Natural Remedies for Nail Fungus: Home Treatments

Ted's Remedies

Posted by Kc (Lafayette, Co) on 04/12/2010
★★★★☆

I have very severe nail fungus on one big toe, always have although its been getting progressively worse over the years. Just a few weeks ago I noticed a different type fungus starting in one of my little toes! "NO WAY!" i thought, so i jumped on here and read all the remedies and comments. I'm a huge believer in ACV but i haven't been taking it recently. I thought Teds Remedy combined with ACV sounded like it would work the fastest. It honestly never occurred to me it would work as fast as Ted says it would, i thought "mines really bad, a few months and it will look better maybe" I cut back all the raised infected nail to get the best penetration, did both the vinegar and hp and the bleach (at 1/1 water directly on the nail with a dropper)and then covered them in vicks for the night. OMG!! I woke up to find the fungus obviously dying (different consistency and color)and the yellowing stripes I couldn't clip back very faded. I did the whole routine again this morning and Ill post back in a week or so to let everyone know how its going. Just as an aside, it took the $175 "prescription" paint on stuff 2 months to have this affect on my nail. I'm cautiously hopeful:)

Dish Soap, Acidophilus

Posted by Mariana (Billings, Mt, Usa) on 04/05/2010 11 posts
★★★★★

Hi, When I was about 17 I got a strange nail fungus in my fingernails. It didn't hurt, but the fungus was quickly and viciously eating them all up and my nails were literally disappearing. Some of my nails were over 2/3rds gone and it was just like a soft skin there where the nail bed should have been.

My mom took me to the doctor, and he said it was a fungal infection. He didn't give me any drugs for it, but told me simply to soak my hands two or three times a day (I can't remember for sure but I think it was two) in dish soap water for 15 minutes each time. He also said to go to the drug store and get some acidophilus pills and take those every day. I did this for a week or two (I made the dish soap water quite soapy) and the infection totally disappeared, and my nails grew back to perfectly normal.

Baking Soda and Maple Syrup

Posted by Ellen (Redwood Shores, Ca) on 03/24/2010

What ever remedy you try, even if it were to kill the fungus, is NOT going to change the nail as it exists. You can only hope that in 4-6 weeks that you start seeing pink at the base of the toenail. Yes, it takes that long! Most people stop way short with their treatments.

Distilled Vinegar

Posted by Moi (V.ville, Ca) on 03/09/2010

Oops, that was me. A plaster (in Ireland where I grew up) was a generic or non company name for what is commonly known in US as a bandaid. To reiterate my post, it works and has continued to work for the past year or so.

Distilled Vinegar

Posted by Russell (Wickenburg, Arizona) on 03/08/2010

I read a review about using vinegar a person would use the vinegar then put a plaster over it. What is the plaster?

EC: A bandaid or... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaster#In_medicine

Bleach

Posted by Victoria (Saint Johns, Florida) on 01/24/2010
★★★★★

I suffered from toenail fungus for 15 years! It began when I moved to Virginia & needed to wear socks & closed shoes because my feet get cold very easily. Since moving to Florida 4 years ago, I thought that wearing flip flops and sandals would resolve my problem but it did not. I found out that fungus does not go away on its own. It's too hot here to wear closed shoes and it was embarrassing for me not to be able to hide my problem. I had to find a remedy where I can wear nail polish. I first started applying Tea Tree Oil twice a day for about a month. Not only did it not work, it messes up your toenail polish. Next I tried applying Vick's for about 3 months/2x's a day and although it did seem to kill the fungus, there were areas where my toe nails that did not reattach themselves to nail bed. Those areas also turned brittle and yellowish and would break off easily. I kept cutting out these parts & kept my nails as short as possible. I also found out that Vick's turns your toe nail polish dull. My mother told me that she cured my dad's problem using bleach so I decided to give that a try. Per my mother's instructions, in 1 cup, I mixed 3/4 water and 1/4 bleach. I kept this in a small, glass container with a screw top. I dipped a q-tip in it and applied day and night to my affected toes. It immediately killed the fungus and in a few weeks my toe nails reattached themselves to the nail bed. Plus, it did not mess up my nail polish. It's been 5 months now and my nails are healthy, pink and growing strong. I am still using this but only once a day just in case. I'd like to add that the bleach mix did not hurt the surrounding skin in any way. I hope this helps someone else.

