Home Remedies for Ingrown Toenail
WARNING: This home remedies site is intended to be archival in nature. The natural remedies here are submitted by numerous people from around the world, and we have no way to test or verify every remedy. As such these home remedies should be used for academic purposes only. Never use any home remedy or other self treatment without being advised to do so by a physician.
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Ingrown Toenail Home Remedies:
Submitted by John at 2006-12-21 20:08:01
My big toe has been geting really painful the past few months. (I was going on a sunny holiday in the summer and got a bit too zealous with the nail clippers and trimmer back too far - conscious of fact i was gonna be wearing sandals). Anyway, I had no problem until months later, when the nail started growing back. The skin at the top outer corner had been without nail pressure for so long it had thickened and grown in, so when the nail grew up towards it, it began being very uncomfortable. My nail is literally trying to push through the top corner of my toe.
As a cure, (after long suffering) I soaked my feet in warm salty water for 30 mins, then got some tweezers, and gently began prying the nail off the bed and working my way towards the inflammed area. Eventually, after having tried this a few times, I rolled a little tiny cigar shaped tube of cotton wool, and with my free hand and a little clean plastic toothpick, wedged the tube of cotton behind the nail at the outer corner so that 1/3 of it was showing on the outisde (for easy removal later). When I let go the relief was instant. The nail was no longer wedged against inflammed skin and it was actually free of the overlapping skin area. I repeated this process for several days, taking some painkillers and changing the dressing each time and daubing some tea tree oil before bed. The improvement is immense and I appear to be on the way to a recovery. The nail is getting room to grow past the new skin and i am getting much relief! Hope this helps someone with a similar problem.
rating: 7 (186 votes)
Submitted by clip it at 2009-09-21 20:26:09
been dealing with ingrowns on both big toes for years. i saw the doctor, he cut the toe nail about 2 maybe 3 mm from the red, inflamed part and he removed that section of nail. said it would never grow back. yeah right. now i do the same thing. just get some stout nail clippers, the ones that look like scissors. get under the nail as far as you can, if it hurts youre in the quick and the nailbed and pretty close to where you need to be. chomp down and then grab a hold of the nail piece you freed with some tweezers with a good grip. lift until you pull the offending nail from under the skin. if you do it right without breaking the nail off under there then youre gold for about 90 days. oh yeah you just earned a thousand tough man points too. takes some getting used to but it works for me. clean up with some alcohol for the toe and then for you.
rating: 6 (75 votes)
Submitted by sue at 2009-03-16 14:13:28
About 6 months ago I bruised my big toe nail and had to wait for it to grow out which cause me to get a ingrown toenail. My toe became really swollen and red. So I started wearing sandals and cleaning my toenail 3 times a day by dipping a Qtip in hydrogen peroxide and cleaning the side of the nail that was swollen and as a result the peroxide would bubble up, then I would put iodine in the same area and after that dried I would put triple a antibiotics. I don't cut my nail only filed it. My toenail is cured
rating: 6 (51 votes)
Submitted by Been There at 2010-09-25 00:03:54
Apply Oragel or any topical tooth pain reliever to numb the pain of an ingrown toenail.
rating: 6 (62 votes)
Submitted by cumaco at 2009-07-19 08:41:12
With a large finger nail file, file down the top surface of the nail, from the tip, back to the cuticle, where it makes the sharp bend down into the flesh - the 'spine' I call it. File it down until the curvature of nail seems uniform from side to side. This takes a fair amount of time and elbow grease. This will make the nail much more flexible and not so prone to driven into the flesh by the pressure of standing, walking, etc.
I had ingrowns on both big toes for 18 months. 36 hours after doing this, all discomfort was gone, and six months later, there just fine and I've not had to file them down since.
rating: 6 (29 votes)
Submitted by D Stahl at 2010-03-09 02:15:57
Ingrown toenail -- had 'em often. Nowadays I try to cut away the granulation with a fresh sharp blade, single-edge razor for example, till I expose the 'hook' that's digging in. Could be the cuticle, or a crack in the nail itself.
Clipping the 'hook' just kicks the can down the road, in a lot of cases. I picked up a home acrylic nail kit at the drugstore, for about $5, and use it to rebuild that corner of the nail. Take some of the sticky-back foil, put on cardboard, that comes with the kit, and slide it back till it's past the 'hook.' Then just paint on the acrylic.
