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Tips To Groom Your Toenails

By Tara Hari

Our feet are often the most neglected parts of out body. We overwork them the entire day, then refuse to give them the proper care they need. Toenails require regular grooming and trimming. Neglecting to take proper care of your toenails will lead to ingrown, chipped or discoloured toe nails. Since wearing sandals and open toed footwear is an essential part of summer, it is very important to achieve and maintain healthy, attractive toenails. Your toenails can be groomed by regular washing, clipping and moisturising.

Tips To Groom Your Toenails

Instead of hiding your chipped, yellow toenails, flaunt them by using the following toenail grooming tips.

Moisturising Toenails
Prolonged use of shoes and socks will cause your toenails to become hard, dry and discoloured. To prevent this from happening, moisturise regularly. Soak your feet in warm water and scrub away the dirt. After drying your feet, apply tree oil on each of your nails. Run it into your cuticle beds, as well as the top and side of your toenails. The use of essential oils will give you healthier nails that are protected from excess dryness.

Whiten Toenails
Prolonged neglect will cause discoloured or yellow toenails. This can be remedied by mixing one tablespoon hydrogen peroxide and two and a half tablespoons of baking soda to make a thick paste which is to be spread on each nail with a cotton swab. Leave it on for ten minutes before rinsing it off. Soak your nails in a bowl with five tablespoons of lemon juice. Make sure to moisturise your feet since hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice will cause dryness.

Ingrown Toenails
Soak your toes for 15 minutes in a tub of warm water mixed with Epsom salt or vinegar. Your nails will soften and you can pull back the ingrown part and clip it off with ease. Make sure the cut is clean, and there are no jagged ends left behind. Apply a topical ointment to prevent infection.

Toenail Fungus
Toenail fungus causes your nails to become malformed, brittle and discoloured. It increases the chances of you contracting athlete's foot or any toenail infection. Since toenail fungus is conditioned to damp areas, expose it by wearing sandals or open toed footwear. An excellent home remedy for toenail fungus is to soak it in a hot solution of baking soda and citric acid twice a day. Anti-fungal essential oil mist can also be applied to the affected area regularly to cure toenail fungus.

Decorate Toenails
Just because you clean and trim your toenails does not mean your work is done. You should also make it attractive and eye-catching. After you make sure all your nails are clipped, filed and buffed to perfection, use a toe separator to separate the nails. Apply a clear coat and once it dries, apply any colour of your choice. Clear varnish can be used to seal the topcoat. You can also decorate your toenails with a toe-ring or nail art to make it look more desirable.

Now that you have flawless nails, you will never feel like wearing shoes. Go out and flaunt them by wearing the flimsiest footwear you own!

Story first published: Friday, May 31, 2013, 18:54 [IST]
Read more about: nail care body care beauty