The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Shoe and Sock Tips
Posted by Not Fun Gus (St. Louis, Mo Usa) on 11/15/2011
How can I sterilize my good wool socks after wearing them with toe fungus? I know to first soak them in cold water to set size. Does anyone think a long soak in ACV would kill fungus? I don't want to get rid of them.
Shoe and Sock Tips
Posted by Louwrence (Rustenburg, North West South Africa) on 11/16/2011
Try soaking them in a solution of water & ammonia. Ammonia kills fungus. Borax also kills fungus. Hope you hare successful.
Vicks
Posted by Timbo2 (Huntsville, Al) on 02/05/2012
★★★★★
I had the toenail and finger nail fungus for almost 3 years. Both thumb nails and and both big toes. I tried the vinegar and bleach and several other treatments with no success. Finally went to the Dr for lamisil pills and it initially seemed to be working but a month after stopping the pills the fungus began spreading in the nails. So it was back to my own remedy. Now Both thumbs are completely normal/grown out and It's been over 2 months with no signs that it's returning. I don't recommend what I did, but it seems to have worked for me.
I took my dremel tool with a sanding wheel and ground off all of the infected nails down to the nail bed. Cleaned it with alcohol, wiped dry, and applied lamisil gel twice a day for six weeks. Each week I would grind off any new nail growth to ensure I kept the infected area exposed. On some occasions I had to grind off more nail because it looked to be spreading. I also wore "finger cots" when showering and tried to keep my nails water/moisture free. This leaves the finger bed/nail area very dry and flakey looking. After this 6 week treatment, I started the vicks vapor rub treatment (off brand) by applying a hefty amount at bed time and covering it with a bandaid. I did this for 2 months. As I said, my thumbs are completely grown out and normal now. My big toes only got the vicks treatment; right is completely cleared and left is still growing out so until it has completly grown out I honestly can't say. Some people claim to see immediate improvement or it worked after 2 weeks... etc. Don't believe it. It will cause a transparent efffect on the nails and make them "look" better but until the nail is completely grown out/connected to the nail bed the fungus is still under there. Most say to do the treatment every night without a missing a single night for 2 months, I say do it until the nail is grown out and looks normal, and that can take 12 to 18 months for toe nails. For me it was about 6 months but my fungus only went about half way back on my toenails to start with. Bottom line, I think the vicks will work for most people but not all, and, you have to be deligent. I did not miss a night, no matter what. If we went away for the weekend I took my vicks with me. If I was sick, I still applied the vicks. I'm very OCD when it comes to these types of things and you need to be to get rid of the fungus. Good luck.
Vicks
Posted by Dean (Seattle, Wa) on 12/10/2012
LOVE the fact that you checked back in!! I too, use a dremel. So funny. (How many more of us are out there?) Never tried the Vicks. I'll try tonight. I'm so impatient. I always give up if something doesn't start working within the first few days.
Henna
Posted by Shelby (Evansville, In) on 08/31/2011
★★★★★
Henna is anti-fungal, thought I'd throw that out there.
I usually use it to dye my hair, but I've been reading up on it, and I'm going to try it on a persistent fungus near my eye. I usually just mix it with hot water and let it sit for an hour, then apply it wherever. Henna can smell pretty strong, but feels absolutely wonderful on your skin.
It has to sit and absorb for a few hours, so don't do it if you're in a hurry, and it can be a bit messy. Now I just need to figure out where to get those tiny little paint brushes to paint it on exactly.
Zinc Oxide
Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia ) on 08/07/2011
Maria, I cured my toenail fungus by just drinking ACV twice a day with water. I put nothing on my toes at all. It has been about a year now and it never came back. Just grew out as the toenails grew. It took about 3 months before you could see it growing out.
Zinc Oxide
Posted by Maria (Silver Spring, Maryland) on 08/08/2011
Thanks Debbie, I will try that to keep them clear. I also have noticed that when I push up my PH my nails do better, and drinking ACV does increase the PH. Thanks again
Vicks
Posted by Jerry (Cleveland, Texas) on 07/25/2011
I started out using bleach in an effort to cure the fungus under my thumb finger nail about 6 months ago. I had very little results if any. Then, I got a list via my email for home cures and it listed VICKS as a cure for fungus under the nails.
I've been using it now for about a week, and my nail looks much better. I purchased some of those "finger ballons or condoms" at the pharmacy and put that on after applying the vicks. This keeps the vicks in place, and the finger dry.
Pulse Generator
Posted by Codexaureus (Columbus, Ohio) on 07/06/2011
Bad infection between the little and fourth toes. Dragged what may have been fungus to the surface by electrifying the skin with a puls generator (1-2mA at 5V, 30kHz pulse). The electrodes were two small pieces of copper tubing, the negative electrode placed between the little and fourth toes, the positive between the big and second toes. Removed some small 'white wires' that came to the surface.
After the skin healed up a small metal pin was placed between the little and fourth toes. The negative electrode was connected to the pin, the positive electrode was placed in the mouth with enough saliva to increase the area of conductance. A small protrusion of pus came to the surface. Charge flow was increased to 20-25mA at 5V. White staphylococcus aureus necrotizing fasciitis became visible right below the surface of the skin.
