Tinea Versicolor Remedies

Coconut Oil

10 User Reviews
5 star (8) 
  80%
4 star (1) 
  10%
1 star (1) 
  10%

Posted by Bl (Nz) on 08/10/2015
★★★★★

I have been a bit dubious about the remedies on this site but now I'm converted. I have had Tinea versicolor for over 10 years, probably closer to 15. I had done the doctors treatments three times only for it to return in six months. My body was covered, I itched a lot and had flakes of skin left on any dark clothing. I have done wheat free diets etc, nothing worked.

Anyway, I tried the coconut oil. I had a shower every morning and would scrap out the hard coconut oil with my finger nails and smother my body with it every morning. It was winter and cold and the coconut oil was solid but melted when I put it on my body. It did this every day for a week and then started to see the spots fade, after two weeks they were completely gone. I've been doing this about six weeks now and will continue to use coconut oil as a moisturiser as it has "cured" my rash.

I say "cured" in quotation marks as I think if I stopped this treatment long enough, the rash would come back eventually, as it is hard to completely eradicate apparently, but hey, I'll just keep using the coconut oil for skin care as my skin is so nice now!

Replied by Yogesh Gandhi
(India)
11/20/2015

Hey,

Do you apply coconut oil only on the affected area or to your whole body (from head to toe)???


Coconut Oil
Posted by Alison (Plymouth, United Kingdom ) on 06/20/2015
★★★★★

I have suffered with a skin condition called pityriasis versicolor, which is a common condition that causes small patches of the skin to become scaly and discoloured. I have suffered with this skin complaint for over 20 years. My doctor has provided anti fungal shampoos which only provide a temporary solution, as the rash develops again, especially when I catch the sun or sweat (gym). I have recently read that coconut oil has anti fungal properties amongst many others beneficial properties. I have been using coconut oil as a face and body moisturiser for the passed couple months and the rash has completely disappeared. Usually if I use any oils on my skin the fungal rash would spread and become itchy. I'm shocked that no natural remedies are recommended as a solution for this skin condition. I'm so glad I do not have to apply all the nasty chemicals to my skin anymore and my skin is left soft and moisturised. I use 100% raw organic coconut oil.


Coconut Oil
Posted by Jennamarie (Florida) on 02/13/2014
★★★★★

Being from Florida (a quite humid environment) I've personally been dealing on and off with tinea versicolor on my arms for the past 5 years. These appeared on my arms as small, white, circular spots with a dry/bumpy texture, and somewhat itchy. About 3 years ago it became so bad that I was too embarrassed to expose my arms, and eventually made an appointment for the dermatologist (this was after trying the age-old selenium sulfide treatment).

Long story short, the dermatologist diagnosed me with a slight case of keratosis pilaris and prescribed me a topical ointment to try to get rid of it. Unfortunately this treatment didn't work at all, and I eventually just waited it out and it went away.

Since then, I've gotten many cases of what I now now is tinea versicolor, always off and on, and always at the worst times! Just recently I was in the market for a certain type of oil for another reason and began reading about coconut oil and its many benefits. As I read about its anti-fungal, anti-Candida, and anti-bacterial qualities I was thrilled (as I also suffer from occasional bacterial/yeast/candida infections) because I am aware of the fungal nature of tinea versicolor. This discovery also occurred coincidentally during one of my worst tinea v. outbreaks ever.

I decided to purchase some liquid coconut oil and apply it topically on my arms to see if it would live up to its properties/claims, and WOW I'm simply amazed. After only 3 days of use, the spots almost completely vanished (even more so than their normal-state very faint appearance). How the dermatologist missed this one is beyond me, and I'm always thrilled to find a natural remedy for my ailments. Coconut oil for tinea versicolor is a godsend!!!


