An ingrown toenail is a common condition in which the corner or side of one of your toenails grows into the soft flesh of your toe. The result is pain, redness, swelling and, sometimes, an infection. The condition usually affects your big toe.

Home remedies ingrown toenail
Cut a lemon in half. Put toe in lemon. Put sock over foot. Let soak overnight.

Take as much liquid out that you can (a little painful). Then gently lift toe nail and place cotton under ingrown nail. It will grow out.

If you have an ingrown toenail, relieve the pain with a footbath. In a plastic shoe box, add ? ounce of comfrey root (available at health food stores) to ? gallon (2 quarts) of warm water. Soak your foot in it for 20 minutes.

Once the nail is softened from soaking, take a piece of absorbent cotton and twist it so that it's like a thick strand of thread. Or twist together a few strands of unwaxed dental floss. Gently wedge the "thread" under the corner of the nail. That should prevent the nail from cutting into the skin. Replace the strands a couple of times a day, every day, until the nail grows out.

Once it grows out, the nail should be cut straight across, not down into the corners, and not shorter than the toe. You might want to have a podiatrist trim the toenail properly. Pay careful attention so you'll be able to take care of your toes yourself and avoid another ingrown nail (and another podiatrist bill).