The Best Natural Ways to Treat Ingrown Fingernails
Ingrown fingernails are not as common as ingrown toenails but this can still happen. Your fingernails can become ingrown and cause anything from a slight bother to a severe infection and may rarely need a surgery. Ingrown nails can be quite painful when they become infected, so treating them sooner rather than later is going to save you a lot of pain and aggravation.
In this article I’ll look at the causes of ingrown nails and I’ll also cover natural treatment options to help you get rid of ingrown fingernails. I’ll also look at natural remedies that will help you to relieve the pain and inflammation caused by ingrown nails. But if you suffer from ingrown toenails – make sure to read my article on how to get rid of ingrown toenails.
What are the Causes of Ingrown Fingernails?
An ingrown fingernail usually happens when the nail loses its normal connection to the soft tissue beneath and grows into the skin next to the nail and breaks the skin. This is known as ingrown nail.
There are a number of things that can cause an ingrown fingernail:
- Injury
- Unusually fast or slow nail growth
- Biting your fingernails
- Poor trimming that leaves a sharp spike on the nail may lead to ingrown nail.
When you suffer from ingrown fingernail, the nail then grows into the skin around it, causing pain and inflammation, and leaving you at risk for bacterial or fungal infections.
An untreated infection can work its way to the bone, causing significant damage.
If left too long, you may end up needing surgery to treat your ingrown fingernail. But in the interests of avoiding the scalpel, let’s cover a few ingrown nail treatment methods and also look at a few ways to naturally relieve the pain and the inflammation caused by ingrown nails.
How to Get Rid of Ingrown Fingernails
To cure an ingrown fingernail, you need to stop it from growing into the skin around it. The Mayo Clinic recommends that you start by softening the nail and carefully lifting it, followed by disinfectant and sterile coverage.1
To soften your ingrown fingernail, soak your hands in warm water. Do this for 15 to 20 minutes three to four times a day. Soaking also reduces swelling and relieves tenderness.
The alternative is to apply a warm, damp compress.
Before lifting the ingrown nail, make sure your nail is properly trimmed, with no sharp edges or spikes. Use a small, sterile piece of gauze or cotton under the ingrown edge to gently lift it away from the skin. This will help it grow away from your fleshy finger and above the skin edge.
Disinfect the affected area. Your doctor can provide you a disinfectant or you can use one of the natural antibiotics and antifungals that I’ll mention below.
The disinfectant can help you get rid of or prevent infection that is caused by your ingrown fingernail.
Cover the fingernail problematic area with a sterile bandage as this will help the healing process and also help prevent injury from accidental bumps. It can also help prevent infection.
Other Natural Ways to Treat an Ingrown Nail
Use Epsom Salt to Treat Ingrown Nail
Step one in treating the symptoms and side-effects of an ingrown fingernail is to get the area clean and disinfected.
A good 20 minute soak in an Epsom salt bath will help get your fingernails softened and help you soothe the pain caused by an ingrown fingernail.
Epsom salt is a mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate. Epsom salt has a long history of being used for beauty and health reasons and it’s a popular folk remedy for muscle aches and pains.
Epsom salt hand soaks are claimed to have anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties. Soaking hands and feet in Epsom salt baths is reported to help heal a variety of foot and skin infections.
Mix 3 tablespoon of Epsom salt with 4 cups of warm water. Soak your hands in the water for about 20 minutes. Repeat 2-3 times a day to alleviate pain caused by ingrown nail.
Vinegar and Tea Tree Oil for Ingrown Fingernails
If you don’t have any Epsom salt around the home, you can also use white vinegar and tea tree oil to treat ingrown nail.
A study published in the journal of Applied Microbiology showed that a mixture of vinegar, tea tree oil and club soda can be more effective than bleach.2
To make the vinegar solution to treat ingrown nail, mix equal parts of vinegar and water. Add 20 drops of tea tree oil for a cup of vinegar-water solution and mix well. Soak your ingrown fingernail in the vinegar solution for 15 minutes to prevent an infection of the ingrown nail and relieve pain and inflammation.
