Toenails?

Hobbit

Barefooters
Oct 20, 2012
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758
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France
Hello everybody,
I would like to ask: what do you do with your toenails? Cut them off or let them grow?
For barefoot running I like to let them grow a bit - that provides some protection against rocks and twigs.
But the problem is, I have to cut them off when for one good reason or another I have to wear shoes: the protected skin beneath has become quite tender and the next stubbed toe on a barefoot run will be rather painful!:eek:
So what shall I do?
 
keep em trimmed because a ripped nail sucks. easier to clean too but still get loads of dirt under them.
 
All barefooters no matter what their sport need to keep them trimmed short, probably no real dissenting opinion anywhere out there.
 
Thank you all for your answers! :)
Well, yes I agree: dirty toenails are definitely not nice to look at and quite difficult to clean! :D
Up to now, they get scraped sometimes - which makes them even worse to look at - but as I said, I prefer the nails to get scraped rather than the skin.
Fortunately I didn't yet experience a ripped off nail - but thanks for the warning migangelo!
As for lifting the toes, yes that seems logical. In Qi gong we do toe lifting as a warm up exercise, but somehow I seem to forget doing it during a run. Or perhaps the toe lifting muscles tire out too quickly and I have to train them more...

By the way: here on the BRS forums I've seen a couple of photos of tribal barefooters having very short toenails: I wonder how do they do it? I mean keep them short like that? Without all these sophisticated nail clippers, -scissors and -files? Or do their nails naturally wear off?
 
By the way: here on the BRS forums I've seen a couple of photos of tribal barefooters having very short toenails: I wonder how do they do it? I mean keep them short like that? Without all these sophisticated nail clippers, -scissors and -files? Or do their nails naturally wear off?

They bite them... then smooth them with a stone... much better than tearing them when climbing a tree or running up a rocky slope.

Source, living with The Kombai in Papua
 
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One more reason to maintain flexibility throughout life.
 
i cut it but with my finger nails seriously o_O lol i mean i do it since i was a kid, i cant bite them cause my teeth are deformed, i have the habit to tear the toe nails and finger nails with the nails of my hand, however its a little embarassing because maybe some people can think i bite my toe nails which i don't