Are you suffering from an ingrown nail that needs to be taken care of? Are you afraid of the pain and inconvenience of having to have a surgeon remove the affected toenail?
I will explain how you can treat an ingrown toenail at home using essential oils. Follow this guide and say goodbye to your ingrown toenail for good. I have personally used essential oils to treat my ingrown toenail.
Steps To Take To Prevent Further Inflammation And Pain
1) Stop wearing socks or tight shoes that rub against your toenails. Pressure on the toenail can cause an ingrown toenail to develop. Wear open-toe shoes that don t put pressure on your toenails.
2) Avoid picking at your toenails. Picked or torn toenails cause more injury.
3) Keep toenails trimmed straight across, but not too short. If the nail is cut too short or curved, it causes the toenail to curl downward, making the ingrown toenail worse.
Steps To Treat Your Ingrown Toenail With Essential Oil:
1) Soak your toenails in warm water and Epsom salt for about 15 to 20 minutes twice a day. This will loosen built-up nail fungus on the nail bed.
2) Cut off any dead parts of the nail with nail clippers. This will prevent the nail from growing into the surrounding skin.
3) Cut around the ingrown portion of the nail with a straightedge. You may put a little pressure on the straightedge to push the nail away from the skin.
4) Apply carrier oil like coconut oil with an essential oil like tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil to the ingrown portion of the nail. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes.
5) Repeat steps 1 to 4 at least once a day.
My Painful Experience And How I Treated My Ingrown Toenail At Home:
I had an ingrown toenail on my tip of my toenail for almost 5 months. At first, I tried to trim the toenails myself.
However, my toenail was really hard and thick, so I had to go to a doctor to remove it. The doctor explained to me that the toenail was growing into the surrounding skin, leaving a serious infection. The infection would lead to a swollen, painful, and infected area on my toe, so the doctor suggested I wear surgical shoes until I fully recover from the procedure. Surgical shoes have open -toes which allowed me to keep my toes free of pressure.
After a few days of wearing the surgical shoes, I decided to treat my ingrown toenail at home.
First, I trimmed off a small amount of the toenail.
The part of the toenail that had grown into the skin was very painful, so I used a hot compress and an ice cube covered in olive oil to ease the pain. Olive oil acts as natural pain reliever because it is rich in Vitamin E.
Furthermore, I soaked my feet in warm water for 20 minutes twice a day to let the warm water relieve the discomfort.
Next, I used tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil mixed with coconut oil to treat my ingrown toenail. I applied the oil directly to the infected area every night for a week.
This treatment worked wonders for me, and after 2 weeks my ingrown toenail was completely gone.
FAQS About Ingrown Toenails
What Causes Ingrown Toenails?
The toenail grows at a normal pace but, for some reason, begins slowly pushing into the skin resulting in Ingrown toenails. Causes of ingrown toenails include wearing tight or ill-fitting footwear. Other factors include having a genetic predisposition to ingrown toenails, psoriasis, and athlete’s foot.
How To Prevent Ingrown Toenails?
Following these simple steps can help keep you away from an ingrown toenail:
- Don’t wear tight footwear. Tight footwear forces the toe into abnormal angles, causing or aggravating ingrown toenails.
- Avoid walking barefoot. The skin of your toe is sensitive and can be easily damaged while walking barefoot.
- Trim toenails to ensure there is a gap between the toenail and the skin.
- Keep the toenails as clean and dry as possible.
- Using essential oils such as tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil can also help prevent ingrown toenails.
Why Do Ingrown Toenails Hurt So Bad?
Ingrown toenails are painful because they break the skin on the inside of your toes. The skin may then become infected, causing pain and redness.
How Can I Make My Toenails Grow Straight?
Cut your toenails straight across, without rounding the corners, to prevent the nail from growing back into the skin. This will, hopefully, keep the nail from growing back.
Do Pedicures Help With Ingrown Toenails?
A pedicure can remove dead skin and allow the nail to grow back straight. But, a fresh pedicure will not cure a recurrent ingrown toenail.
Does Cutting Nails Too Short Cause Ingrown Toenails?
Yes, cutting the toenails too short can cause ingrown toenails. Also, if your toes are jammed into small shoes, this can cause ingrown toenails.
What Should I Do If One Of My Toenails Is Caught On Something?
Do not attempt to remove the nail! This can cause more pain, infection, and scarring. Instead, use a sharp nail file to gently work the nail back into its proper place.
I hope this answers all of your questions about an ingrown toenail and how to treat it at home using essential oils !