Coconut Oil
Posted by Nita (Somerset, Ky) on 11/02/2009
★★★★★

My daughter also has this condition and her doctor said it is tinea versicolor-a skin fungus. If the hair growing in the white patches still has color then the pigment isn't gone. We rub virgin coconut oil on the white patches and are now seeing normal skin color returning! Hope this helps.

EC: This post was copied from the vitiligo page here: https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/vitiligo.html#TEDS 

Replied by Megan
(Springfield, Mo)
03/31/2013
★★★★★

Coconut oil is the ONLY thing that has helped my tinea versicolor. I only been using a week and 90% of my affected spots has returned to normal. I still apply every night very generously.

Replied by Kevin
(San Diego, Ca)
04/22/2013
★★★★★

Coconut Oil was the only thing that worked successfully for me. Selenium Sulfide worked occasionally.

Replied by Majid
(London)
05/06/2015

How long after using coconut oil does the colour of the skin turn back to normal?


Coconut Oil and Patchouli Essential Oil

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Shan (Md) on 02/22/2015
★★★★★

My Tinea Versicolor went away after I did this:

I made a lotion out of coconut oil and patchouli essential oil. I'm not sure if its the coconut oil or the patchouli but it went away after about week. I had it so bad for years...I only use it once a day, after I get out of the shower. I do notice that if I dont use it for a couple days I will start to get itchy again. And it smells a lot better than using ACV!

Replied by Davida
(Los Angeles, Ca)
06/19/2015

How many drops of each oil did you use?

Replied by Mama To Many
(Tennessee)
06/19/2015

Dear Shan,

I would add about 10 drops of Patchouli Essential Oil to each Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. If you are using this on a sensitive skin area, use only 5 drops or less per Tablespoon of Coconut Oil.

~Mama to Many~


Coconut Oil, Oregano Oil

2 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
  100%

Posted by Cathy (Halifax, Ns Canada) on 07/18/2016
★★★★★

Tinea versicolor: I made an oil concoction of 1/4 cup of coconut oil and 1/4 tsp of oregano oil. Applied 3x's a day clobbered it like nothing I've ever used, Rx or over the counter.

Replied by Melody
(Ontario, Canada)
02/25/2018
★★★★★

Thank you for your post. I have been dealing with tinea for 20 years. Nothing has ever made it go away. Not prescription or over the counter remedies. I tried your suggestion of coconut mixed with oil of oregano, not actually believing that much would change. To my pleasant surprise....My spots are almost completely gone after only 5 days of using the mixture. For the first time ever, I have hope. Thank you for your post!!!!


Colloidal Silver

3 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
  67%
3 star (1) 
  33%

Posted by Marlene (Michigan) on 10/09/2015
★★★★★

COLLOIDAL SILVER SOAP is the fastest and best way out of all the home remedies for Tinea Versicolor.


Colloidal Silver
Posted by Arnold (Germany) on 05/09/2013
★★★☆☆

WORKED TEMPORARILY

I tried colloidal silver water for tinea versicolor, it helps, but as soon you you forget it is back again intense. :(


Colloidal Silver
Posted by Ailis (New York) on 03/31/2013
★★★★★

My doctor prescribed a cream for Tinea Veriscolor that my insurance would not cover. It would have been $70 for me to fill it, so I said "No way!" Instead, I picked up a $7 tube of C----d Silver [contains Silver Chloride 55ppm, Antimicrobial]. I suppose any colloid silver solution would do. Result? In 3 weeks I was completely cured.


Copper, Environment Change

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by S.Andrew (Denver, Co) on 08/20/2018
★★★★★

Hello,

I first discovered I had Tinea in 2012. I noticed a spot on my neck and also my right bicep. I tried all sorts of things on it, from; Tea Tree Oil, cortisone, doctor prescribed creams. It only proceeded to get worse regardless of what I tried. As the years went on it spread down my arms, all over my chest, up my neck and all over my back. Even down in to my thighs. I felt hopeless.

