How to avoid manky toenails: a guide to toenail care

How to look after your toenails

Overgrown, sweaty and neglected? Here’s our five-step Buffers Guide to avoiding manky toenails with good toenail care.

Step one: cleaning your feet

Wash your feet with mild soap and warm water, then dry with a clean towel. Using a cotton ball dipped in tea tree oil (or a mild antiseptic) gently swap around your toenails to annihilate bacteria responsible for nasty niffs.

Step two: how to care for your cuticles

Deal with dodgy cuticles by dipping a cotton bud in olive oil and gently massaging until they’re soft enough for you to push back into place.

Step three: cutting your toenails

Only use toenail clippers or nail scissors for cutting. Fingernail clippers are designed for smaller nails, and you risk taking ‘bites’ out of each nail (particularly when it comes to your big toe!), rather than trimming each one squarely. A square cut is recommended as it reduces the risk of ingrown toenails, and don’t cut the nail so far back that it exposes the skin underneath (leaving you with foot pain).

Step four: dealing with toenail infections

Don’t ignore toenails that are green/black/discoloured or crumbly/thickened and warped beyond recognition – because it’s usually a sign of a fungal toenail infection. If left to fester, toenail fungus can spread to other nails and even cause damage to the toe bones. See your GP for treatment, and help yourself while you wait for the appointment by soaking feet in warm salty water.

Step five: maintaining your manicured toes

Wear fresh, cotton socks and be sure your footwear is fitted properly. That way you can protect them from damage, and you might even be able to wear flip flops in the summer without causing a national emergency.

That concludes our tips for dealing with manky toenails. Have you got any techniques you use to get beautiful toes? Let us know on our discussion boards. We’ve also got an article on nail salons, which you might like to read.

Check out the rest of The Mix’s ‘your body’ resources here.