Top Natural Cures for Ringworm: Quick & Easy Remedies

Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Cormac (Perth, Australia) on 04/15/2023
★★★★★

I rubbed tea tree oil into a ringworm infection on my chest which was growing rapidly. The oil stopped it in its tracks. It got a bit blistered after 1 week. I covered with a plaster but still applied the oil daily. It's practically gone now and all left behind is clear skin.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Cured (Missouri ) on 07/05/2016
★★★★★

I suffered for 2 full years with ringworm infections and I tried many of the remedies on this site and found some temporary relief from itching but they never went really away. I hope I can help someone. What gave me full relief and healing was this:

- Quit having regular sugar, replaced with stevia in my drinks and meals

- Diminish intake of flour

- Bought me a good fruit extractor (Nutribullet) and had about 16 ozs of vegetable juice twice a day morning and before going to bed. (carrots, whole lime/lemon, celery, ginger, water) . I did try it sometimes with beets and spinach but they had those ingredients for the most part.

- For the itching I used " Blue Star " ointment.

After about 2-3 weeks I started seeing great results until they completely dissapeared.

For maintenance I kept the juices only once a day, every night right before going to bed.

Aloe Vera

Posted by Victor (Australia) on 09/06/2014
★★★★★

I started with a small circle on my right groin about 3 months months ago. I used virtually all OTC antifungals, none worked at all, which was very strange as previous experiences with fungus lasted 2 weeks at most and didn't have any problem clearing, they were a matter of put on the cream and forget, pretty much. This time it's been different from the start. One night, about 2 weeks ago, I even applied ACV like mad, till it bled, only to see a large rash on my corresponding thigh the morning afterwards; I reckon spores were released in huge amounts and all went to what was closest to them. Slowly but steadily that creepy thing is spreading on my two thighs and about 2 days ago on my left forearm. Now I've very very concerned, I don't want to have ringworm on my torso, face, etc. I've also tried several home remedies such as coconut oil (seemed to work but it's way too oily), Absorbing Jr Extra Strength (didn't work at all), Vicks Vaporub (same, didn't work), soaps with tea tree oil (apart from the nice smell, nothing), antidandruff shampoo (nothing either).

What does seem to work for me is Aloe Vera. After only 2 days on my forearm and that thing seems completely controlled, if not gone already. After the first application it stopped spreading; I reckon in the same way as clear nail polish seems to work, Aloe Vera suffocates ringworm and eventually kills it. Caveat: the infection on my forearm was very very recent, I've also applied generous amounts of AV to my groins and legs but probably because it's quite worse there it's taking way longer to see results.

Something very important to take into account is that ringworm may seem and act different depending on the part of the body affected. On my forearm I mostly saw circular shapes with borders of slightly darker, reddish skin, whereas on my thighs and groins it's slightly thickened skin in circular shapes, sometimes with several pustules (which I am yet to see on my forearm).

Aloe Vera

Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 10/17/2017

4 Tablespoons carrier oil (olive, castor, coconut or a combination)
1 teaspoon tea tree oil
1 teaspoon lavender oil

~Mama to Many~

Coconut Oil

Posted by Windinthetrees (Fort Collins, Colorado) on 09/21/2012
★★★★★

I cured a nasty case of ringworm with unrefined raw organic coconut oil. I first had tried tea tree oil, straight, a few times a day. Looked like this might work but it then irritated the skin so bad it ended up spreading it. I also had tried Grapefruit seed extract and this made it itch more. I was getting a bit desperate and I heard about coconut oil somewhere else on the web. I tried it and within just a few days the improvement was significant and it got better and better and then was gone!! I keep applying coconut oil to the area for another month to make sure it would not come back. I also took oil of oregano internally to help my basic body condition. After all the irritation from the tea tree oil and grapefruit seed extract the coconut oil was so soothing and it worked so well that I though I would share this. I am surprised there are no other reports on this website for this cure!!

Tinea Capitis

Posted by Tg (Central Florida) on 04/26/2016

Try shampooing an anti-fungal soap with essential oils.I would use it every day it is very gentle and do a whole body wash. Leave it on your scalp and body for 5 minutes each use for max benefit before rinsing.

Rinse you hair with 1 part apple cider vinegar to 3 parts water.

If your hair comes out anything less than fabulous this is because you have been using shampoos or treatments or coloring with sulfates. It is important to eliminate those. I never put anything on my skin that I couldn't eat.

