A loose toenail is best left without removal unless performed by a professional (in which case I would simply give you a local anesthetic and pop it off with a hemostat placed under the nail plate). If you soak your foot in a mixture of epsom salt and warm water for 15 minutes once a day for one week, the nail will be clean and loosen on its own. It will also get loose from the new nail growing proximal to it (the new nail will push the damaged one out after a few weeks of growth). The epsom salt should be about 3 tablespoons for each gallon of warm water. Pat dry, then cover with a bandage. Make sure to apply an antibiotic cream or ointment to prevent bacterial contamination (bacitracin, triple antibiotic ointment, or polysporin). If you insist that the nail needs to come off, there is no way to avoid pain, but it should not hurt as much as it sounds. The nail must be completely loose and only attached to the skin fold above the lunula. In this case, place a clean gauze pad on top of the proximal nail fold, pull back on the skin, and perform a bottle capping motion with the nail plate. If the nail comes off easily, then it's fine to remove. If it hurts too much to pull on the nail plate, then do the epsom salt soaks for a few weeks, since the nail is not eady to come off at this time. Do not damage the nail root by wiggling or tugging at the nail plate, as damaged roots will give rise to a toenail that is abnormal and may be unsightly.