Listerine

Posted by Edward (San Juan, Pr) on 01/19/2010
★★★★★

If this is so effective, why isn't it out there? so said I 2 weeks ago. Nothing to lose; here we go.

Took pictures (closeups) of toe nails, that were covered white with fungus. Started Listerine in AM with metal nail file, midday and before bedtime. Fungus is gone. KAPUT! A little trace on big toe. The other toes all have 1/2 new mail growth and are a real nice pink. YEAH! Will continue routine until ALL toes have new growth. Could be 2 months for the big toes.

Well worth the FREE and effortless process. Used an eye dropper and poured some Listerine in a small discarded pill vial to make it easier and travel with it for midday application. 5 minutes in the rest room and good to go.

Asked a doctor what would he recommend for nail fungus and his look of "Oh boy" said it all. 6 month treatment, dangerous drug with side effects, etc. So I asked him: "What would you say if I got rid of it in 2 weeks?"
"No way. How?"
"Nay. Never mind. You won't believe me. Would have to show you the pictures I took before because if I show you my toes right now, you will not believe I had nail fungus 2 weeks ago."
"OK. With Listerine."
"NO WAY! Listerine? The stuff to kill...oh...wait a minute...yeah, that sort of makes sense. Really? In two weeks?"
Had to take my shoes and socks off to show him and then emailed the before photos. He is stupefied.

For the Folks here that may believe this is nonsense, try it. You have nothing to lose; no contribution, no email, nothing...just the nail fungus.

I did.

Vicks

Posted by @nnie (Durban, South Africa) on 01/09/2010

Olalla ~ You're an awesome mine of usefull information Robert! THANKS!

Ellen ~ I found that a GOOD AntiDandruff Shampoo diluted with approx. 12 parts of water & put into a liquid soap dispenser, works brilliantly for Rosacea.

I wash my face with this solution each morning in the shower. (Not the cheap supermarket shampoo, but a decent Pharmaceutical one.) A good AntiDandruff shampoo can also be applied neat to those white fungal blotches/spots on the skin. Apply to the actual 'spot', leave on for about 5mins & then rinse off & pat dry with a paper towel. You may have to repeat this about 3x (once a day for 3 days or so!) GOOD LUCK!

Distilled Vinegar

Posted by Moi (V Ville, Ca) on 12/19/2009
★★★★★

I had a very bad nail fungus for 23 or so years. I practically had no healthy nail left on my big toe. It was very ugly and was just a crumbly mess. I tried a lot of otc meds (before I got wise), none worked. Also tried a lot of natural cures, vicks, h2o2 etc, and none of them did anything to help. I had pretty much resigned myself to funky toe for life, when I decided to give it one last go with White Vinegar, just the ordinary cheap as chips stuff.
After my shower I would soak a cotton ball with vinegar and put it on my nail with a plaster over it. Nothing else. Did it for 2 or so months. Total cure. My nail (and my partner cannot believe it) is normal again, as in I do not hide it anymore and am rather proud of the little fellow now. I have nice feet and am really happy at last to have nice healthy feet.

One thing, the vinegar does smell a bit early in the day, but for me it was worth it. Every now and again I do a vinegar day just to keep the fungus away.

Garlic

Posted by Jenn (Vancouver, Bc) on 11/28/2009
★★★★★

Garlic, garlic, garlic!!!
It's cheap.
It's convenient.
It works!

