Home Remedies for Toenail Fungus

WARNING: This home remedies site is intended to be archival in nature. The natural remedies here are submitted by numerous people from around the world, and we have no way to test or verify every remedy. As such these home remedies should be used for academic purposes only. Never use any home remedy or other self treatment without being advised to do so by a physician.

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Toenail Fungus Home Remedies:

Submitted by Steven at 2008-12-16 10:41:11
3 months in to this regime and it is working:

Weekly: Soak toes in vinegar for 25 minutes.

Nightly: Apply Tea Tree Oil to toes, cover with socks (so as not to stain the sheets).

Additional:

At first I used a topical anti-fungal liquid to address athlete's foot around the nail bed. I still apply this once daily.

I now apply vinegar either by cotton swab or dropper daily.

It was difficult at first to clip the nails and to file them, but easier after soaking them in vinegar. After 2 months I kept filing them and now I have smooth nails. Not sure the fungus is gone, but it is a remarkable change.

I tried VVR, but wasn't too impressed. This is working for me.

Once a week I soak in bathing crystals that have epsom salts and Tea Tree Oil.

rating: 6 (21 votes)

Submitted by Marlene at 2007-09-09 00:48:34
The best remedy that helps minimize toe fungus (I don't think it's ever really 'cured') is vinegar. I have tried many topical remedies but straight undiluted vinegar works the best. Just get yourself a Rubbermaid foot size container, pour in the vinegar covering your foot and soak for as long as possible. An added bonus for soaking your feet in vinegar is that if you suffer from 'athlete's foot' it will really help that problem as well, no more itching. Try it! Vinegar is awesome!
rating: 6 (37 votes)

Submitted at 2006-08-30 12:40:34
Soaking the affected nail(s) with distilled vinegar kills off the fungus rather quickly. Apply daily after bathing and let the vinegar dry thoroughly before dressing.

Apparently the fungus doesn't like the shift in pH that comes with the use of the vinegar.

After a friend managed to get a fungus growing under her fingernails from a bad manicure I suggested using vinegar. The 'cure' only required about a week. Toenails, being thicker, seem to take a bit longer.

rating: 6 (115 votes)

Submitted by JacquieB at 2009-05-01 11:55:05
I'd seen on a site this mix for toe fungus and although I've only been using it for three days it is working!

50% Listerine
mixed with
50% Vinegar

Spray toe(s) and let dry

THEN apply Vick's Vapo Rub all over nail (cuticle and under nail) and cover to protect sheets at night.

Do the spray twice a day after shower and Vicks at night while sleeping!

Thank You to whoever had first submitted this as I am on cloud nine with the results!!!!

rating: 6 (11 votes)

Submitted by elle at 2006-07-08 09:26:49
i have toenail fungus for 2 years now and have been putting on a fungoid tincture constantly, with no improvement. this was given to me by my foot doctor. now with research, i have started the treatment of vicks all day and night ( with a white cotton sock on) in between treatments of apple cider vinegar, bleach and water and peroxide. i just take turns with all of them. i am very determined to get rid of this ulgy thing in my big toe. if you can dedicate yourself to these treatments, then i thnk they will work for you. prescriptions are not good for you and cause damage to your body. the thing to do is never let your toe breathe, keep it covered with vicks, and the fungus will die. i clean it in the shower, dry it and then clean it with either peroxide, bleach or apple cider vinegar. then i let it dry and then put on the vicks. it is already a few days and i am starting to see improvement in the nail.
rating: 5 (47 votes)

Submitted by T. Powers at 2004-12-29 14:42:38
If your toenail gets really thick and yellow, it is a form of fungus.
Take a nail file and run it over the surface of the toenail. Rub it both horizontally and laterally to make uneven grooves in the top of the nail.
Then rub Vick's Vapor Rub into the top of the toenail. The grooves will help keep the Vick's on the toenail. Do this for several days/nights in a row as often as you can.
The Eucalyptus in the Vick's will kill the fungus on the nail faster than any store-bought anti-fungal available !

rating: 5 (281 votes)

Submitted at 2005-03-07 00:02:56
Always keep your feet as dry as possible, as fungus LOVES dampness. I put a few drops TEA TREE OIL on my toenails and cuticles and rubbed it in thoroughly EVERY day.

