Can I use Epsom salt for an ingrown toenail?

Here are 10 common ingrown toenail remedies.

Soak in warm, soapy water.

Soak in apple cider vinegar.

Pack the area with dental floss or cotton.

Apply antibiotic ointment.

Wear comfortable shoes and socks.

Take an over-the-counter pain reliever.

Use a toe protector.

Try a toe brace.

Pedicures. Many women (and increasing numbers of men) enjoy getting pedicures. Nothing wrong with that, but make sure to go to an experienced technician. “Pedicures can cause ingrown nails if the nail technician is overly aggressive in cutting back a toenail,” says podiatrist Dina Stock, DPM.

For open wounds that are infected, proper cleaning is important for healing. Soak the wounded area in warm water or put a warm, wet cloth on the wound for 20 minutes three times a day. Use a warm saltwater solution containing 2 teaspoons of table salt per quart of water.

Here’s how:

Soak your feet in warm water. Do this for 15 to 20 minutes three to four times a day.

Place cotton or dental floss under your toenail. After each soaking, put fresh bits of cotton or waxed dental floss under the ingrown edge.

Apply antibiotic cream.

Choose sensible footwear.

Take pain relievers.

So how fast do the average adult’s nails grow? The simple answer is that fingernails grow about one-tenth of an inch (3 millimeters) a month. If you lose a fingernail, it will take four to six months to regrow completely. Toenails take a year to a year and a half to grow from cuticle to tip [source: Robb-Nicholson].

Soak your feet in warm water for five to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your nails. You do not want your toenails to become so soft that they rip; nail bed injuries, hang nails and ingrown shards of nail that poke into your skin can result. Dry your feet thoroughly after soaking before cutting your nails.

Torn or Detached Nail Facts. Fingernails and toenails, like hair, are composed of protein and fat and are not live tissue. Nails grow a bit more than one-tenth of an inch per month and require three to six months to completely regrow. (Toenails grow more slowly than fingernails.)

Ingrown toenail do’s

Do wear properly fitting shoes that allow you to wiggle your toes without having your foot slide around within.

Do avoid repeated pressure and trauma to the toenails.

Do wear sport-specific shoes.

Do practice good foot hygiene.

Do trim toenails straight across.

Soaking in Epsom salts is also a widely used remedy to treat infections. Soaking and bathing in Epsom salts may increase magnesium levels within the body via skin, but not enough to raise risks of magnesium overdose, making Epsom salts a safe alternative to treating outer infections.

Ingrown toenail symptoms include:

Pain and tenderness in your toe along one or both sides of the nail.

Redness around your toenail.

Swelling of your toe around the nail.

Infection of the tissue around your toenail.

While some health care providers may recommend a warm bath with Epsom salt for conditions such as sore muscles or to relieve psoriasis, soaking opens wounds in the magnesium sulfate compound may be painful and could irritate an open wound.

You can also try these remedies at home:

Soak the toe for about 15 minutes in a bathtub or bucket filled with warm water and salt. Do this three to four times a day.

Rub a medicated ointment on the toe and wrap it in a clean bandage.

To treat an ingrown toenail, gently lift the corner of the nail.

Try to rest for about two hours afterward. If you have arthritic joints, move them as much as possible after an Epsom salt bath to prevent congestion in the joints. For a foot bath, pamper weary feet by adding 1/2 cup of Epsom salt to a basin of warm water. Relax and soak feet for 20 minutes.

irregular, curved toenails. footwear that places a lot of pressure on the big toes, such as socks and stockings that are too tight or shoes that are too tight, narrow, or flat for your feet. toenail injury, including stubbing your toe, dropping something heavy on your foot, or kicking a ball repeatedly. poor posture.

Comprised of the minerals magnesium and sulfate, Epsom salt is a natural exfoliant and anti-inflammation remedy that can be used to treat dry skin, sore muscles, small wounds and even to fight illness. It can also be added to any bath or foot soak to create a luxurious at-home spa experience.

Before pursuing this treatment, discuss your options with a doctor. Some infections, such as staph infection, worsen from hot water or salt mixes. For foot or toenail fungal infections, soak your feet twice a day for about 20 minutes.

In water, it breaks down into magnesium and sulfate. The theory is that when you soak in an Epsom salt bath, these get into your body through your skin. That hasn’t been proven, but just soaking in warm water can help relax muscles and loosen stiff joints. Sore muscles after working out.

Epsom salt is hydrated magnesium sulfate, a chemical identity that the other salts do not share. Table salt, kosher salt and sea salt are all at least 97.5 percent sodium chloride, though sea salt also contains minerals like iodine, magnesium and potassium.

If the cause is bacteria, soak the infected finger 3 times a day for 15 minutes in warm water and liquid antibacterial soap. Do this for 4 days, or longer if the wound has not healed. Buy an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment.