How to soften toenails to make it easier to cut?

Human hands are almost always in sight, so caring for them has become a daily habit of both women and men. The same cannot be said for legs, which are hidden for most of the year by boots or socks. Nevertheless, regular haircuts and nail plate care affect not only beauty, but also the health of the toes. The difficulty is that the nails below are themselves denser than on the fingers, and it is not so easy to cut off with ordinary manicure scissors. In addition, many people, especially with age, have an increasing thickening of the nail plate. Even the nippers do not take such a dense layer the first time, and in order to make even the simplest pedicure, you will have to soften them in the bath or using special means.

Hard and hard nails give a person great inconvenience. In addition to the fact that it is impossible to calmly cut them, they often change color, darken and grow into the skin. It is impossible to choose comfortable shoes with such nails, calmly take off your shoes at a party, and besides, often with a change in the nail plate comes not just discomfort, but a real pain. There may be several reasons for this.

• Shoes are not in size. Very often, in pursuit of beauty or economy, men and women purchase shoes and shoes that are not suitable for the length and thickness of their feet. With prolonged wear of such shoes, constant and strong pressure is exerted on the tips of the fingers and nails.This leads to deformation of both the plates themselves and the entire foot, which is very harmful for the human skeleton. Specialists always recommend purchasing shoes in which the leg will feel at ease.

• Incorrect trimming and processing. So that the nail does not harden and does not grow into the sides of the finger, it is necessary to trim and file it correctly. Do not round the edge or cut it too short. The edge should be even and its length should be about 0.5-1 mm.
• Lack of hygiene. On the feet there are many sweat glands that work around the clock. Especially often feet sweat in shoes made of artificial materials or synthetic socks. To avoid health problems, you need to regularly wash them and treat them with pumice.
• Injuries. Very often, the nail bends and hardens as a result of being injured. In this case, you need to see a doctor and get his recommendations on eliminating the consequences of such an injury and correct correction of the nail plate.

• Diseases If the nails sharply become thick, growths or a yellow coating appear on them, this can signal problems within the human body. It can be strong endocrine changes, problems with the cardiovascular system, vitamin deficiency. Often, such results can lead to impaired liver or kidney function. And the most common disease is an ordinary fungus.
• Heredity. Very often, the nails become coarse and grow in those people whose parents or grandparents suffered from the same problem. One of the main recommendations for such men and women is a particularly careful care and proper pruning. If the nail is already deeply embedded in the soft tissue, it remains only to contact a good surgeon who can remove the edge of the nail or even remove the entire nail plate.
• Age-related changes. Unfortunately, after 40-45 years, the entire human body undergoes significant changes. This affects both internal and external organs. Very often, thickening of nails in women occurs during menopause. Naturally, this does not work, so you have to deal with this situation by various means.

Coarse nails need care, however, even their minimal processing requires a lot of effort. Before starting to trim and file the nails, they must be softened. There are several ways to do this.

The easiest but most effective way is to quickly steam out your foot in hot water. Together with the skin, the nail plate is also saturated with hot water, due to which it will become softer and more supple. The procedure will require 10-15 minutes of free time and water at a temperature that the skin can withstand. Soaking your feet in this way can be done in an ordinary basin with hot water, or you can add various components to the liquid that enhance the effect. Such additives may include tea tree, lavender or rosemary essential oils. To do this, just add 10-15 drops of oil to the basin and, in addition to softening the necessary areas, you can get a good aromatherapy session in your own bedroom.

Instead of adding oils, you can prepare a decoction with various medicinal plants. Chamomile will relieve inflammation, celandine will help in the fight against warts, and oak bark will relieve excessive sweating of the feet. To prepare the broth, 5-10 tablespoons of a dry plant and 1.5 liters of boiling water will be required. After the boiling water has cooled to an acceptable temperature, you need to lower the feet into the pelvis for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has completely cooled.

A gauze dressing with a piece of peeled aloe leaf is considered one of the most convenient compresses. It must be applied to the problem area, covered with plastic wrap and wrapped with a bandage or gauze. Aloe is left on the foot all night, and in the morning the nail can be easily cut with ordinary scissors. In addition to aloe, a small piece of kombucha or a cotton pad soaked in a 9% solution of acetic acid can also help. It is important to remember that vinegar can leave a burn on the skin, so leaving such a compress on your leg for more than 3 hours is not recommended.