It may take a half dozen washes but once the sulfates are out you will be thrilled.

When not fighting fungus I use organic castle soap. You will love the ACV rinse so alkalizing and healthy!! Consider switching to henna for color but know you can''t switch back again to commercial coloring.

I am in my late 50s and without sulfates and with henna my hair is thicker and more lustrous than when I was in my 20s!!!

Salt

Posted by Hawaiian_nut (Honolulu, Hi, Usa) on 01/15/2012
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I had a small outbreak of ringworm after working at a feral cat sanctuary after only 1 day, needless to say that the fungus is highly contagious.. Anyhow, the woman at the sanctuary told me she was applying coconut oil to the cats to treat the ringworm.

When I had it, I started to apply the coconut oil. Next day, it got bigger. Tried it again, and again it got bigger. My sister recommended putting iodine, it didn't make it go away, but also didn't make it get bigger. I started thinking to myself.. ok, fungi like moisture, no wonder the oil is making it spread, the iodine doesn't quite dry it out, so what dries things out...salt!

I took a bottle cap that was roughly the same size as the ringworm, filled it with salt, and put just enough warm water to melt it into a pasty liquid form, I then stuck the whole lid onto the ringworm and let the salt paste soak into it for 5-10 minues (can tape it on so it doesnt move). Then I took it off, let it dry, and reapplied it later, few times a day. The fungus dried up in 2-3 days and was completely gone, though the new skin needed a week or so to heal the pigmentation.

Borax

Posted by Angelina (Moncton, N.b., Canada) on 01/10/2011
★★★★★

I was never officially diagnosed by a doctor with ringworm but I deduced on my own from checking my symptoms online and with friends. I had red itchy rounds blotches on my chest and arms. At first I used ACV and tea tree oil. That stableized things and kept it from spreading but it didn't seem to clear it up. Finally it was suggested to me to scrub with borax and a clean face cloth. Apparently the fungus likes to live underneath dry skin, and so scrubbing away the dead skin would take away the fungus' shelter. I saw results in a day and was so relieved. I continued this for a good few weeks although it was pretty much gone in a week. I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't return. Borax is mild anyway. Always make sure the cloth you are using is clean to prevent putting the fungus back on your skin.

Green Walnut Juice

Posted by Mark (Tulsa, OK) on 09/22/2008
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

When I was a kid and got ringworm my Grandfather told me to go get a green walnut off of the tree that we had in our back yard. He cut the walnut and told me to rub the black juice on the ringworm. I did this one time and the ringworm disappeared and never came back. This is an ancient remedy that originated in the european country of wales and was passed down to my grandfather from his dad. My cat recently acquired ringworm but I no longer live in my childhood home in the country that had the walnut tree out back so I went to the health food store and got some walnut extract which is diluted with 50% alcohol. It is working, after 3 or 4 applications but it's still not as good as the green walnut juice. It cured the ringworm with one application.

Light Bulb Cure for Ringworm

Posted by Mel (New York, New York) on 07/15/2008
★★★★☆

Ok, this is my second visit to your site, first one was when i was desperately searching for a cure.

I tried almost everything.
1. clotrimazole.
2. tolnaftate cream and spray.
3. Apple cider Vinegar.
4. Witch Hazel.
5. Rubbing Alcohol.
6. Bleech.
7. Hydrogen Peroxide.
8. Tooth paste.
9. Salicylic acid.
10. Vicks.
11. Mouth wash.
12. Hand-sanitizer(alcohol)
13. Anti-bacterial liquid soap.
14. Icy hot

I tried all the above mentioned items, plus a combination of some of them together as a foot soaking agent.

The moment when i completely lost it, came when I saw a second ringworm right next to the original one. ARRRRRR

I poured a little less then half a cup of bleech, half cup of rubbing alcohol, half a cup of witch hazel, half cup of ACV, and then as soon as i poured half a cup of hydrogen peroxide I heard a whooshing sound and saw bubbles and some somke :-) grin, I thought to myself this would kill the fungus once for all. I then poured cold water, just enough so that I could soak my foot fully into the small plastic bucket. I then rubbed the two ringworms with my fingers under the solution, and kept my foot under water for atleast 10 minutes. The skin peeled off from the ringworms, and the itching stopped. I went to class, and then after few hours, Itching came back. I came home, and I was furious, at the drug agencies and the FDA for creating creams that only stop the growth of the ringworm instead of killing it. (thats how you make money).