This infection would have and probably has gone unnoticed for years. Antifungal creams sometimes with corticosteroids were prescribed in the past never completely curing the infection. Possible eczema and sensitivity to fungi were the only conclusions.
For the necrotizing fasciitis a 10 day course of 30 amoxicillin/clavulanic acid pills (500mg/125mg) were prescribed. To increase treatment effectiveness a blue light-emitting diode was directed at the site of infection (blue light phototherapy kills Staphylococcus aureus).
P.S. Treatment with lytic bacteriophages is also possible but mainly for multidrug resistant bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus resists human defensins by production of staphylokinase. Fungi evade the immune system of their hosts by secreting extracellular protein 6.
Detoxification
Posted by Jeff (Mckinney, Texas, United States) on 06/10/2011
Forgot to say that as I started consuming the BS I also mixed some BS with a little water and wiped it on the fungus on my torso and elbow-folds. Three days later the fungus is almost completely gone and has completely stopped itching.
Detoxification
Posted by Joylie (Solana Beach, Ca) on 08/11/2011
Congratulations on all you are doing. I also like EDTA (I think it's called) for detoxing.
Shoe and Sock Tips
Posted by Uneeq3 (Los Angeles, Ca) on 04/18/2011
Just wanted to know if any of you had to throw away the shoes you have been wearing during/after the positive results.... And doesn't nail fungus contaminate shoes especially those worn without socks?
Ted's Remedies
Posted by Susane (Santa Monica, Ca) on 04/10/2011
★★★★★
Ted Remedy plus Thymol works. First of all.. Be patient. Toe nails take a long long time to grow. My docotor, from Kaiser, prescribed Thymol. It's a liquid that you apply twice a day. I used it for 6 weeks and couldn't see any change. I called the doctor and asked for Lamisil. The doctor told me that he has never known Thymol not to work. So... I added Ted's Remedy. For 2 weeks, twice a day, I did the 50/50 solution of hydrogen peroxide followed by a 50/50 solution of bleach/water for 30 seconds to a minute and then rinsed. I then followed this by using the Thymol drops.
After 2 weeks I started seeing a difference. At that point I stopped everything but the Thymol. I am now currently 7 months into the entire event of trying to save my toenails and am happy to say that of the 7 infected toenails 4 of them are completely cured and the other 3 are slowly getting there. One of my big toenails was about 80% infected and apparently it takes about a year to fully regrow a big toenail and I appear to be on track for that mark. You must be diligent and patient. My prescription of Thymol costs about $15 a bottle and I have used 3 bottles over 7 months and will probably need another 2 bottles. Also, my doctor told me that he personally uses Thymol once a week just as maintenance.
Topical Acidophilus
Posted by Steve (Lebanon, Pa Usa) on 03/26/2011
Your site is so helpful. I thought I would share this tip I stumbled upon after suffering for some years. Take acidophillus pills and grind them in the coffee grinder and apply with water to make a paste to fungal infested areas. Works like a charm and safe too although the dust does work loose from the skin. These are tough to cure and many applications may be necessary but be confident relief is on its way!
Topical Acidophilus
Posted by Ginger (Champaign, Illinois, Usa) on 05/19/2013
★★★★☆
I also stumbled upon this cure. I had been taking a triple probiotics capsule every day to fight the fungal infection from the inside out. One day I broke open a capsule and brushed the contents directly on my infected nails. It worked! I have been doing it every day for a few weeks and my nails haven't looked this good in 2 years. I had tried dozens of treatments, including going to a podiatrist, and nothing else worked.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by K4thl33n (Wilts, England) on 02/14/2011
★★★★☆
I have been using Iodine Tincture for athletes foot, a toe nail infection as well as ezcema on my foot. Since using this tincture (2 months) I have noticed a major improvement in the condition of my feet. The toe nail is repairing itself nicely, the ezcema has almost disappeared and as for the athletes foot, I no longer suffer this ailment.
I am also using magnesium oil twice daily and taking selenium tablets 200mg a day, so between the 3 minerals I seem to be getting back to a healthier body. I am also taking Iodoral twice a day which has improved my energy levels as well as the texture of my hair. All in all Iodine is the missing link to what should be good health but is actually being denied because of ignorance and misunderstanding of its multiple properties and benefits.
On top of this I am also in the process of introducing 100% seaweed supplementation for my garden and allotment as it has been seen to improve growth and health all round. I also wonder if the lack of iodine, selenium, magnesium and other trace minerals is also causing the demise of Birds, Bees and Butterflies as well as many other species who all share our one biological factor - a THYROID GLAND!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Camilla (Istanbul, Turkey) on 02/15/2011
For athletes foot or any other fungi, try bikarbonate of soda. Look it up on Earth Clinic. Take it with maple suryp or honey, you will find lots of different 'recipes' on E.C. A friend of mine resently started taking karbonat of soda and flared up really badly on her feet. She didn't even know she had a fungi in her body. This is normal. It might get a little worse before it gets better. You can also do footbaths with BS.
