With the gift of aging, you may notice your fingernails are getting thinner and more brittle, while your toenails get thicker and harder to trim. If you’ve hung around HuffPost Shopping, you may know that fingernail strengtheners are a constant top-seller. If you’ve ever wondered if there’s something similar, but opposite, for managing your feet, you’ll be happy to know we spotted a user-loved aloe vera-based cream that temporarily softens toenails—for just under $9. Shoppers with “extraordinarily long” toenails that felt “almost impossible to cut,” even after soaking for hours, are amazed by how effective the cream is at making their toenails easier to trim.
The cream is especially loved by older reviewers and those caring for elderly parents for relieving discomfort and aiding in maintaining thick, ingrown, curved or just dense toenails. As a reviewer in their late 70s wrote: “Rock hard nails? Yeah, this will work.”
According to the Mayo Clinic and government studies, thicker toenails are incredibly common with aging, likely due to changes in your nail plates and blood circulation.
Additionally, as Healthline’s Medical News Today describes, because your toenails spend more time in warm, moist areas than your fingernails (i.e., socks and shoes), they’re far more prone to fungus and yeast, which can also cause thickening. The article adds that years of working on your feet, wearing uncomfortable shoes, and general bumps and stubs can also cause your toenails to harden, making them uncomfortable and more difficult to trim.