Usually it's durable enough to last till the 'hook' grows out. And it's instant relief.
rating: 5 (33 votes)
Submitted at 2009-11-18 01:38:53
I have had ingrown toenails for a very long time. My nails are very thick and brittle naturally, so attempting to fix it myself only made it worse since my nails are not pliable. I bought some lip moisturizing oil (made by aquafina) from walgreens for under 5 dollars and place it on my nails every night before bed. It has helped by making my nails thinner and softer, and I am easily able to use the pointed nail clippers to pull the ingrown nail up with minimal pain.
rating: 5 (31 votes)
Submitted by Geri from Hong Kong at 2011-04-07 21:36:58
All the home remedies sound pretty tedious and painful for ingrown toenails. After two surgeries over 12 years ago, I was desperate for a solution that didn't involve poking around the sensitive area. I stumbled upon Nailease. Just google it. Basically it's a material used by NASA that has an inherent tendency to straighten itself. A thin, narrow strip glued across the toenail does exactly that -- it tries to straighten itself and in the process lifts your nail with it. The pain relieves in minutes. I remember when I used it last, it grew out with the nail and best part (ladies) you can still clip it with a nail clipper and paint over it to hide the strip. Believe it costs less than $20 incl shipping in the US I think although I'd pay a LOT more for this ingenious product -- I know this ain't strictly a home remedy but it might well be as it's an elegant and scientific solution without the need for antibiotics or surgery or pain or fiddling with the painful area. It worked for me, like a DREAM, 12 years ago and I've just placed another order for 2 kits. Money well spent.
rating: 5 (49 votes)
Submitted by Marky at 2010-08-15 03:57:34
Ive had my share of ingrown toenails and let me just say...IT SUCKS! I am a registered male nurse and have experienced ingrown toenails enough to come up with a less painful solution. Start by cleaning the nail with some alcohol or alcohol wipes. Next, take a pair of nail clippers and gently clip the area where the toe is growing into your skin and remove it. (YOU WILL EXPERIENCE PAIN, BUT HEY, NO PAIN NO GAIN). Next, apply some hydrogen peroxide followed by a little dab of betadine. Then, apply some neospoein or any other antibiotic ointment. There is another step to this remedy but it is optional; although i believe it is a neccessary step in this particular scenario. After applying the antibiotic ointment, take an amoxicicilin pill and remove one side of the capsule, exposing the powdery substance inside. Apply the amoxicilin powder on top of the ointment and around the inflamed area of the toe. Doing this keeps the wound dry and will the lessen the amount of moisture in and around the ingrown part of the toe. No moisture = no bacteria to enter the wound. Finish up by dressing the wound with a breathable, adhesive band-aid and change the dressing every moring and night. Recovery and comfort follows shortly after. Hope this helps!! :) P.S. If you tried this remedy, pls comment wether it be good or bad. I just wanna help as best i can.
rating: 5 (86 votes)
Submitted at 2006-05-01 02:53:51
Take as much liquid out that you can (a little painful). Then gently lift toe nail and place cotton under ingrown nail. It will grow out.
rating: 5 (45 votes)
Submitted by L at 2010-06-26 19:31:22
I have been plagued with ingrown toenails for the past few years. I tried to remove the ingrown part of the nail on my own, but I couldn't seem to get the nail clippers down far enough, as the ingrown part was very close to the bottom of my toenail. I went to the podiatrist and he said that there could be a number of causes of ingrown toenails, such as genetics, improper shoe size/fit, or not trimming the nail properly. Sometimes, none of these applies, and it still happens. I just happen to be one of those cases. Anyhow, the options are to try to take care of it yourself by the soak/trim method, or go to a podiatrist (that way you don't risk too much pain or the possibility of an infection). The podiatrist will either cut the nail with a special type of trimmers, and clip off the intruding edge, or there are other options as well. In my case, he injected an anesthetic into my toe in two places, and then cut a straight line down my toenail all the way to the bottom. It takes less than a day to recover, and your problem should be solved for at least a few months. He said it's also possible for a total nail removal, or to inject a chemical to stunt the future growth of nail in that particular area. I understand that this is a home remedy site, so most people probably wouldn't opt for that. Neither would I, personally. But it's definitely something to think about if this is a recurring problem.
rating: 5 (45 votes)
Submitted at 2010-04-10 18:05:08
I get ingrown toenails a couple times a year, not sure why as I try and trim my nails straight across. This rememdy usually works quickly for me, almost as fast as the pain comes on.
Soak your foot in warm water for 20 minutes. Try and very carefully trim the nail on the side to remove the piece causing the inflamation. I like to use a regular clippers that also has the extension file to remove all fuzz and dirt.
To help reduce the swelling, soak your foot in warm water and epsom salt. This step is key to a quick recovery.