Ted's Remedies
Posted by Lindsay (Chicago, Il, Usa) on 09/13/2010
I started out doing Ted's remedy for nail fungus six weeks ago. My big toenails were just starting to show signs of fungus with those scratchy white marks. I stopped the bleach step after awhile because the skin around my nails was starting to turn red and break down. About ten days ago I backed off the vinegar/peroxide step to every other day because the problem persisted, but kept the vaseline/tea tree oil on it every day. I started noticing that the fungus only extended halfway down my nail now instead of 2/3 of the way down the nail like it had when I started, but my nails were now very yellow, particularly around the perimeter of the nails. I reduced the vaseline/tea tree oil to once per day because my skin was still so dry and red around my nails and the tea tree oil was drying it out further, and I noticed today that the fungus is now progressing further down my nails than before. What am I doing wrong, and what can I do differently? What has caused my nails to turn yellow? I have had this fungus before, and it progressed much further before, but it never caused my nails to turn quite this shade of yellow, even when it pulled the nail away from the nail bed. Last time I treated it with Lamisil prescribed by my doctor, but since that was only two years ago and I didn't want to take Lamisil every two years, I was hoping for a remedy that doesn't require a prescription or that I take a liver function test first. I am so frustrated. Is there a milder treatment since my nails aren't that far gone yet and my skin is so sensitive?
Ted's Remedies
Posted by Lindsay (Chicago, Il, Usa) on 09/27/2010
★☆☆☆☆
It appears the reason my nails are all yellow now is that this remedy was breaking down my cuticles and the skin around my nails has allowed the fungus to spread to all of my nails. This should NOT be labeled as "better with side effects" since the side effect is that the fungus is now much worse. Based on my previous nail fungus, if I had left it alone, it would have taken months to progress to this point.
Ted's Remedies
Posted by Lindsay (Chicago, Il, Usa) on 03/10/2011
Update: I blame the diluted Clorox for the breakdown around my nails. I do not recommend doing that step unless your nails are so far gone that nothing else works. Here is the version of this remedy I have been using for the last few months (after several trials and errors) that has healthy pink nail finally growing in on every toe: each morning and evening wipe down the nails with the 50/50 vinegar and peroxide solution, then rinse, dry thoroughly, and cover the nails with Vicks vaporub (the Vicks was recommended by my doctor) and sprinkle a foot powder with Micronazole Nitrate over all the toes (I'm not sure how integral the powder part is, but it prevents athlete's foot from being a problem on and around the skin, and it keeps my toes from feeling like they are covered in Vicks vaporub). Since I've been doing this through the winter, my feet have socks and shoes on them almost all the time, but this has not been a problem. A couple of times a week I will soak my (clean) feet in the 50/50 solution for about 15 minutes instead of just wiping them down.
Positive side effect: If you have a problem with rough skin and callouses, the peroxide makes them soft and easy to slough off. Most of my small nails are already grown out, and the large ones are about half-way grown out doing this routine. It is time consuming but I consider it worth it. Doing the routine just once each day didn't have the same effect.
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.
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 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 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!
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 Diamonds And Solitaire (London) on 11/01/2014
You might have some sort of defficiency. If you don't eat lots of meat then it could be B6 and B12 defficiency. I would not suggest eating meat but up your B6 and B12 levels through supplements. Check your zinc, magnesium, vitamin D levels. 70% population is defficient in Vitamin D. I would suggest having juice of green leafy vegetables everyday. Dino
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 :)
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
Fungus and Toe Pain
Posted by Edith (Jackson, Mississippi) on 08/09/2009
I have had a fungus in my second toe on my right foot for over five years. Of course like everyone else, I didn't know what it was at first. The toe nail is slightly dark near the tip and the nail is thick, dry and hard to clip. I have tried a number of things but nothing works completely. I use a natural remedy Peppermint and Shea Butter which seems to help the toe to look pretty health. I know it is still there because my toe is in so much pain when I walk continuously. I generally walk three miles each day; my toe has started to hurt so much more, to the point that I have cut back to just two miles a day. Am I the only one with pain or is it that people are just neglecting to mention it. I am very anxious to try the remedies found here, as soon as possible. My question is why is it that no one has mentioned the pain that occurs in the toe when walking? I have not tried any of the remedies here; will they help the pain as well? I will let you know what my outcome is.
Fungus and Toe Pain
Posted by Bev (Apache Junction, Arizona) on 02/16/2010
Hi! I have NO good new for you yet. I just wanted you to know that I am suffering the toe pain as well as you are and I'm sure there are others. I am trying a little combination as I am writing this. I did one cup of White Vinegar to 3 cups of water and thought I'm going to add 1/2 cup of the apple cider vinegar and one more cup of water and I am soaking both feet. I have had problems with both my big toes with the discoloration, thick ugly nails that are very hard to trim and since they have thickened...they have been giving me problems by curving inward and getting very hard to manicure not saying how the pain is really getting unbearable. I hope we both get relief and nice looking toes again.