Do this daily - even when you see healthy nails growing. Contiue until all of the thick yellow nail grows out completely... which will take several months. Also, do NOT polish your nails - it only seals in the fungus and makes it worse (and harder and longer to get rid of).

rating: 5 (57 votes)

Submitted by Kathy at 2008-04-20 11:18:49
I have had a bad fungus on my big toenail. I've been religiously soaking (at least 30 minutes) my toes in distilled white vinegar after thoroughly washing my feet with hot soapy water. After soaking in vinegar, let the area dry naturally. Then I load on Vick's VapoRub with a Q-tip on the nail and at the base of the nailbed where new growth begins. I cover it semi-loosely with a bandaid so the gunk won't get all over my sheets. In the a.m., I take off the bandaid and take my shower. I have been doing this for approximately 2 months, and the new growth is amazingly clear and pink!! It may take a while to see a difference, but it has certainly worked for me!
rating: 5 (14 votes)

Submitted at 2007-09-09 23:38:47
I HAVE HAD A TOENAIL FUNGUS ON BOTH MY BIG TOENAILS FOR 10 YEARS. I USED TO HYDE THEM WITH NAIL POLISH. I HAVE TRIED ALOT OF OTC CREAMS AND LOTIONS.
NOTHING WORKED.

THIS IS WHAT IS WORKING FOR ME. I CUT THEM AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE. CLEAN THEM EVERY MORNING AFTER MY SHOWER. I PUT A DROP OF ALCOHOL TWICE A DAY. NO NAIL POLISH. I WHERE SANDELS OR ANY OPEN TOE SHOE SO MY TOES STAY IN OPEN AIR AS MUCH AS I CAN LET THEM. I DON'T LIKE PEOPLE TO SEE MY TOES BUT IT WAS WORTH IT IN THE LONG RUN.

IT HAS BEEN ABOUT 4 MONTHS OF THIS BUT THEY ARE ALMOST GROWN OUT. I AM VERY HAPPY WITH MY NEW TOENAILS.

rating: 5 (13 votes)

Submitted by Cyndi at 2007-03-02 00:13:53
VVP does work! I had a bad reaction to fake 'fingernails' and all nails on both my hands got infected. Somehow the infection must have traveled thru my body because 3 of my toenails got infected also. Once one nail (toe or finger) is infected, it spreads easily to the next. I was on every med/cream/ointment available and nothing worked. It was terrible, as I was suffering from this for 8 months. My fingernails chipped away and I'd have cuts on every fingertip. I didn't even care about my toenails, but once I started the vicks remedy (rubbing it in ALL the time) it eventually worked. My condition was severe, so it will probably work much quicker on the average person. It's cheap and it doesn't have to be the Brand Vicks - any generic brand will do the same. For the person that said their nail turned black, mine turned a brownish color. The only reason I kept it up was 1. My nails were horrid anyway and 2. I could feel it work. I'd also try the bleach method someone suggested. I can't see how that wouldn't work. I couldn't even consider that with the cuts I had. Vinegar did not work for me. Tea Tree Oil has worked for a couple people I know. Personally, I was afraid to add oil to a fungus, but I guess this type of oil has a drying effect. I also took garlic capsules and acidouphoulis (sp?) I'm not sure if this had anything to do with curing my infection, but I want to add all I did. Garlic is supposed to kill fungus and acidouphoulis is giving you bacteria (the GOOD kind) that your body most likely is depleted off because of all the meds your doctor put you on. aka antibiotics/steriods/etc... OH, one more thing, go barefoot as much as possible (in your home, under your desk) and do not put a bandaid over it. As much as you want to cover this eyesore, it will only make it worse. Good luck
rating: 5 (47 votes)

Submitted by Ashley Lomelo at 2005-09-17 17:22:02
Lysterine. I swear it work. Soke your toes every time you get out of the shower. You will see results instantly.
rating: 5 (87 votes)