Then, use a qtip and hydrogen peroxide to remove any bacteria.
Good luck!
rating: 5 (70 votes)
Submitted at 2010-09-19 23:34:23
I'm a doctor but this has never been taught to me in medical school. I have problems with ingrown nails during skiing season. The technique described has been previously reported but it is worth repeating. It was taught to me by a former classmate who deals with this problem frequently.
If you are an early stage ingrown toenail, the key objective is to reduce lateral force extending your nail into the sides of your nailbeds so the nail will grow straight out again
To do this, take small sharp scissors (I use a swiss army knife scissor) and cut a 'V' into the middle of your nail. It doesn't have to be wide (maybe 1/8' but it does have to be as deep as you comfortably can without injuring the nail bed. Over time, side pressure will be relieved and the nail will grow straight.
A second option (which has not worked as well for me) is to taken a knife and back stroke a strip along the center of the nail to scrape the keratin off the nail and making it thinner. If you scrape it sufficiently, the nail will become thin and pliable and can bend and buckle to relieve the lateral stress of the ingrown toenail. You can use both the V and the scraping strip together to relieve the pain of the nail. In both cases, once the nail is freed from the ingrown site and growing again, it will completely regenerate in 2-3 months.
Most important is PREVENTION: when you clip your toes, clip them in a straight line so that the ends of your toe nails extend beyond the skin on the side of the nail. Most ingrown nails occur when you cut your nails very short and slides are cut in at an angle following your toe. In this case, the center of the nail is longer than the sides. As the nail grows, it will naturally grow laterally as well as forward and since you've tightly clipped your nails at the sides, the nail will grow into the skin. Good Luck!
rating: 5 (136 votes)
Submitted by Toni at 2012-04-28 05:46:50
I went to a regular doctor had them cut out after he numbed my toe with shots. Didn't work.. they came right back. After suffering for 2 yrs with the ingrown toenail. Finally went to an old school podiatrist. He was very inexpensive. He sprayed on a topical numbing solution.. it felt soo good. Then he cut it out very gently. After he got it out and all was better I thought oh heck it's going to come back again. But, he told me how to keep them from coming back and after 30 yrs it is the ONLY thing that works. He told me to take a small small piece of a cotton ball.. some iodine over the toe or Merthiolate Take the piece of cotton and poke it all down the side of the toe with a toothpick. Poke it in there as far as it can go. The cotton should be all down the side of the toe and pushed into the skin next to the toenail. After you get it in there good.. and it's padded nicely but comfortably, put more iodine or merthiolate over the cotton. Then take some clear nail polish and cover the entire nail and the cotton ect. This will keep it in place and also keep dirt ect out of the area, and keep it dry. I did this nearly every day until the toenail grew back normal and 'relearned' where it needed to grow. It took like 6-9 months but it cost me next to nothing to do.. took maybe 5 mins of my time. Some times I could leave the stuff in a few days if I took my time and did it right. Alot of times I would rush and it would come out like at the end of the day but still did it's job and it worked. I have never had any more problems with the ingrown toenail since doing that 30 years ago. BEST doctor I ever met.
rating: 5 (10 votes)
Submitted by Renee at 2005-11-27 23:28:23
Soak in as hot of water you can stand and a good portion of Epsom salts. When the would is feeling a bit numb, find a tiny nail file and get down to the offensive bit of the nail that digs into your toe and gently file the nail upward (no sawing motions). Place foot back into the hot epsom water. When you remove your foot, dry well and apply a little Neosporin ointment between the nail and the skin and place a breathable (aka no plastic strips) bandage and change as necessary until healed. If you notice any signs of infection, get thyself to a doctor (wink)
rating: 5 (53 votes)
Submitted by Hannah at 2011-04-25 06:14:12
Get a regular sized band-aid and use it to stretch the skin on the side of your toenail back away from the ingrown nail. To do this, attach one end of the band-aid to the skin right next to where the ingrown toenail is and then pull the band-aid as tight as you can away from the nail. This will pull the skin back away from the area where the nail is growing in. Then wrap the other end of the band-aid around the back of your toe and attach it to the base of the front of your toe. When the band-aid gets loose, put on a fresh one. This will allow the nail to grow normally without digging into your skin.
rating: 5 (94 votes)
Submitted by lucas m at 2009-05-28 22:57:37
iv gotten plenty of ingrown tonails durring football season they are very painfull. i have found the best way to get rid INSTENTLY is to first put a antibiodic ointment ir soke it in water for about 15-30min losten the sides of the toe. Next take a pair of toenail trimmers and snip a small crack into the side of the toenail then using the clippers or a needle nose pliers or such to grab and pull out the ingrown toenail part( this can be painfull but its quck and effective so you can go about your life normally). after this put aintobiodic ointment on the edge and place a bandade on allowing it to heal.
rating: 5 (57 votes)
Submitted by Mathion at 2010-07-05 22:27:11
There are two basic types of ingrown toenails: The kind that are caused by straight growth into the sides of the toe at the tip and the kind that are caused by the toenail curving along the top to pinch into the sides of the toe.
