Trauma, infection, skin diseases and aging are some of the things that can cause problems with your fingernails or toenails. For toenails, causes include shoes that hardly fit, infection, poor circulation and nerve supplyand trauma. Sometimes you may need professional help, sometimes, you could fix it on your own.
Check out some of the best ways to treat these problems.
For brittle nails
Weak and brittle nails that can chip or crack quite easily are ugly. This affects men and women alike.
It’s a good thing there’s coconut oil that nourishes weak nails. It moisturizes as well as prevents various infections. Warm up some coconut oil a bit and put on the nails. To get better blood circulation and moisturize your nails, try massaging them for five minutes. Repeat this twice or thrice every day.
For toenail fungus
Toenail fungus is very common. When you see your toenails inflamed, swollen, yellow or getting thicker, these are signs you might have it. And when the infection starts to spread, it’ll be painful.
To combat this and bring back the skin’s pH, you can use white vinegar. Add a part of the vinegar with two parts of warm water and let the affected toe sink in this mixture. Wait ten to fifteen minutes before rinsing and completely drying your foot. Do this two times a day until you get rid of the fungus.
For psoriasis of the nails
Psoriasis can cause your nails to pit, or thicken, or be shaped irregularly. If this worsens, it can give you social or functional problems.
Unfortunately, no remedy can be found at home to get rid of nail psoriasis completely, but there are some home remedies that can help control it. Trim the nail gently back to where it was connected to the skin. Medicines will work better this way. Olive and coconut oil can moisturize nails, and that can help as well.
For dry nails
Dry nails can lead to brittle nails. So be careful. Treat dry nails ASAP.
Soak dry nails in extra virgin olive oil ten to fifteen minutes daily for four weeks, the two times weekly after that. That should be effective in strengthening damaged, dry peeling or weak nails.
For nail infection
Fungus or bacteria in the nail could cause infection, and lead to inflammation and pus forming under the nail. This may be quite painful.
Neem oil is excellent against nail infections. It’s both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. It’s also very strong. A couple of drops of the oil on the nail with the infection thrice daily should provide immediate relief.
For nail discoloration
A lot of people have yellow or discolored nail. It can be embarrassing for anyone.
The ability of lemon to naturally bleach makes it excellent in treating discoloration of nails. It can also be an astringent. All you need to do is fill half a bowl with lemon juice. Soak the affected nail or nails for ten to fifteen minutes. Gently, using a toothbrush, scrub the discolored nails before rinsing in lukewarm water. Don’t forget to moisturizer the nails with lotion. Doing this two times every day should do the trick.
For ingrown toenails
Ingrown toenails can be very painful. It happens when nails grow and cut one or both sides of the nail bed. This happens to people who regularly wear shoes for long periods of time. Inflammation can also happen.
