How To Fix an Ingrown Toenail at Home: Does the Viral Dental Floss Hack Really Work?

That throbbing along the edge of your big toe has a way of taking over your whole day. You’re not imagining how common it is, either: about 20 percent of people who visit their doctor about a foot problem do so because of an ingrown toenail, podiatrists say. The good news? If the nail hasn’t broken the skin or become infected, you can often ease the discomfort and coax the nail back into place right at home. Here’s how to fix an ingrown toenail at home, why nail fungus can be a sneaky trigger and when to see your doctor.

What is an ingrown toenail?

An ingrown toenail happens “when the nail plate [the toenail itself] impinges or sticks into the surrounding flesh of the toe,” explains Michael J. Trepal, DPM, FACFAS, a practicing podiatrist and the Dean of the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. It can affect any toe, but the big toe is affected most often because it sits closest to the edge of your shoe. Common signs of an ingrown nail include:

• Red, inflamed skin
• Swelling at the edge of the nail
• Tenderness and pain

If the nail punctures the skin, bacteria can move in—and that’s when you may see bleeding or pus.

What causes ingrown toenails? 

Three things put you at higher risk:

• Genetics. “Some people have what we call a pincer or curved nail plate,” Dr. Trepal says. “Instead of growing flat, these nails grow at an angle, causing them to impinge or stick into the tissue surrounding the nail bed.”
• Tight shoes. Narrow toe boxes squeeze toes together, and runners, hikers and skiers are especially prone because of their gear.
• Rounded trimming. Curving the edges of your nails encourages them to grow back into the skin. Trim straight across instead.

The sneaky fungus connection

Here’s a trigger many of us miss: nail fungus. As we get older, “circulation changes and the immune system becomes less efficient at fighting off fungal organisms that may have been quietly present for years,” says Yolanda Ragland, DPM, a podiatrist and foot surgeon at Fix Your Feet. The result is thicker, yellowed or crumbling nails—and that’s more than a cosmetic issue.

“A thickened nail can create pressure in shoes, trap debris beneath the nail plate and dramatically increase the risk of painful ingrown toenails and bacterial infections,” Dr. Ragland adds. Translation: If you keep getting ingrown toenails, treating the fungus may be the missing piece.

How to fix an ingrown toenail at home

You’ll need Epsom salts, a tub with about six inches of cold water, a clean towel, a cuticle pusher and toenail clippers. This works only when the ingrown portion is at the tip of your toe. If it’s at the middle or base of the nail, skip this and focus on soothing the discomfort instead.

• Soak in cold water. Add ½ cup of Epsom salts to cold water and soak your affected nail for 30 minutes. “Soaking your foot in warm water can increase inflammation by bringing more blood and inflammatory factors to the area. Cold water does the opposite,” says Andrew Wilson, DPM, a practicing podiatrist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
• Gently lift the skin. Dry your foot and use a cuticle pusher to ease the skin back from the ingrown edge. Go slowly when treating an ingrown toenail—rushing can tear tissue.
• Trim straight across. Once the nail is exposed, clip it flat. Never round the corners.
• Protect it. Dab on an antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin or bacitracin, then cover it with a bandage.

If the nail hasn’t broken the skin, Dr. Wilson also recommends using urea 40 percent cream to soften the nail and surrounding skin so it grows outward instead of down. And swap tight shoes for a wider pair—”it can relieve some of the pressure and pain associated with it,” says Brett Sachs, DPM, FACFAS, co-owner of Rocky Mountain Foot and Ankle Center.

What about the dental floss trick?

This viral hack reportedly helps prevent the affected toenail from breaking the skin. That said, Dr. Trepal doesn’t recommend this ingrown toenail treatment because tucking something under the nail can be painful. But if you catch an ingrown in its early stages and want to give it a try, here’s how to do it:. What you need: Epsom salts, water, a clean towel, scissors, bandages, unused dental floss and a clean cotton ball. 

• Soak your affected toenail in cool water (which reduces inflammation) mixed with 1/2 cup of Epsom salts for 30 minutes (Tip: Add a few drops of antibacterial soap too)
• When your skin has softened, remove it from the water and dry your foot 
• Glide a piece of dental floss under the affected nail and gently “lift” the affected edge of the nail to create space between your nail and the underlying skin

Check out this video for a visual how-to guide.

Treat the fungus to prevent another ingrown

Clearing up nail fungus can stop the cycle of ingrown toenail pain before it starts. A few research-backed home remedies worth trying:

• Vicks VapoRub. Dabbing bare nails with Vicks once daily killed toenail fungus for 83 percent of people in U.S. Air Force research, thanks to its eucalyptus oil and thymol.
• Apple cider vinegar. Mist toes before slipping on socks and shoes—a study in the International Journal of Medical Device and Adjuvant Treatments found a daily acetic acid solution cleared nail fungus in 93 percent of participants within 24 weeks.
• Baking soda soak. Combine ½ cup of baking soda, 1 cup of three precent hydrogen peroxide and 4 cups of water. Soak feet 10 to 20 minutes daily, then rinse and dry.
• Blow-dry your feet. After showering, aim your hairdryer at your toes to evaporate the trapped moisture fungus loves.
• Spray your shoes. A Nigerian study found the toe box of your shoe harbors nearly twice the fungal spores as the rest of the shoe. An antifungal spray with terbinafine can eradicate spores within 15 minutes.

When to call your podiatrist

See a professional if your ingrown toe shows signs of infection, if ingrowns keep coming back or if you have diabetes, peripheral artery disease or neuropathy. For chronic cases, a partial nail avulsion removes only the ingrown portion of the nail—and, Dr. Sachs says, “essentially eliminates ingrown toenails permanently.”

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