I've had a fungal/bacterial infection on both of my index fingers for 5 years and I tried all the remedies suggested but nothing worked so I gave up. Shortly afterwards I started cooking with garlic a lot and noticed the fungus on my left hand was clearing up fairly quickly. I did some research and found out garlic has powerful anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. I stared using it on my right hand and it worked! All you have to do is split a clove in half and rub the juices in and around where the fungus is for a few minutes (3-5). Do this every other day before you go to bed. Don't rub the juices in vigorously for more than 20 minutes or make a paste out of crushed garlic and wrap it around yor finger because it will burn, literally. A little goes a long way. You should start seeing results within 4 weeks if the fungus isn't too bad, 8 weeks for extreme cases. Toenails can take up to 3 months because they grow much slower than fingernails.

Garlic

Posted by Dinks (Sydney, Nsw, Australia) on 11/12/2009
★★★★★

I have Fungus on my 5 toes, it originally started on my big toe. A Chinese Medicine Man told me to use Garlic and Boiling Water.

So I minced garlic put boiling water to it, and let it cool down so as not to burn myself (but try to have it as hot as you can handle it) and leave toes in until the water cools right down. Have been doing this everyday and I am seeing results, I can see the pink of my toe nails and moon, the fungus itself is growing up and vanishing.

Vicks

Posted by Ascha4 (Springfield, Il) on 10/22/2009

What I did was grabbed a new, small makeup brush that had an angled edge, it was just one I had gotten in a free kit somewhere. I dabbed that in the vicks and then shoved it as far under my nail as I could get it, hoping to attack it at the base. I also rubbed the vicks all around the outside of my nail. I've already seen improvement. I also apply it before I get into the shower to keep the water out, then reapply it after the shower when everything is dry again. Hope that helps.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Diana (London, Uk) on 10/14/2009

how to avoid touching the skin???!!!!

Ted's Remedies

Posted by Gay (Winnsboro, Texas) on 10/05/2009
★★★★☆

So glad I found this site. I have had toenail fungus for about 8-10 yrs. on my big toe that had spread to some of my other toes. Tried so many things and even went to a Podiatrist but to no avail and then I found yall's site in May 2009. My big toe nail is definitely better but doesn't look as good as the other one. The other 2 are all cured. They weren't as bad. Here's what I did. Mainly followed the advice on here. Mixed 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 peroxide in a little bottle. Mixed 4 parts water to 1 part bleach in another bottle. First applied the vin/per. solution on each nail and let it set for a minute or so and then applied a drop of bleach/water to each nail. I let that dry. I begin to notice a difference in a couple of weeks but then I did have to cut the nail and file it down on top on my big toe to really get the fungus killed. I do this a least twice a day sometimes even 3 times. My nails do look a lot better. I just use distilled vinegar not ACV. And sometimes I do apply a little drop of straight bleach to my big toe and little toe. Thanks again for this site.

Alcohol, GFSE, Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Mountaingirl (Asheville, Nc) on 09/25/2009
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

This is my post from several years ago.

