Friends, let's talk about the part of you that spends all day in a warm, dark, damp shoe: your toes. Thick, yellowed, crumbly nails are one of the most common things folks are embarrassed to ask me about, and there is no need to be. Half the room has one.

Why it is so slow

A fungus loves exactly what a shoe provides: warmth, moisture, and no light. Once it gets under a nail it is protected by the nail itself, and a toenail grows out completely only about once a year. So whatever you do, you are waiting on new nail to grow in clean behind the old. That is why I tell everybody the same thing: this is a patience project. Thirty days is where I start, and I mean every single day, morning and night. Support the inside of you as well, because if you keep feeding the problem with a lot of sugar and sweets, your toes will keep telling you about it.

When your doctor needs to see it

I am here for the plant-based side. Please see your doctor first if you have diabetes, poor circulation, or numb feet, because a small foot problem is never small for you. Go as well if the nail is painful, if the skin around it is red and warm, if it is spreading nail to nail, or if a few months of steady care have changed nothing. Your doctor can clip a piece and look at it under a microscope, which is the only way to know for sure what you are dealing with. Anytime foot pain lingers, have someone check it.

The habits that do most of the work

• Dry between your toes after every shower. Every time. A hair dryer on cool works.
• Rotate two pairs of shoes so each one dries a full day.
• Cotton or wool socks, changed daily; twice if your feet sweat.
• Trim nails straight across and clean your clippers afterward. Do not share them.
• Go barefoot at home when you can. Light and air are your friends.

What I reach for

Once your doctor has seen you if you need to, the blend I use is Healthy Nail Essential Oil Blend: seven purifying botanicals in one bottle, including Cinnamon Bark, Oregano, Clove Bud, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Lemon, and Lavender. It is a strong blend, and that is the point, so one drop per nail is plenty, massaged into the nail and the skin at its edge, morning and night. Patch-test on the top of your foot first; oregano and cinnamon are warm oils and some skin objects. If it stings, stop and ask me.

Make it part of a habit you already have: teeth, then toes. Consistency is the whole game here, friends. The nail you see today grew months ago. The one you are caring for is still on its way.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Everyone is different; for anything you are working through with your doctor, keep working with your doctor.