?

When a nail grows into the flesh, it can hurt a lot and it is hard to cure. It stays there for a long time. This can be caused due to infections, injuries, improper trimming, ill-fitting shoes or it could even be genetic. For this, fill a plastic box with some warm water and add about half an ounce of the root of comfrey. Soak for 25 minutes and stick some tissue under the nail so that it does not curl into the flesh. You can buy comfrey root at a health store. If it still does not get better, you might have to visit the doctor.

Brittle Toenails

Soak brittle and broken nails in sesame oil to protect and strengthen them. Soaking nails in warm sesame oil is a remedy used throughout the ages by believers in Ayurveda.

Polish Stains

When nail polish leaves terrible stains on your precious toenails, clean them with denture cleaner. Drop a tablet meant for dentures into some warm water and soak your toes in them. This will definitely help in removing the stains. Help the process along by scrubbing them with a toothbrush.

Straight Cut

The sure way to prevent nail infections, crooked nails, and painful ingrowns is to cut nails across absolutely straight. When nails are cut like this, the toenail just won’t be able to dig and poke the skin.

Disinfect and Clean

If your skin bleeds when you trim way too much of your toenails, or maybe even stub your toes accidentally, clean the area and disinfect it at once. This should avoid an infection from occurring and germ contamination. Pour some really strong hydrogen peroxide on the cut. Don’t bandage it. Let it breathe. The hydrogen peroxide will kill all the germs and will help heal the cut.

Stock your body with Biotin and Omega 6 fatty acids

Omega 6 fatty acids strengthen toenails. Cold water fish like salmon is a good source of this. Biotin is the same as Vitamin B7. This breaks down fats and aids cell growth. Eat peanuts, soybeans and lentils.

Use these tips to always keep your toenails happy and give them no reason to cry.