05/30/2006: Melissa from Asheville, NC: "I developed toenail fungus while working in Athens, GA about 6 years ago. I would work 12 hours a day in the same shoes for over a year and used regular dress socks. The summers are very moist and humid and perfect conditions for toenail fungus. It is on both "pinky" toes but started developing on other nails though not as bad. 2 years ago it seemed to get worse and I kept my toenails manicured and polished to hide the nails. I believe, as others do, this made things even worse though my feet did look a lot prettier. This year, I got tired of trying to hide my nails and decided to try a natural remedy (Grateful Body Fungal Rx). It contains a day and night formula in convenient tubes so I could carry them with me and use discreetly. They recommend each to use at least 1x per day for at least 6 weeks. I've been using for several months and noticed a little improvement but not much. I found this site and started throwing everything I had at this issue (I figured if I didn't do it now, I'd live with it forever). My grandmother had both large toenails removed and I did not want the same to happen. My pinky toenails seemed like they were almost fused to the nail bed. They are very thick and yellow and starting to look deformed though still attached to my nail bed. I started this regimen last week and I am seeing good results. The nail seems no longer fused to the nail bed. and I can actually push the cuticle back (impossible before). The nails seem to be growing in cleaner, no ridges, normal thickness and no red streaks through the nail (as in the infected part). I am so psyched but trying no to get too hopeful. This is what I've been doing in morning AND evening, everyday: I keep a clean toothbrush for scrubbing my nails. I use a natural bar soap and scrub my nails (I use the sink because it's easier for me) with warm water. dry. I then keep a little bottle of pre mixed 3% H2O2 and ACV (5% acidity) 1/2 and 1/2 under the sink and pour this over all my toe nails (over toilet). I let this sit while I brush teeth (different toothbrush ;), wash face etc. I may add more and let sit again for a little while. I don't get much fizzing...sometimes more than others. Sometimes I get a little "pinched" feeling, but not usually. rinse. dry. I also keep a little bottle (old tincture bottle with dropper) with 25% clorox and water mixed. I then add this to nails and let sit 30 seconds or so on each foot. rinse. dry. I follow with Red Tyme oil (night) or Fungal Rx in the morning. I may add the night formula again if I go to bed late. Some people are sensitive to Red Thyme. I have very thick, oily skin and it does not bother me to use it neat. I wear sandals to work (never did before) and apply Fungal Rx several times a day while at my desk. Like I said, this really seems to be working and I am very hopeful. Once cleared up, I plan to buy more Fungal Rx and use daily for a year or so. I don't want this to come back. Also, I'll work on internal Candida... I know it runs in my family and I need to knock it out too. Thanks to this site and all the comments/feedback!!! I'll write back later in a few months to let you know if results continued."

I wanted to follow up and tell you that I was never able to fully get progess against the toe nail fungus until recently. I was able to spend most of my summer outdoors (albeit a lot of time at the pool w/moisture!) but I wore sandals all summer and allowed my feet to get full sun a good portion of the day. I also did hydrogen peroxide/cider vinegar soaks about 1x per month. The BIG difference has come from using a old glass spray bottle filled with:

2 Tbs. alcohol
10 drops grapefruit seed extract
20 drops tea tree oil

I apply this 2x per day and after getting my feet wet. At one point, my nails got very brittle and I started an application of coconut oil every once in a while. My nails are growing back completely normal and seem to be growing faster so I am able to trim them more often. There is only about 1/4 inch of "yellowed" nail reamining...which I should be able to trim off in the next 2 months. I will continue this all winter and give any updates. Good luck, don't give up!

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 09/14/2009 490 posts

Hi Michele,

Have your tried painting with iodine at nail bed and I would also try putting some underneath the nail end where it joins the finger. Once daily should do it and once you get those nails back in shape, don't be putting any nail polish on your healthy nails, not even the clear, strengthening type. Potassium iodide (SSKI or Lugol's solution will also work.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Michele (Orlando, Fl) on 09/13/2009
★☆☆☆☆

I have read all the posts and am trying to rid my fingernails (both thumbs and index fingers) of long term fungal infection. I have used all over the counter remedies, been to my dermatologist who prescribed oral terbinafine for 6 months, which helped a little, but it stopped working when the Dr. stopped the oral med due to possible liver side effects. I make every effort to keep nails clean and dry, trimmed back to apply the topical remedies and still I have off white discolored sections from the end of the nail in half moon shapes toward the matrix of the nail. I clean out the nails with sterile tools but cannot seem to find a cure. Will the Vicks treatment work on fingernails? I read most people had success with toe nails. How do I treat the nails during the work day where I am in an office environment? Help!

