Hard toenails appear predominantly in the elderly. But young people can also be affected. And cutting off such nails is problematic if they are not softened first. Sometimes water alone is not enough. What are the remedies for softening toenails, which ones are the most effective?
What causes rough nails?
Thick and rough nail plate on the nails not only looks unaesthetic, but also causes problems when cutting it. There is no way to do without additional funds. But, before proceeding to consider all kinds of softening methods, it is worth considering all the possible reasons leading to such trouble on the legs.
- Fungus is the most common problem that can affect everyone. A fungal disease is easily transmitted from a sick person to a he althy person, it is enough only for contact actions to occur: wearing the shoes of an infected person, walking barefoot in public places, etc. From such an ailment, the nails not only thicken, but alsoturn yellow.
- Psoriasis is an autoimmune non-infectious disease that affects not only the skin and mucous membranes, but also the nail plates. The consequence is their thickening.
- Wearing the wrong shoes (poor quality, made of poor material, small in size) leads not only to deformation of the toenails, but also to their hardening.
- Impaired circulation. Due to various diseases of the legs in the lower extremities, blood circulation slows down. And this, in turn, affects the nutrition of the tissues of the fingers and nails: it worsens. And as a result - dense nails.
- Genetic predisposition is something that is difficult to resist (in the case of nails), but still possible. The same products for softening toenails.
- Wrong diet. The lack of a balanced diet, lack of trace elements and vitamins lead to the described problem.
- Advanced skin diseases affect not only the condition of the skin.
- Various diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
If you start the problem and do not take timely measures to eliminate it, there is a high risk that the affected nail will simply fall off. Or it will infect other toenails.
Tubes for softening toenails
Traditional medicine is very helpful in solving the problem of cutting a thick nail. And one of her methods is a footbath. In general, foot baths are one of the cosmetic, medical and hygiene procedures thatshould be done regularly at home or in the salon.
Steaming the feet in the bath is guaranteed to solve the problem of softening the nail plate. And there are many types of baths.
Camomile bath
Chamomile is a cheap and effective remedy that has practically no contraindications. By making a foot bath and using chamomile, you can not only steam out hardened nail plates, but also disinfect your toes and feet in general.
Foot bath for pedicure with "participation" of chamomile is prepared as follows:
- Boil 1 liter of water.
- Pour 6 tablespoons of chamomile into the prepared water.
- Everyone insist for two hours, and then strain.
- Then everyone boils again.
- Finally, the broth is cooled to an acceptable temperature and used for its intended purpose.
Legs are lowered into the bath, kept for 20 minutes. By adding boiling water, you can extend the steaming session. Stiff toenails will become soft and pliable.
S alt bath
S alt foot bath is an effective and budgetary remedy for softening toenails. In addition to softening, s alt has strengthening properties for the nail plate.
To make a s alt foot bath you will need:
- liter of boiling water;
- a couple of tablespoons of rock or iodized s alt;
- a tablespoon of grated laundry soap.
Everything is stirred until the soap and s altwill not dissolve completely. Just at this time, the water will cool to the right temperature, which will allow you to lower and hold your legs there.
This toenail softening bath is used no more than twice a day, preferably before cutting nails and applying foot cream.
Decoction of a mixture of herbs
Herbal foot bath is prepared on the basis of herbal medicinal collection, consisting of chamomile, St. John's wort, sage, coltsfoot, etc. The tool not only solves the problem of a hard nail, but also disinfects, relieves inflammation in case of an ingrown nail, relieves tired legs.
For cooking take:
- tablespoon of each herb or herb blend;
- 2 liters of boiling water.
How to soften toenails for cutting with a bath: pour dried flowers with boiling water and leave for half an hour. If during this time the water becomes cool, then boiling water is added to it. Dip in a basin with a decoction of the legs and steam for 15 minutes. The procedure is repeated daily.
After the session, the hardened nail is easily cut off along with dead skin. Treated nails and toes are smeared with a disinfectant or emollient.
Soap bath
How to soften toenails to cut? Affordable and easy-to-prepare means - a soap bath. Soap softens the hardened nail plate well, which allows you to cut it off without injury to the skin.
The bath is being prepared as follows:
- Heat water to boil in volume2 liters. Pour water into the basin.
- Grate into a basin or simply dilute a small piece of laundry soap, stir until it is completely dissolved.
- Next, 5 drops of liquid cream soap are poured into the basin or a small amount of tar soap is rubbed.
- Pour 5 drops of eucalyptus oil, mix everything.
You can take such a bath when the soap is completely dissolved. If the water has cooled by that time, it will be necessary to add more boiling water so that the temperature of the water in the basin is at least 50 degrees. This toenail softener is used before each application of medicated emollient cream.
Vinegar bath
A vinegar-based foot bath will safely soften not only the skin of the feet, but also the hard nail plate. A remedy is prepared from water with a temperature of 50-60 degrees, 50 ml of vinegar and two tablespoons of shampoo.
Everything is mixed in a basin until smooth, legs are soared for 15 minutes before each nail cutting.