I then took a small night lamp in my room, with .10 WATT bulb, and turned it on. Once the bulb got hot, I started cooking :-) It hurt really bad when I started to roll the bulb on the ringworms, but the feeling of killing that nasty bugger overcame my own pain. I really burned the suckers good, the skin turned red, and the bulb was covered in some sort of mildue. Ringworms started flaking, and I kept going, until I knew that the ringworms were dead and were now burning in hell. The itching had stopped. It has been 3 or more hours since this experiment, and the itching had not returned.

The skin of course was red due to minor skin burns, and may even leave a mark, but I will accept it open heartedly because it is just on my foot, and it will be just another battle scar to my body collection.

Arrrrrrggghhh 142nd Pirates for life.

(Do not tell me that it cannot be killed; if it is living, then I will find a way)

Menthol and Wormwood Oil

Posted by Elaine (Lubbock, TX) on 08/10/2007
★★★★★

I have used Absorbine Jr.for years to kill ringworms. Usually only one application does the trick. I think the longest time frame that it has ever taken to get rid of a ringworm has been about 24 hours. This remedy was passed to me by my mother who used it for years on the cat and me. When the cat would get a ringworm, if he saw the bottle of Absorbine Jr. coming, oh my stars and garters, the kitty cat rodeo was on. But to no avail my mother would win, the cat would get treated, and the ringworm would die.

Fig Tree Sap

Posted by Dallas (Dallas, TX) on 04/27/2007
★★★★★

For ringworm or any other fungal infection of the skin, I've always used the milk from a figleaf. You usually only have to do it once or twice. This is good for humans or pets.

Oregano Oil

Posted by Holy Grail (Nashville Tn) on 01/01/2023
★★★★★

Oregano Oil is the holy grail for ringworm!

I didn't know what it was, a spot appeared on my leg after a pedicure, it spread and it clicked that it was ringworm. I tried apple cider vinegar, bleach, tea tree oil, Lotrimin, miconazole, pure acetone, absorbine plus, a fungal wash from Walmart, borax, and then Oregano oil. I took 60mg capsules orally three times a day and then used it topically three times a day. The oil I purchased was from GNC and it already had a carrier oil in it. I can't tell you how glad I was to find a cure. I will never go back for a pedicure ever again.

Fig Tree Sap

Posted by Allison (Houston, Texas) on 11/21/2021
★☆☆☆☆

Please DO NOT use fig sap! It is a strong proteolytic enzyme that will eat up the flesh. I had tried this on a ringworm on my belly after the vinegar didn't work. The fig sap just ate up the flesh and made it raw and extremely painful but did nothing to get rid the ringworm. Just like the other person said from 2010, it's like a chemical burn, so DON'T try it on yourself or your pets!

Apple Cider Vinegar, Turmeric

Posted by Sabrina N. (Roswell, Ga) on 03/21/2018
★★★★★

ACV and turmeric cured my ringworm

After using Lotrimin for ringworm for 2 weeks, I was desperate to try something else as it wasn't working. I came here and saw to use ACV. It was dried up within a day. It was still visible, but it was obvious it was on its way out. It continued to dry and disappear from that point on. I mixed it with turmeric to make a paste. Covered it with a bandaid for one hour. That was it. I didn't have to treat it again.

Apple Cider Vinegar, MMS

Posted by Kk (Los Angeles) on 10/02/2017
★★★★★

Ringworm: ACV has also worked well for me in combination with MMS foot baths. I had it on my feet. Use 20 drops MMS to 20 drops citric acid, wait until it mixes properly (dark brown) and then add it to a bowl you can soak your foot in, once a day for 10-15 minutes. Try to get the water hot, without burning yourself of course. If you have it on your body you can also take a bath (use 30 drops instead). Or you can apply it as a spray (use 10 drops in 1/2 cup water). For very severe cases where nothing seems to be working MMS might just come in very handy. It's very affordable.

ALWAYS use MMS diluted with water, never by itself.

Sunlight

Posted by Jen (Wilmington, De) on 08/03/2017
★★★★★

I read somewhere that ringworm thrives in dark damp places. I put direct sunlight on it...all that was needed was maybe 2-3 mins of direct sunlight over several days. The sooner you do it the quicker it'll heal. The cream really wasn't quick enough at all.