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Dora (Volente, Texas) on 09/10/2009

soak your toes in peroxide, fill a bowl up and soak your toes in it.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Noelle (Minneapolis, Minnesota) on 09/06/2009
★☆☆☆☆

Hope someone can help me out. Since June I've been using one of Ted's remedies for toenail fungus: H202 ACV, let that dry, then Chlorox mixed one cap in 5 oz of water, let dry, then Tea Tree Oil, cover with socks. I already tried 1) Listerine, 2)Listerine & Vinegar, 3) Vicks 4) Tea Tree Oil. I started having some success only after I switched to spraying my toes with 3% H202 and distilled vinegar and upped the amount of Tea Tree oil in my vaseline to more than 50%. As I kept adding more Tea Tree oil, the nails looked better & better. Chlorox got the black streaks out of my toenails. When I occasionally bathe, shower or soak in Borax, the skin around the toes would come off in little sheets with nice new skin underneath. I had a nice line of demarcation where clear white nail was growing in.

But I noticed slight peeling of the skin around the toes when I sprayed the H202 mix.

Well, I suspect I may have made the tea tree solution too strong, because within a couple of days of upping Tea Tree/Vaseline mix, I noticed some painful tiny bubbles around the cuticle of the first & 2nd toes of the right foot. I applied the tea tree oil the next night & morning after spraying my toes and it got worse. I stopped all treatment for a week and did not wear socks to bed, waiting for what I thought was an irritation to cool down. Since I did not want to lose the progress I made, after a week I started using the H202 Vinegar and the tea tree combo again on the left foot only. The skin got irritated and itchy, but the only thing that would stop the itch was the tea tree oil. By this past Tuesday, I was waking up at 3am with the 1st two toes on each foot itching & burning. On Wednesday, I showed my chiropractor the feet to check if any medication I was taking could be causing this; she said she thought it was unrelated, but said when bubbles appear on the toes it was fungus migrating from other parts of the body.

By Thursday morning, I had many more bubbles on my left foot. I went to the movies Thursday afternoon and the foot was driving me crazy -- itchy and tender. When I got home I had a large blister between my 3rd & 4th toes, which I soaked in Espom Salts & Borax, which popped it. I covered the small crater with Aloe & Calendula gel & went to bed. I stayed in on Friday, applied Aloe, which seemed to cool it down. I applied Aloe before I went to work on Saturday morning. By 11 am I could feel lots of tiny blisters forming. When I got home there were lots of tiny blisters on the 1st & 2nd toes of the left foot. I soaked foot in sea salt, which soothed, and applied Aloe, which also soothed. I went out again; when I got home at 8:00pm I had a huge blister between the big toe & 2nd toe. I swear, it looked like a small condom! I soaked it Epsom Salt & Borax, but it would not drain.

I got up this morning, applied salt directly on the blister for 20 minutes, washed it off, bandaged it with Turmeric & Neosporin, then got dressed for church. As I was leaving the blister burst. The skin inside the blister was full of these little bubbles! As of this moment the first two toes are covered with these blisters and there are three more of the big honkers forming as we speak (one on the second toe, two on the big toe.) By the way, I am chugging Turmeric/Cayenne/Pepper/Coconut Oil in V8, and ACV & baking soda, like there's been a run on the market and I can't get any more! I'm also downing Garlic & Olive Leaf. I've lost all the progress I made over the past three months. The big toenail is now yellow and flaky, the toe itself is misshapen from the blisters/infection, and second toe is darkening again.

And all of this happened on my vacation!!! Does anyone have any suggestions? How do I get rid of this? Or at least get this under control. I go back to work on Tuesday; we're not allowed to wear open toed shoes!

Walk on Wet Grass in the Morning

Posted by Kristina (Chicago, Il) on 09/05/2009
★★★★★

I haven't used this myself, but a lot of guys swear this works. This way to cure foot fungus was used in soviet army. Early in the morning take a walk on a grass while it is still wet, barefoot, and do this for a week. Fungus will be gone. This works on early stages of fungus. Scientific explanation for this is simple: As the water evaporates, a part of it makes ozone, which fights fungus.

