Natural Nail Fungus Treatments: Effective Home Remedies

I am on my second month of soaking my toes in bleach and water to see if I can get rid of nail fungus on one of my feet. It seems to be working. FINALLY! I have tried every other nail fungus treatment on the planet, including laser treatment, to no avail.

I read about the bleach cure from someone on Earth Clinic. I have been using Chlorox bleach (regular, not the splashless one)... about 1/2 cup to a half gallon of hot water in a large plastic bucket (the kind you'd use for mopping the floor). I soak my foot for at least 1/2 hour, sometimes more, once or twice a week. I make sure to dry off my foot with a white towel and then hop to the bathroom to wash off any remaining bleach so I don't turn our carpets white!

If I fly, I make sure to do the bleach treatment on my foot the day before flying in each direction if possible.

Will update again in a few months, but so far, thumbs up on this cure.

After many years, this finally did the trick.

I cut off as much of the bad nail as I could, even parts of the top of the nail. (This would be especially easy after a good bath or shower, or after soaking the foot for 20 minutes or so. )

Then each night, before I retired for the night, I taped a cotton ball to the top of my toe with scotch tape. I taped all around the toe so it wouldn't fall off. Then I soaked it with white vinegar. I slipped a sandwich baggie over the toe, then slipped a sock over the foot to keep the baggie on the toe. I did this for about a week. After about that time my toe was a little irritated (but not until that long), so I didn't do it for a week or so. Then I did it again for about a week.

I started noticing a difference after 2 or 3 weeks. Sure enough, that did the trick, and it was a lot easier than soaking my foot for 20 minutes. Not only that, I had tried soaking it before, but it was hard to keep up the routine.

I think part of the trick was to cut back as much as possible. Then, the overnight soaking killed the problem. It took a long time for the nail to finish growing out, but my toe is 100% normal now! Ah, finally! I just thought I ought to forward hope and a solution to the suffering.

I have tried several remedies that would work for short periods of time and then, they didn't seem to be as effective. I didn't just do it for a day or two, but for a week or more at a time. Someone told me about [food grade hydrogen peroxide]. I read all about it and thought that it would not be wise to use it but they insisted that it would work and fast. I didn't want to go through another couple of months of testing, so I gave it a try. You only put it on the nail with a Q-tip - don't let it touch the skin. It dries in a minute and reapply. I did this every day, twice a day, and within 3 days it was greatly improving. I dug the gunk out from under the dead part of the nail and the new nail is growing back beautifully. The old nail is still on but as it grows out I'm cutting the gross part off. I'll bet that within a 2 week period of time, the nail will be completely new and the fungus completely gone. It's cheap and fast.

I have successfully used castor oil to treat toenail fungus. My baby toenail was completely taken over by fungus. It had a black line running through it as well (another sign of fungus). I did this treatment twice per day until the nail grew out: First, I put two drops of vinegar on the nail. Then I placed a bit of cotton soaked in castor oil directly on the nail and kept it in place with a bandage. The nail is completely healthy. It's been almost two years since the treatment.

I have been battling toe fungus on 3 toes for years. Vinegar, borax and now baking soda soaks have all slowly helped. I feel like I'm finally on the home stretch and my nails are looking healthy again.. thanks to baking soda. I wish I'd thought of this at the start! I am still soaking for 20 min daily. I alternate between straight vinegar, borax in water, or baking soda in water. All have helped. But what has really seemed to help is putting a little baking soda in the toe of my sock! I'm sure that not wearing socks and getting sun on my feet will help when the weather gets warm, but during the cold months, baking soda in your sock keeps them in an inhospitable environment for fungi all day long. I also give them a little dusting of it before I go to bed. I hope this helps! I will never get another pedicure. Now, I really prize the look of healthy natural toe nails!

Castor oil is so easy to use and works better than anything I have ever used. Just apply it to your toenails and toes. It penetrates the skin and the nails.

If Nothing helps toenail fungus, try:

Fold down 2 napkins just to cover your toenails and toes completely, then pour with 3% H2O2, wrapped with a polyethylene(cellophane, etc soft film), needs good plaster to fix on feet all the night and wash your feet in the mornings with laundry soap. Needs 10-14 days. Hope you get rid of fungus forever.

Don't forget to change all your socks, sandals&shoes/ or at least pour shoes with ACV every time.

Thank me later.

I had read on Facebook, a cure which is fantastic. You mince or press one garlic toe, to 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. You mix well & apply to clean feet. Be sure to put under toe nail & cover down to toe bed. Try to use the whole mixture. Then wrap the entire toes in Handi Wrap. Be sure the toes are cover tight. Then wrap with heavy foil around the toes, be sure to cover all the Handi Wrap to about almost have the foot. I use duct tape to keep it nice & tight. Then put on a loose socks & then a tight pair second over the foot. This will create heat. Leave on for 24 hr. Then remove & dig under the toe nail & clean it up. You will be in shock how much it loosed up. Then if possible do a second day again. During the breaks soak feet in Organic raw apple cider vinegar with (The Mother). Put about1/2 a cup of the vinegar. Then warm water to cover all the toes. Soak for at least 1/2 an hour. Like to watch T.V. Later on after shower, spray toes with a straight vinegar & air dry. really easy you only have to do the garlic treatment for extra boots. It won't take long to see a huge difference. I promise you will love the results.