I, unfortunately, suffer from both kinds.
For the straight growth into the tip, one of the ingrown toenail clippers is usually sufficient. The trick is to get all the way into the side and clip the whole tip at the sides, getting that spur under the skin at the edge(s) of the toenail. Keeping the toenail tip trimmed straight across the toe flush with, or even overlapping, the skin a bit helps keep the ingrown part from happening again.
Depending on the lack of inflammation from the ingrown part, relief can be anywhere from instantaneous to a couple of days.
For the curved toenails that are pinching the toes (with or without the other kind) the idea is to soften the nail so it is more pliable. This can be done with moisturizing lotions, hair conditioners even some oils (applied after soaking the toenail in water for 15-20 minutes). This should be repeated at least daily.
If the toenail is unusually thick, the only option is to file it across the top. This thins out the toenail enough to make it more pliable and will relieve the pressure on the sides of the toe. Once the pliability of the toenail has been improved, if there is the straight out the tip problem as well, it is more easily remedied by having a pliable nail.
The filing process can be tedious, but the focus should be on the part that curves or even bends the most. If it's a smooth curve without obvious bends, then the whole nail should be thinned. If it's a nail that has bends downward at a sharper angle, filing along the top of the bend will yield quicker results. Take care not to go all the way through the nail. It will darken as you get closer to the nail bed.
It's still recommended to add moisturizing lotion or something else to give the nail more flexibility, which should help prevent the nail from doing the same thing again.
Cleaning up with peroxide (stings a lot less) will help prevent further infection/inflammation.
rating: 5 (62 votes)
Submitted at 2011-12-16 17:09:59
You can typically perform ingrown toenail treatment yourself at home but if you are having pain that is getting worse and you notice more redness and pus, it’s time to go see your doctor. One thing you can do at home to treat your ingrown toenail if you notice it before it gets too far along is to put a piece of cotton under the nail in order to separate the nail from the overlaying skin. This may allow the nail to grow above the edge of the skin.
If this doesn’t work you will probably have to remove part of the nail and the skin that the nail was starting to grow into. It is best to try soaking in Epsom’s salt, maybe even three or four times a day for a few days to get the area clean and soft before clearing out the problem. There are a variety of tools to use for ingrown toenail treatment but a good ingrown toenail clippers and tweezers should work for everything you will need to do, just make sure the tools are all sterile before use and to wipe the toenail area down with an alcohol swab before and after your done.
It will hurt but the pain can be reduced by numbing creams and ice. It is best to take care of it as soon as you can as the problem and the pain will only get worse if not treated. Each toe is different but what you need to do is snip off the part of the nail that is growing against the skin, you may need to pull the piece or of nail and some dead skin out. Then wash the area thoroughly. Keep bandaged for a few days with triple antibiotic ointment. Change the bandage daily, more than just once if needed, to keep an eye on it and if it seems to be getting any worse you will need to see your doctor
rating: 5 (70 votes)
Submitted by Darrell Crouse at 2012-02-26 08:35:30
Put Vick's vapo rub on the ingrown toenail and wear a sock to bed for several nights. Worked for me.
rating: 5 (35 votes)
Submitted by Paul louis wanninger at 2011-08-23 07:01:47
You hear a lot of things ,this works.There is a new product Sally Hansen Ingrown be gone. Remove & smooth painful ingrown nails-stainless steel.Follow the directions on back of the special made cutter and your problems are gone!
rating: 5 (74 votes)
Submitted by Barry Miller at 2012-05-06 13:18:50
Ingrown toenails? Had them for 35 years. Now I use a Dremel tool, with the smallest bur bit you can get, to gently cut a line down the side of the nail - going as low as comfortably possible. The cut doesn't have to go completely through the nail to the skin. The bur generates heat, so you will feel when you have cut deep enough. Once you have cut as low as you like, try to cut outward to separate the cut portion from the nail bed. Once this is done, use needle nose tweezers, pliers, or whatever you have, to pull the cut portion out. It might take some digging, and you need a strong grip. CAUTION: Use lots of alcohol, and make sure everything is CLEAN! Be very careful with the Dremel tool. If you slip, you could cut yourself. This procedure usually causes very little bleeding, pain, or swelling. If done right, which it isn't difficult, there is instant relief - and it lasts approximately 2 months before the nail grows to the point of needing it again.