Ointments and creams that can be bought at any pharmacy are capable of helping to cut off rough nails. For them, you do not need a prescription from your doctor, and the pharmacist will be able to advise you on several options. The main thing that needs to be done with such treatment is to follow the instructions included in the package of the drug.

The oldest, but not lost to this day, medicine for the treatment of the nail plate is ordinary Vishnevsky ointment. For a stronger effect, it is not enough just to spread it on the nail, it is best to apply it on a piece of bandage or a cotton pad and make a compress for the whole night.

Modern medicines act much faster and can soften even the hardest nail in a few minutes to a couple of hours. These are drugs called Scholl, "Nail Art" or "Uroderm." In addition, ichthyol or salicylic ointments can also help in solving the problem.

Separately, it is worth talking about softening the nail with a fungal disease. The first signs of the fungus are a yellow tint, exfoliation and a wavy shape of the nail. Over time, such a nail begins to crumble and infects neighboring fingers. As soon as the first signs of infection appear, treatment must begin. You can contact a specialist for this or purchase antifungal medications yourself. It is impossible to cut aching nails without preliminary treatment with drugs. This can contribute to the appearance of cracks, abscesses and infection.

In the pharmacy you can find many antifungal drugs. The best reviews received a set of "Kanespor" and ointment "Exoderil". In addition, 5% salicylic ointment and special “Loceryl” varnish can help in the fight against fungus.

Sometimes it happens that it’s not possible to go to a pharmacy or a store, and you need to soften your nails for a haircut. In this case, you can use some recipes of traditional medicine and make a special foot bath or prepare a special ointment.

For such a bath, only 3 ingredients are required:

• 2 liters of water;
• 2 teaspoons of laundry soap grated on a fine grater;
• 6 teaspoons of baking soda.

The water is brought to a boil and cools to an acceptable temperature. Soap shavings and soda are poured into it, mix thoroughly and dissolve. Feet in such a bath should be kept for 15-20 minutes, then wipe dry with a towel and proceed to haircut.

A two-hour compress with vinegar will cut off the toenail of even a very elderly person. To do this, just moisten a cotton pad with it and attach it to the damaged area. A cling film is wound on top and a sock is put on. After the pedicure, it is necessary to lubricate with a nourishing cream that area of ​​the skin to which cotton wool soaked in vinegar was applied. This is necessary so that the skin does not dry out and there is no burn or peeling.

If there is only an hour left, and a bath with hot water does not help, then You can use a simple recipe for softening ointment from natural ingredients:

• honey;
• vegetable oil (olive is best suited, but it is also possible to use sunflower);
• lemon juice;
• sour cream.

All products are taken in equal parts, carefully mixed and applied to the nails. There is no need to wrap them with foil, but you can do this to enhance the effect. After 30 minutes, the ointment is washed off, and the nails are cut without much effort. You can prepare such an effective home remedy in advance, but even in the refrigerator it is stored for only a couple of days.

Treatment of the nail plate can result in large time and financial costs. It’s best to avoid this problem rather than fix it. In order for the nails to always be healthy and well-groomed, it is enough to follow a few rules.

• Regular hygiene and care. It is necessary to wash the feet daily, and trim the nail plate must be done at least once every 1-2 weeks (depending on growth rate). After water procedures, thoroughly dry or wipe the skin, especially the space between the fingers. Do not cut your nails too short, cut them around the circumference and ignore the first signs of a fungus or ingrown nail. If possible, do a pedicure every 2-3 months in a trusted salon.

• Purchase and wear shoes of the right size. In open shoes, walk carefully and try to exclude injuries of the toes. If possible, buy shoes made from natural materials in which the foot sweats less.
• In public places you must always be wearing shoes. On the beach, in the pool or sauna, light flip flops or disposable slippers should be worn so that the foot does not touch the dirty floor or wet sand.

Subject to these rules, even age-related changes will not lead to the appearance and health of the nail plate to a depressing state. I want to apply beautiful varnishes and put on open shoes on healthy nails, because people around will be able to appreciate their beauty.

On how to soften toenails at home, see the next video.