How to Make Toenails Grow Straight?

How to Make Toenails Grow Straight?

How to Make Toenails Grow Straight?

There are some conditions where toenails start to grow inward instead of growing straight. Many of the factors from heredity to acquired, contribute which don’t allow nails to grow straight.

Toenail not tends to grow straight but grow inward the skin which with the passage of time is accompanied by pain, redness, thickening of the skin. If this condition left untreated, the condition will become severe which will be difficult to treat.

Nail, like other body parts, requires your good attention to grow straight and healthy. Minor negligence can cause severe damage.

With improper toenails growth, many of the daily activities get disturbed especially with a big toe. It’s really one of the most common foot problems but difficult to deal with it.

Toenails can grow straight by proper trimming, use of petroleum jelly, maintaining proper hygiene, use of proper shoes, wearing good fabric socks, taking healthy diet, etc. Toenails require proper attention and care to grow straight. 

How to Make Toenails Grow Straight?

Toenails are much smoother than others. Toenails are always on the phase of growing .while growing, nails tend to grow smoother in a straight direction as well as to adhere with the skin. Nature has kept balance in these two functions.

Whenever this natural balance is disturbed through external or either internal factors, nail growth disturbs. If it’s left untreated, toenails will not grow straight and will become difficult to treat.

So inspect your infected toenails on a daily basis. If they are not growing straight then follow the below-given procedure or see the doctor.

Toenails sometimes instead of growing straight, lodged into the skin which later can cause infection. It’s not good for your nails. Toenails can be grown straight by following the given instructions

Trimming

Trimming of toenails is a technique. How you trim your nail, how often you trim, how much you trim? all matters a lot. Trimming nail is an art. For trimming your toenails you must be careful as trimming plays an important role in growing toenails straight.

Never cut your nails in curved shape as it will cause your nails to dig into the skin which is a big hindrance in growing toenails straight.

There is a common practice especially among males to cut toenails too short. Cutting toenails too short can cause infection and is a major cause of ingrown (nails that instead of growing straight dig into the skin around) toenails.

Don’t cut nails when they are wet because wet nails are soft than dry nails. When you cut wet nails, they don’t cut down smoother.

Proper filing of toenails is also necessary. Don’t file your nail in back and forth position. Always file your nail in a single direction.

Cut nails in proper shape

The shape in which you cut your toenails matters a lot. The improper shape of toenails contributes mainly to improper nails growth. You have to cut nails as flat as possible. Flatter nail cut will eventually straight your toenails growth.

Separate out the skin from toenails

With the help of nail filer or any blunt object, pull the skin away from the toenails. This will help in treating an ingrown toenail. But make sure that nail filer or other objects by which you are pulling nail is clean enough and free of germs.

It is better to perform this activity in the morning or after taking a bath because at that time nails are at their softest point. It’s easy to deal with them when toenails are soft. By doing this regularly, you will have straight toenails.

Wear proper shoes

Shoes as come with a variety of shapes but not always good looking shoes take good care about your toenails. Whenever you are going to buy shoes, first wear it and check that is comfortable for your toenails or not.

Sometimes shoes are wide from ankle side but narrow from toenail side. This type of shoes causes irritation in toenails especially if your toenails are large. This type of shoes tends to bend toenails inward and become the hurdle in growing toenail straight.

Always select shoes which suit you best, not too loose not too tight. Give comfort to your feet and toenails so they inturn provide comfort to you by growing straight.

Maintain good hygiene of your toenail

Like other body parts, toenails require your good attention. Clean your toenails and cut them on a weekly basis. Poor hygienic conditions contribute to growing toenails wrong direction.

Feet with sweat, dust is more likely to get an infection . Keep your feet and toenails dry and clean. The moist surface is a habitat for bacterial and fungal growth.

Healthy diet

Having a healthy diet full of vitamins and other essential nutrients is necessary for the healthy growth of body parts including nails. It is noticed that some vitamin deficiency like vitamin B12 causes the nails to grow inward or upward.

For the nails to straight, you must have to take essential nutrients, vitamins through diet. Our body is unable to synthesis vitamins. We have to take them through diet. Vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and vitamin E are at the top of the list which requires normal nail growth.

The best and most essential way to make nail grow straight is maintaining a healthy diet. A healthy diet contains fruits, fresh vegetables especially green leafy vegetables and dairy products.

Zinc and iron are considered main nutrients for nails growth and their deficiency causes nails to grow inward or upward.

Do special care if it’s through genetics

Most often toenails not tend to grow straight due to genetics. Those people who have a family history of an ingrown toenail are more prone to have ingrown toenail as compare to others.