Peroxide bath
A bath with the addition of hydrogen peroxide will help not only soften nails, but also disinfect them. To prepare this remedy, you will need to boil 1 liter of water, cool it to a temperature of 50-60 degrees. Then 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and 1 tablespoon of baking soda are added to the liquid.
All components are dissolved in water, and then used for their intended purpose. The procedure lasts 20 minutes, and after it, rough nails are easily cut off.
What else is good for a foot bath?
Pedicure foot baths can be prepared based on various ingredients. Their main purpose is softening and disinfection. In addition to the presented options for baths, you can cook them in the following options:
- With the addition of onion and garlic. The only drawback of such a bath is the smell.
- With the addition of iodine and vodka.
- Based on natural ground coffee. The product not only softens, but also acts as a scrub.
- With kiwi pulp. The juice of this fruit has a high acidity, which contributes to a better softening of the skin, disinfection.
Homemade ointments and creams
How and how to soften the toenail to trim? Components can be found in the home arsenal of improvised means. From such products, ointments can be prepared that are effective in softening the hardened nail plate.
Most often, softening ointments are prepared from ingredients such as:
- chicken eggs;
- vegetable or butter;
- onions and garlic;
- glycerin;
- vinegar and iodine.
And, as you can see, on the basis of some components, you can prepare not only ointments, but also foot baths. The effect of homemade ointments can manifest itself both independently and in combination with other pharmaceutical preparations.
One of the recommended ointments is a remedy prepared from 1 egg, 5 ml of vegetable oil (any), 5 ml of dimethyl phthalate. An ointment is prepared and applied to the hardened nail. wrap aroundpolyethylene and put on a sock on top. It is advisable to do the procedure at night. This will soften the nail and make it much easier to cut.
Another good remedy is a homemade ointment of a tablespoon of vinegar, a couple of drops of iodine and a small amount of glycerin. The prepared product is applied to the nails, wrapped and left overnight. After that, you can carry out a pedicure without using foot baths.
What to buy at the pharmacy?
Pharmacy products for softening toenails, due to their enhanced composition, will help to soften the nail plates on the legs in a short time. What can you choose from?
- "Nigtivit" is a drug whose composition is based on stearic acid and tea tree oil. The substance gently disinfects and softens the nail plates well. For the best effect, it is recommended to do a foot bath before applying the ointment. The analogue of "Nogtivit" is the drug "Nogtimycin".
- "Exoderil" with long-acting naftifine. Accumulating in the tissues of the toes, the drug not only softens the nails, but also acts as a remedy for fungus.
- "Uroderm" based on urea. The ointment is used twice a day, then the effect will be visible after the first application. The drug softens well even severely roughened nails.
- "Dimexide" - an ointment for softening nails and getting rid of the initial stages of mycosis.
- "Bifonazole" is an ointment based on urea. Before using itit is recommended to carry out a steaming foot bath, and then distribute the product in a thin layer over the nail plate. This method will allow for 1 month to completely cut off hardened nails, in place of which completely he althy ones will grow.
Liquid pedicure blade
Another way to get rid of rough nails is a pharmaceutical product - a biogel based on fruit acids. Such a tool is called a liquid pedicure blade. Such a gel will be an excellent substitute for a steaming bath, coarse pedicure tools, with the help of which coarsened elements are cut and cut off: skin and burrs. And the fruit acids included in the composition gently soften the hard nail plate, and it is easy to cut it off.
This toenail softener not only softens the rough skin of the feet and nails, but also serves as a good disinfectant that can cure fungal disease and relieve inflammation from the ingrown toenail.
The advantages of the liquid blade are its effectiveness and affordability. The drug is much cheaper than a single pedicure in the salon.
The most popular liquid blades are as follows:
- Domix, which costs 600 rubles for 200 ml. The composition contains a large amount of fruit acids and lemon extract. The drug softens the nails well and relieves corns on the feet.
- Callus Remover is a preparation based on glycolic acid. It has a softening effect, disinfecting and anti-inflammatory. Express Action Liquid Bladewill eliminate a rough toenail in one pedicure session.
- Balbcare - gel based on natural ingredients. The glycerin included in the composition reliably softens the nails, and also softens the rough skin of the feet.
How to soften the nails of an elderly person?
The problem of hardened nails is very relevant for the elderly. The nails not only thicken, but also turn yellow, bend, and the surface of the plate becomes uneven, ribbed. And cutting off such nails is very difficult. How to soften thick toenails in the elderly?
- Kombucha is a time-tested remedy. To do this, a piece is cut off from the kombucha and divided into layers. These layers are glued on rough nails in 2-3 layers, wrapped with a plaster. The procedure is done at night, and removed in the morning with apple cider vinegar. Several such sessions - and the nail will become softer, and cutting it off will become much easier.
- Bath of essential oils. It is prepared from the following oils, each of which you need to take 5 drops: lavender, orange, lemongrass and rose, add them to 0.5 liters of boiled hot water. This foot bath is taken daily for 2 weeks. The nail will be visibly softer and he althier.
