Good toenail care starts with dryness: toenails peel and split for the same reason fingernails do, and closed shoes, socks, hot showers and months of being ignored make it worse. File straight across, and oil the nail and the skin around it once a day after a shower. A toenail that is thick, yellow, painful or lifting needs a podiatrist.
- Toenails dry out in shoes, socks and hot showers, and they get ignored for months.
- File straight across and leave the corners square.
- Oil the nail and the skin around it once a day, after a shower, when the nail is soft.
- A full toenail takes twelve to eighteen months to grow out, so the routine is a long game.
- A toenail that is thick, yellow, painful or lifting needs a podiatrist, not a routine.
Why are toenails worse off than fingernails?
Toenails are worse off than fingernails because they spend their lives in socks and closed shoes, they are rarely looked at, and they grow more slowly, so damage stays around for longer.
Hot showers dry them out, socks rub them, and a toenail that's out of sight is out of mind until sandal season. The result is the same dry, flaky, splitting nail you'd see on a hand, only more of it and for longer. Here's the whole routine on one page, and then we'll take it step by step.
How should you file toenails?
File toenails straight across and leave the corners square, because rounding the corners lets the edge turn in towards the skin.
That's the corner rule, and it's the one habit that keeps toenails comfortable. Here's how I'd do it:
- Take length off straight across. If the nail is long, clip it straight across in small snips, never in a curve.
- Smooth the edge with a glass or fine grit file. One direction, from the outer edge towards the middle, on dry nails.
- Leave the corners square. Take only the sharp point off, so nothing catches on a sock.
- Stop at the first sign of soreness. If a corner is digging in or the skin beside it is red or tender, that's one for a podiatrist.
How do you oil toenails after a shower?
After a shower, put one drop on each toenail and rub it into the nail and the skin around it, once a day, because the nail is at its softest then and the oil goes in best.
I use the dropper for feet because a drop lands where you put it and a bottle is easier to reach than a brush. I used my serum on my own clients for years before I offered it to anyone else, and the 15 ml dropper is the one I'd keep by the shower.
Why are my toenails peeling?
Toenails peel in layers for the same reason fingernails do, when the nail dries out and the layers lose their grip on each other, so the answer is the same: less drying, gentle filing and a daily oil.
For feet, that means shorter showers or cooler water where you can manage it (I know, winter makes that a big ask), drying your feet properly before the socks go on, and no picking at the layers that lift. Why your nails peel in layers explains the whole picture.
How do you fix brittle and splitting toenails?
Brittle and splitting toenails are dry toenails that have been knocked or filed the wrong way, so keep them short, file straight across and oil them every day.
Split corners are the most common sign, because they catch on socks and bedsheets and tear a little further each time. Toenails grow slowly: a full toenail takes twelve to eighteen months to grow out, so be patient with them. It's the new nail coming through at the base that will tell you whether the routine is working. If you're seeing lines along the nail as well, what the vertical and horizontal lines in your nails mean explains the two kinds.
- Within days
- Most people notice softer cuticles. Results vary.
- Over the months
- A toenail takes twelve to eighteen months to grow out, so the nail you're looking at was made a long while ago. The new nail at the base shows whether the routine is working.
Here's the short version of the routine:
Do
- File straight across, corners square
- Oil after the shower, once a day
- Dry between the toes before socks
Don't
- Round the corners
- Pick at peeling layers
- Dig under the edge with a tool
What about sandal season and gel toe polish?
Start the routine before sandal season and not the week of the beach trip, because toenails grow slowly and sandals show every neglected nail.
Gel toe polish gets the same care as gel on your fingers: soak it off properly instead of peeling it, and oil the skin around it. Can you use nail oil over gel, SNS, acrylic, BIAB or dip shows how.
When does a toenail need a podiatrist?
A toenail needs a podiatrist when it is thick, yellow, crumbling, painful or lifting, when a corner has turned in and the skin beside it is red or sore, or when it changed suddenly.
None of those is a job for a routine or a bottle of oil, so please don't try to sort them out at home.
If it came on suddenly, hurts, is discoloured, thickened or lifting, see a GP, dermatologist or podiatrist.
Everything else here is everyday dryness, and for that I keep one bottle exactly where the routine happens.
If you'd like the dropper, it's below.
Nail Growth & Strength Serum | 15ml Dropper
A$24.50
A 15 ml bottle with a dropper, hand blended on the Gold Coast, so one drop per toenail after the shower is easy to reach.
Add to cartSweet almond oil is a nut derived oil; people with nut allergies should talk to their doctor first.
Questions about toenail care
Can you use nail serum on toenails?
Yes, toenails are nails and they dry out like fingernails. I use the dropper because it is easier to reach: one drop per toenail after a shower, rubbed into the nail and the skin around it, once a day. If a toenail is thick, yellow, painful or lifting, see a podiatrist first.
Why are my toenails peeling?
Dryness, mostly. Closed shoes, socks, hot showers and months of being ignored dry the nail out, and its layers lose their grip. File straight across, oil once a day after a shower, and give it time, because a toenail takes twelve to eighteen months to grow out. If a toenail is thick, yellow, painful or lifting, see a podiatrist.
How do I fix brittle toenails?
Keep them short, file straight across with the corners square, and oil the nail and the skin around it once a day after a shower. Brittle toenails change slowly because a toenail takes twelve to eighteen months to grow out, so be patient. If they have thickened or changed colour, or a corner is sore, see a podiatrist.