Submitted at 2006-03-29 17:53:13
oil of oregano for under the toenail infections. takes about 3 months but so do any medicines that you would get from a pharmacy.
rating: 5 (4 votes)

Submitted by y,s, at 2007-06-27 03:48:48
I had to nail fungus for about 4 years on one big toe nail and 2 years on the other big one. They were pretty yellow and very thick. I filed them down as much as possible and trimmed them back. I did have to spend 13 dollars on a big nail nipper. The first 2 or 3 months I soaked cotton balls with white vinegar and put them on the nails while I brushed my teeth at night and while I got ready in the morning. It has taken 4 months and 1 1/2 small bottles of white vinegar (less than 4 dollars). I still have a quarter of my nails to grow out but I can say it works!!!
rating: 5 (8 votes)

Submitted by Liz at 2009-06-11 23:21:18
okay well i have had a fungus on my toenails for like a year now well over a year and i did research and found the vicks vapor rub one and i tried it and the same day within mins of putting in on my nails it was disappering. what i did was i cut the nail as low as possiable than i took a nail filier and rubbed it on top of my nails all kind of ways to scratch it up a lil and than applied the vicks vapor rub on my nail rubbed it in real good and like i said with in mins it was going away as soon as i put it on my nails so it worked for me.
rating: 5 (2 votes)

Submitted by Lynn Ann Lee at 2008-02-14 08:46:04
Last year (2006) I was told by my doctor that I had toenail fungus. I am now over it (2007)—but not due to anything my doctor did. He prescribed some topical medication, but how do you get it to the fungus? The nail itself protects the fungus from topical salves or soaks. Anyone who tells you to soak your feet in a solution that totally cured it for them—either has lost his toenail, or the nail is so crumbly that it can no longer keep water from penetrating below the nail. My toenail got crumbly at one point, but quickly returned to normal when I began to use a sunlamp.
Let me explain. I read up on this type of fungus. It loves warm, moist, dark places. A restriction of airflow suits it also. Change those conditions and a fungicide is unnecessary. Start wearing sandals, no socks, 24/7. For many that is impossible, but do the best you can when you can. Also use a sun lamp as much as possible, but as little as 2 minutes twice a day will cure the condition. The more exposure--the quicker the cure.
If you do not have a sunlamp, you could try just an extremely bright light bulb down close to your feet. That might work just as well. I don’t know, because I didn’t try that, but I would be interested to know if that would do it. (Caution: when using the sun lamp—you cannot look directly at it without damaging your eyes. Keep a magazine between it and your eyes.)
While you are exposing the affected nail to the light, expose all of your nails on both feet. This will deter your other nails from getting the problem.
Others with toe nail fungus say I have recovered in record time, and believe me the treatment is a lot less messy than soaking in this and that. It is definitely worth a try, and it does not preclude your using other treatments at the same time, if you think you have found one that works.

rating: 4 (12 votes)

Submitted at 2006-02-26 11:14:56
Half soy sauce and half pine sol in a dropper for as long as it takes your toe nails to grow back out, a few drops after every shower, this is an old chinese remedy. My toe nail was brand new in 10 months!
rating: 4 (20 votes)

Submitted by cleat toenails at 2009-01-11 16:51:08
URINE! it's free! Urinate in a bootle and let it set for a few days and then soak your feet in it. your urine is just minerals your body didn't use. it will kill the fung if you use it daily until you see clear nails. it's also excellent for your skin. think i'm lying google it!
rating: 4 (9 votes)

Submitted at 2007-12-30 09:28:52
Garlic capsules or pure garlic taken daily works great and fast.
rating: 3 (7 votes)

Submitted by russ at 2009-03-29 16:08:51
what i used to completely kill off toenail fungus was the bleach method, but what i did was using an emery board, i sanded surface of nail each time i did this, i used an eye dropper that i set up just for this, but i did a single drop or two of straight beach on each nail and let it sit for about 10 mins so it could soak in, only had to do this for about a week and it was gone, hasnt come back
rating: 0 (0 votes)



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