I was living in Central PA at the time, which is pretty hot and humid during the summer. At night, my skin would crawl and itch. I did my best to eliminate sugar, beer, tobacco, etc. It seemed the worse my Tinea got, the worse I got. I grew hopeless that I would live with this for the rest of my life! I would shower twice a day, change my bed sheets every few days. I did all sorts of things. I would apply it after the shower from head to toe, and then go to bed. It was quite the routine. I even created my own creams with Coconut oil, tea tree oil, oil of oregano, and grapefruit seed extract, which helped the inflammation the best. It helped, but didn't really make a dent.

Of course I noticed when I avoided sugar or the heat and humidity my skin would do better, but overall it was still there and itching.

In my life at the time I had difficulty avoiding alcohol, sugar, carbs, etc. I also struggled with depression and anxiety and understood the connection between the food, and mood. My life seemed like I would get started going in the right direction and then I often just gave up again.

After years of battling the ups and downs with tinea I just learned to live with it. I will say that over the years, I sought out different spiritual practices too. Very few helped practically, I practiced hot power yoga, which if you read a lot of the tinea forums, they tell you it will cause your skin to become inflamed. For me, it did get somewhat inflamed, but it also seemed to recede too. Eventually my yoga practice fell off, my tinea came back just as strong again.

It wasn't until I moved to Colorado in the cooler, dry climate that I noticed less flare ups. Over all, it was less inflamed from the things I ate, like carbs, sugars, or an occasional beer. It's now 2018 and 6 years later, I can say that my tinea is very much receding. In addition to the environmental and climate change, I also started wearing a copper bracelet I purchased at a Meditation Event.

When I was pursuing the items, a bracelet jumped out at me and I felt really drawn to it. I walked around a bit, but eventually came back. I bought the copper bracelet and within a week I noticed a difference in my skin. My skin hadn't flared up at all. Not even much when I had a beer. And as the weeks went on, it continued to recede. Now, about 2 months from when I purchased the bracelet, the red splotches and patches on my chest and back have receded to where they don't even touch anymore. If you look at my chest, what would look like goose bumps are just the Tinea dwindling away in to the pours of my skin. I used to be literally covered on my chest to where you couldn't even tell I had normal skin. My skin was just chronically inflamed and I will say I was lucky in a way. I have olive red skin and once the tinea covered me, it was hard to tell I had it. But if you looked under my forearms where it's pale, it was really blotchy and kinda off putting. But even under my forearms has dissipated to the point you can't see it. Lastly, in addition to the copper bracelet, I have been practicing Kriya Yoga and that has helped my overall well being with anxiety and depression.

While these things may not be supplements or creams, I can say that what I read about Copper Bracelets in Indian culture makes sense to me. That an imbalance of any mineral can cause issues in the nervous system. It seems for me, I was lacking copper and I've been able to absorb it through the skin beneficially. I share this not as a solution for everyone, but as hope that it does get better.

To those out there still looking for an answer after everything they've tried still didn't work. Don't give up. You'll find your solution if you keep searching.


General Feedback

Posted by Cassie (Sa) on 05/27/2014

Re: Remedies for Tinea Versicolor. Is it safe to use home remedies if you're using creams and shampoos?


Hydrogen Peroxide

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Alex (Greece/Thessaloniki) on 05/11/2020
★★★★★

I used 3% hydrogen peroxide solution for tinea versicolor and it started to subside in four days. Mine was brownish. I scrubbed it first with a luffa sponge in order to get rid of the keratin layer and outer dead cells, so that the solution will reach deeper into the fungus. I used the H2O2 solution once per day for about 12 hours, until the cotton dried. I soaked a small cotton ball with the solution and then put over it two medical tapes forming an X. I applied pressure for 1-2 minutes afterwards. The brownish patches started to become healthy pink in four days and in a week I couldn't see any discolouration.