If any of your parents have ingrown toenails then you must take some extra care to be saved and have straight nail growth. It is advised to those persons to see a Dermatologist and have a proper check-up of their toenails on a monthly basis.

Keep toenails small

Toenails when growing more than a certain limit, they tend to bend inward. To make toenails grow straight, it’s highly recommended to cut nails in the appropriate length.

Long term physical activity also a major cause of ingrown toenails. Long term physical activity puts pressure on nails and bends them inward. Don’t put pressure on your toenails for a long time on a regular basis.

Moisturize your toenails

Lack of moisture with other complications can also become the hurdle in growing toenails straight. It’s proved with research and medical cases that those people with proper moisture on toenails have straight toenails.

When there is no moisture between nails and skin, the skin becomes dry and nails start to grow in random directions instead of straight.

To keep proper moisture content, take petroleum jelly or almond oil or any other good moisturizer and massage on your toenails daily before going to bed.

Stay hydrated

Hydration is as necessary for the proper functioning of other body parts also necessary for proper toenails growth.

Dehydration may become the cause of ingrown toenails. When nails become dry due to dehydration, they don’t grow normally. They tend to bend inward, outward or curved.

It’s recommended to drink about 8 glass of water per day by a normal person on normal days. For those who have to do a lot of physical activity should drink about 10 to 12 of a glass of water per day.

Wear proper socks

Socks are either of natural fiber or synthetic fibers but socks off natural fibers are best for your toenails. Natural fiber socks reduce friction between toenails and shoes .on the other hand, natural fiber socks are much better able to absorb sweat from feet than synthetic ones.

Properly trimmed, filed nails will adjust best with proper socks. It’s also necessary to change socks every day. Each time use properly washed, dried socks to prevent infection.

Do not ignore minor trauma to toenails

Trauma or small toenail injury if ignored can become the cause of improperly grown toenails. Whenever you got an injury on toenails, it puts pressure on nails bed, which is pressed in either direction which disturbs the natural normal direction of toenails.

If treated at the spot, or may prevent nails to grow in an abnormal direction. Whenever you have an injury on toenails its necessary to inspect it on a regular basis for about a week .if you noticed that your toenail is not growing in a straight direction, visit a doctor.

Not necessarily a one-time incident can cause abnormal toenail growth but repetitive pressure do so. Those who play football or those who perform ballet dance regularly are more likely to have improper toenails growth. This type of people should do proper care of their toenails.

How to fix ingrown, curved or upgrown toenail?

It’s highly recommended to take good care of your toenail and for that follow the above instructions but if your toenails are not growing straight then you can fix it at home. It’s although better to visit a dermatologist if the condition is severe.

Step by step procedure to fix ingrown, curved or upgrown toenail

Soak feet in lukewarm water

The first step to fix improperly grown toenail is to soak it in lukewarm water. Take lukewarm water in a wide mouth tub and soak your feet in it for about 20 minutes twice a day.

Dry properly

How you dry your feet or toenails also matters a lot. Whenever you are going to dry your feet or toenails, use a soft cotton towel. Don’t rub towel forcefully on toenails, just softly press the towel on toenails and dry them.

Always use a neat clean towel. Do not use a towel which is already used by someone other. It’s also better to air dry your toenails but if you have to wear socks or shoes then first dry them with a towel.

Place a cotton ball beneath toenails

Take a small amount of cotton and roll into a small-sized ball. Lift the skin downward and nail upward and place the cotton ball. By doing this, the nail will be separated from the skin and will grow freely.

Tip: It’s better to soak the cotton into apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties and will better able to prevent bacterial or fungal infection or to treat the infection.

Apply antibiotic cream or ointment

After placing the cotton ball, apply ointment or any antibiotic cream to prevent infection.

Repeat the procedure twice a daily. If you don’t feel relief or condition is worsening, then must see a dermatologist.

To relieve pain

If toenails have swelled and you feel severe pain then make pasta with turmeric powder and mustard oil. In a bowl add half teaspoon of turmeric powder and about one spoon of mustard oil and mix well to form a thick paste.

Cover your affected toenails with this paste and then cover with a bandage. Leave for 2 hours max and then remove with lukewarm water. Repeat it daily. Turmeric powder has an anti-inflammatory property and also has infection healing property.

Final words

It’s worth saying that prevention is better than cure. It’s difficult to deal with affected toenails with all daily routine activities. By doing some good care of your toenails, you can have straight toenails.

Do care of your toenail on a regular basis. It will take only your 10 – 15 minutes. Stay healthy and enjoy your life.

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