Lavender Oil

Posted by Happy Nail (Whitefish, Montana) on 08/22/2009
★★★★★

After my immune system was lowered during recovery from surgery, a fungal infection took off in my big toenail. It started as a white mark and progressed into a nasty condition very quickly. I went to a foot doctor and he thought it was not recoverable and was getting ready to do some surgery. However, I opted first to try the medicated nail varnish. This didn't seem to do very much, so in addition to filing the surface of the nail to make it thinner and using the penlac, I started adding a few drops of lavendar oil on a fabric bandaid and would place this on my toenail every day. Very soon I could clearly see new nail starting to grow. This cured the problem! It took a long time, but the bandaid with lavendar oil was quick to do in the morning, and after the months it took for the nail to grow out, it worked and I now have a healthy toenail again :)

Bleach

Posted by Cottin (Philadelphia, Pa) on 08/21/2009
★★★★★

bleach for foot fungus......i used a cap full of bleach in a gallon of water in my foot spa. i have been suffering from a bad foot fungus, not on my toes but on the bottom of my feet in the middle portion. i soak one day and used a puma stone to get the hard skin off, WHAT AMAZING RESULTS IN ONE DAY.I SOAKED FOR 1/2 HR. IN THE BLEACH DILUTED IN WATER THEN RINSED OFF IN WARM WATER...... I DID IT THE NEXT DAY... OH MY I AM REALLY RELIEVED.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Misty (Choctaw, Ok) on 08/19/2009

I read that olive leaf extract cured toenail fungus. My mom is taking it for the same thing because the prescription medicine doesn't seem to be working. It's too early to say if it is working, but it's worth a shot.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Janneil (Tunapuna, Trinidad And Tobago) on 08/19/2009
★☆☆☆☆

well my case is defintley one of desperation, i believe it started off with me hitting my toe [big toe]it had swollen up and after a few days it came back to normal then, after a few weeks this little end of dicoloured nail appeared i took no heed to it and 5-6months later i still have it but it has nearly taken over half my nail it is yellowish white my nails always tend to go extremely fast so it keeps growing out pinkish but gets reinfected as the fungus travels down to the new nail. my remidies were boric acid and vaseline,then 2nail fungus removers one which was fungi cure this one worked a little but the fungus is still here and constantly for 2months now teat ree oil, it absoulutly did nothing ,it has been so difficult for me i dont ever wear nail polish but just to hide it i started, my mom told me to stop it because it may make it worse so today it was confirmed that it does make it worse.i will now try some of your methods the clorox tea tree oil thing and see what happens then i will try the ACV the results seem promising i will also keep the site of my updates, thank you

Monistat 7

Posted by Jill (Portland, Or) on 08/18/2009
★★★☆☆

Responding to the Monistat post....

Years ago when I was pregnant I developed a strange nail problem. My fingernails would actually blister up, like a pocket and crack open eventually, causing the skin under my nail to poke through- usually in the middle of the nail somewhere. When I was delivering, the doctor noticed I had bandaids all over most of my fingers. He took a look and said I had athletes foot in my fingernails. He told me that you can get it in your nails also as a fungus. I was advised to get some over the counter yeast infection cream and apply daily. I did this and within a couple months the nail filled back in around the area and eventually went away. I have never had this problem again.

Years later, I have now have toenail fungus problems. I remembered this treatment and initially tried it. However, I did not have the same results. At first, my nails did start to seem to look better but if I didnt use it daily they would eventually go back to the way they were. In the meantime, I have tried everything under the sun, including detox foot baths from the local naturopathic clinic by my home. I dont have any opinon about those yet. I have tried tea tree oil, eucalyptis oil, yeast infection creams, anti-fungal solutions over the counter, vicks vapor rub, Hydrogen peroxide, ACV, and pine tar. So far, nothing has helped. Im going to try Teds remedy with the ACV, Hydrogen peroxide, and bleach to see if I get any results.