Inulin

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Lauren (Buffalo) on 10/20/2020
★★★★★

I have had tinea versicolor for (white hypopigmented patches) for over 10 years (one 2 inch patch on my body). I recently got tired of seeing it spread slowly, and was exasperated with the itch. I went to the health food store and bought every anti-candida remedy and yeast busting topical I could find. I experimented with a lot of biofilm disrupters and yeast killing herbs as well as probiotic yeast strains. These did help for a few hours after I'd take them.

I have never been free of the itch for more than a few days. I tried all of the topicals including sulfur, anti-dandruff, nizoral shampoo and a LOT of essential oils. Cumin essential oil (based on countless hours of research into studies) has a good inhibition rate in the lab for various strains of the yeast that cause tinea. I tried it with MCT oil topically, because you want an oil that doesn't feed the yeast. This was pretty good at cutting the itch and so was betadine, which shouldn't be used for very long. Betadine has been said to cure tinea in studies. It definitely helps, but the itch would always come back. I feel like I needed something internal.

The more I read about root causes the more I explored the idea of feeding the bacteria we already have, vs. getting rid of all of the bacteria. When you have the right amounts of good bacteria they will keep all of the bad bacteria in check. It's always a competition in the gut and on the skin. But I believe the internal fight can make its way to the skin with many routes.

I started reading about the power of inulin fiber and how it increases bifidobacterium and there are many benefits to this. Anyways, I am still experimenting but I have not been itchy for weeks and the only thing I changed, was eating jicama daily (buy it at the grocery store, it's in the root vegetable section, and eating about 1/4 cup -1/2 a day. I eat it plain, or you can add it to smoothies. It's kind of like a light apple texture. Like jerusalem artichoke it is very high in inulin. I can't find the jerusalem artichokes anywhere, so I've been eating the jicama. I also add kefir to my smoothie which I think is a great way to get the prebiotic power of inulin to boost the probiotics and help them take root in the body (but kefir on its own has never been enough). You could try inulin supplement powders, and I am going to look into other prebiotics powders in addition to food. I will update in a few months to see if there are any changes. I am going to be trying ginger topically to see if I can get my pigment to come back. I am sooo excited to be free of the itch for now.

I think of it this way, we all have seeds in the garden (probiotics), but the prebiotics are the fertilizer to make the probiotics blossom like crazy. When you take the anti-candida stuff you're eliminating the good and bad bacteria, but if you don't rebalance with a lot of good, then the bad slowly takes over again. Probiotics alone usually do not take hold very well. We all have good bacteria in the gut, so just feed that!


Medicated Shampoo

1 User Review
4 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Thalia (Detroit, Michigan) on 07/03/2008
★★★★☆

WOW! I has folliculitis on my thighs and on the sides of my calfs which is like hair bumps. I used the selsun blue on it and WALA! not completely gone but what an improvement. Its great stuff. And it also works for tinea versicolor overtime. I have already noticed a difference on my arms. I just hope I don't turn blue!! LOL


Oregano Oil

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Dayna T (Houston, TX) on 04/28/2020
★★★★★

My tinea veriscolor rash appeared after the birth of my son. I was so busy looking after him that I left it alone for a couple years. When I finally decided to tackle it, it was very concentrated under my bra line. I'm currently in Houston, a warm and humid climate and the rash was thriving. My first treatments were tea tree oil, coconut oil and ACV for a few weeks. No result. I then tried an OTC antifungal (picked up overseas). No result.

After another year of dabbling on and off, I grew tired of dealing with it, especially since it spread to my back. I applied straight oregano oil from Greece. It burned (FIRE) for a few minutes, but by the next day it was GONE. I decided to reapply for another couple days to be sure. The next applications were mixed with coconut oil. It's been a week and it's still gone.

Replied by Aden
(MA)
03/28/2024

You likely won't see this but thought I'd give you an fyi on the tinea versicolor. It loves sugar and carbs. Any time I eat these things I break out and each time I get the rash it is worse and covers more of my body. Unfortunately, I love candy



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