rating: 5 (4 votes)
Submitted at 2011-08-04 09:38:12
I don't know if this will work or not.. but you know that annoying plastic that you get when you buy a certain product.. its almost impossible to get it off until you go home and cut it out. I wonder if you cut that plastic into strips it'll give you a similar effect as NailEase. Or if you go to Walmart and buy a clear spray bottle or any plastic bottle and cut strips vertically. They make such a variety with different thickness, I'm sure there is one out there that will work for less money than NailEase. Plus its clear so it won't be as noticeable. You can buy nail glue just about anywhere too. I would suggest sally beauty supply because its salon quality and are open to the public. They also have lite-less gel filler (for fake nails) that's easy to apply with a little brush. I hope this helps.
rating: 4 (37 votes)
Submitted by Darwin at 2008-04-06 19:52:16
Let the nail grow out. If it has grown out and you have a 1/8th of an inch over hang then try this. In the center of the nail, (usually the toes) clip a v section as deep as you can reach in the center of the toenail. This allows the nail to grow inward at the V and pulling the sides upward instead of downward to the skin. Works for me...
rating: 4 (90 votes)
Submitted at 2011-05-10 01:00:21
I've posted this before, but any topical tooth pain reliever will give you great relief and seems to help with the healing.
rating: 4 (44 votes)
Submitted by Cecilia at 2006-04-07 23:39:02
Cut a lemon in half. Put toe in lemon. Put sock over foot. Let soak overnight.
rating: 4 (153 votes)
Submitted at 2010-09-02 13:13:36
Do the same thing as clip it but if you can't grip the nail with tweesers get a pair of clean oil free needlenose pliers to help get a super tight grip on the pull out nail.
rating: 4 (51 votes)
Submitted by Fred at 2010-07-26 13:52:26
Get a pair of cuticle trimmers and a pair of nail clippers.
Use cuticle trimmers that look like these....with the v shaped fork in them...
First disinfect the area with rubbing alcohol and also disinfect the cuticle trimmer and the toenail clippers. Now use the cuticle trimmer and place it on the corner of the toenail where the nail is ingrown. Run the cuticle trimmer straight down the side of the toenail going straight towards the bottom. It will hurt like heck. Keep running the cuticle trimmer all the way down the side of the toenail until you get to the skin at the bottom. Then use the toenail clippers to grab the toenail and pull the small side that has been cut until it pulls out at the bottom of the toenail. This will remove the entire side of the toenail that was ingrown and will solve your problem for many many months...as long as it takes for the nail to grow back.
Be sure to disinfect the bleeding area where the toenail was and put on some neosporin and a band-aid for a few days. Keep the area clean and it will eventually heal and it will be a year or more before you have another problem...if at all.
rating: 4 (60 votes)
Submitted by Jacksonville Phil at 2006-07-21 17:54:43
Try cutting a slight 'V' knotch on the end and mid point of your toe nail. This causes the nail to grow towards the center away from the edges. This is not a quick fix, but over time, it works well.
rating: 3 (107 votes)
Submitted at 2006-05-05 23:49:12
Pick at it with a pair of tweezers until you cant stand it anymore. In a few days, just squeeze it and all the pressure will be relieved.
rating: 2 (94 votes)
Submitted by Stan at 2009-04-26 01:38:20
Ingrown toe nails are caused by eating too much sugar. Usually it's young kids that get ingrown toenails. I've seen this many times. A young person is board, say on a summer vacation. They sit at home eating sweet stuff and stressed out. After some days of living this way the cuticle around the big toe becomes inflamed (soft and red). The cuticle should be a strong tuff skin that borders the toenail. Sugar makes cuticle weak and prone to become inflamed. Many people have had red swollen cuticles that return to normal in a few days when the owner of the toe stops eating so much sugar and finds something to do with their time to get out of the bad mood or stressful situations. If the toenail becomes ingrown because of clipping the nail down too short at the cuticle then let it grow out. While it's growing out keep it medicated with neosporin every night and put a good elastic material type band-aid on it to keep it clean from infection. Once it becomes ingrown it can take two or three months to grown out above the end of cuticle. Young people will servive this. Elderly should see a doctor for possible root removal.
rating: 1 (203 votes)
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