You can also relieve an ingrown nail pain and prevent infection by using a suitable disinfectant, natural antibiotics or antifungal agents. Let’s have a look at some of the most effective natural antibiotics to prevent a skin infection around your nails.
Natural Antibiotics for Ingrown Fingernails
Tea Tree oil – WebMD reports that tea tree oil is a powerful antimicrobial agent.3 It works for both bacteria and fungi when used as a topical antiseptic. Tea tree oil is easily available and can be applied around your ingrown nail to prevent infection and soothe pain and inflammation.
Grapefruit-seed extract (GSE) – The journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine stated that GSE has antibacterial properties that are comparable to that of proven topical antibacterials.4
To use grapefruit seed extract for treating ingrown nail, wet a cotton pad with water and put one drop of GSE onto it. Dab the pad on the affected area 2-3 times daily to prevent infection and soothe ingrown nail pain and inflammation.
Cinnamon oil – I’ve already mentioned that cinnamon oil has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Cinnamon bark oil can be an effective treatment for pain and inflammation caused by ingrown nail.
You can apply cinnamon bark oil directly to the affected area to prevent pain and reduce inflammation around the ingrown nail.
Juniper oil – Essential oil from dried Algerian Juniper leaves turns out to be highly effective at fighting Candida albicans and can be used topically to help treat ingrown nail fungal infections.5 You can mix a few drops of juniper oil with a 1 tsp. of coconut oil and apply it on the affected fingers.
Eucalyptus oil – A study found that Eucalyptus oil has strong antimicrobial and antifungal properties.6 Use eucalyptus oil in an ointment base to keep your ingrown nail soft and disinfected. You can mix a few drops of eucalyptus oil with a 1 tsp. of coconut oil and apply it on the affected fingers to get a relief from ingrown nail pain.
How to Naturally Stop Ingrown Nail Pain
Many of the essential oils used to fight infection will also help with reducing inflammation, which will eventually lead to pain relief. However, if you simply can’t wait for the ingrown nail pain to stop, there are a number of natural pain remedies you can try.
Ginger is a great anti-inflammatory and blood flow stimulator as well as natural pain reliever. To cure your ingrown fingernail pain from the inside out, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of ground ginger to meals daily.
Topical applications of capsaicin extract can help to alleviate ingrown fingernail pain. Capsaicin is an active ingredient in cayenne peppers. It is a known pain killer and is used as a cream, an ointment, a spray or a skin patch, usually in concentrations between 0.025% and 0.075%.
The British Journal of Anaesthesia reports that there are numerous studies that support the efficacy and safety of low-concentration capsaicin formulations in pain management.
Just be careful not to apply to broken skin, or it will burn – and don’t touch your eyes!
Cat’s Claw also known as Uncaria tomentosa or una de gato is a powerful anti-inflammatory and pain reliever that you can grow in your backyard.
To fight ingrown nail pain, take cat’s claw extract one to three times daily. You shouldn’t exceed the recommended dosage, or you may end up suffering from diarrhea.
For other ideas on how to treat an ingrown nail pain, read my article about the best pain killers in your kitchen and about natural alternatives to ibuprofen to relieve pain and inflammation.
Other Ideas on How to Prevent Ingrown Fingernails
Finally, prevent ingrown nails from occurring or recurring by following a few simple steps:
- Keep your nails clean and dry.
- Trim and file your nails neatly, without any sharp edges or spikes.
- Keep the nail soft with regular moisturization.
- Avoid nail damage – for example, don’t bite your nails; cut hangnails carefully; and don’t damage your cuticles.
If the ingrown nail treatments mentioned above don’t make a significant improvement within a few days, you should consult your doctor.
If the infection worsens or if pus starts to develop around your nail see your doctor immediately.
People with diabetes or blood circulation issues should always consult with their doctor to help treat an ingrown fingernail or toenail, or any other issues with the hands and feet.
Read these related articles:
1. Home Remedies to Get Rid of Ingrown Toenails
2. Health Warnings Your Fingernails May Be Sending
3. Simple and Effective Natural Cures for Toenail Fungus
4. Yellow Toenails and Fingernails – Causes and Effective Treatments
5. Black Toenail: Causes, Prevention, and Effective Treatments