Had my toe nails done in salon 3 times in a row and ended up with a horrible case of toe nail fungus on both big toes. So of course did my research and was using a combination of essential oils to kill the fungus. It was a very slow kill and turned my toe nails an ugly brown. Oh and I also used Grapefruit seed extract. I will have to say these were not working so well so went to doctor. He prescribed the toxic cream and also recommend getting aloe Vera leaf, real whole leaf, not in a bottle or tube. He said to wrap a piece of it around each toe and sleep with it. I will have to say this worked. I was very amazed at how quickly too. After the first initial sleeping with the leaf on toes I applied the gel from the leaf twice a day a.m. and p.m. It has been a month now and I am still applying the aloe Vera mainly because I have it growing in my yard abundantly and for precaution. Really don't need to. While I am at it I put some on my face and complexion is looking very nice. I hadn't realized how hard it was to get rid of toe nail fungus if it really set in. I had always dealt with it when it was just starting and easy to get rid of with essential oils. So grateful for the aloe Vera leaf and the doctor who recommended it.

The first time I experienced toenail fungus, years ago, I tried tea tree oil without success. I eventually saw a doctor who prescribed Lamisil pills for 24 weeks. That worked. The second time I had a fungus infected toenail, over 10 years later, I applied iodine. A single drop in the morning. Probably another at bedtime (I don't recall now). Iodine worked brilliantly! Without risking liver damage (i.e., Lamisil).

Yes, I too used iodine for curing toenail fungus infection. And it worked so brilliantly that my fungus infection got vanished just after three weeks.

I had the horrid nail fungus many years ago and took Lamasil to clear it up. When my father failed to do the same, the fungus returned years later, both pinky toenails now fully infected. Without the money for the medicine and the will to again risk its side-effects, I lived with it. 11 days ago, I adopted a baking soda regimine for other reasons (cancer preventative). Today, my right pinky nail simply fell off when I was drying after my morning shower. Beneath, a new nail - a perfect nail - was found growing in. Nothing else in my diet or lifestyle has changed other than the baking soda addition to my routine. Most Americans' lifestyles and diets leave our bodies too acidic for good health. Baking soda balances the bodies Ph, creating a more alkaline system. I mix 1 teaspoon in a glass of water at bedtime. Ideally, it's recommended taken in the morning with no food or drink for 1 hour before or after; however, as I'm hypoglycemic, I have to have my Coca-Cola (others have coffee) first thing each morning, so I don't drop dead. Regardless, I've noticed a number of improvements since adopting the baking soda routine (which is terribly easy to do - quick and simple). I'm sleeping better, my skin is clearing up, and, lo and behold, my toenail fungus is obviously dead... in eleven days!!! [Insert delighted giggle here] I couldn't believe it when I discovered the old infected nail barely holding on and falling away with the first touch and a shiny new healthy nail beneath (even if it is small yet). Now, I'm watching the still-infected nail on the left, and yes, it's got a line of "disconnection" appearing. I recommend giving the baking soda a try and do so for more reasons than defeated nail fungus. Go ahead, google "baking soda" and see how much you discover. In some European country (think it was Italy or Germany), a doctor is actually curing cancer with baking soda therapy, even in serious cases where changing the bodies Ph to one more alkaline is making all other treatments (as chemo) doubly effective. Cancer cells cannot thrive or spread in an alkaline environment. And consider this - it's in your kitchen. You cook with it. You eat it. It's non-toxic, has no ill side-effects, costs almost nothing, and even whitens teeth. I can't say everyone will have the astounding all-around results I have so quickly encountered, but I'd have to encourage them to give it a shot. It's too easy to implement not to try. That's one teaspoon baking soda stirred into one glass of water, once a day, preferably in the morning (but it doesn't seem to matter), with no food or drink for an hour before or after. Good luck.

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.

Carol

I also had toenail fungus. I started taking 2 tablespoons of ACV with honey twice a day. The fungus gradually disappeared and has not come back. It did take a while but when the new nail grows in the fungus will grow out with the old nail. It was about three months or a bit more for it to be completely gone. It has been nearly a year and it has not come back. I had it in both big toes and it had been there for quite a few years.

An update:

I have switched my application method to using a finger cot (cut a finger off a disposable glove to achieve the same thing) and a piece of cotton wool soaked in 0.1% Benzalkonium Chloride.

I apply the soaked cotton wool to my infected toenail, put the cot over my toe, and leave it for somewhere between 1-4 hours depending on what I'm doing and how forgetful I am on the day. (Even 1 hour is probably overkill if I'm being completely honest.)

This works really well to get the solution to soak right through the nail, I have been having good success with only one application a day, and the only caveat is this:

I no longer use crushed aspirin because that caused some minor irritation to my nail bed but it's unnecessary anyway as I am definitely getting a thorough application penetrating right through my nail this way. (Likewise, there is no need for soap as the solution has nowhere to run off to.)

I would recommend this new application method wholeheartedly.

I reuse the cotton wool and the finger cot until they look bad, then I replace them. I have little concern about reinfecting my nail by doing this because both get absolutely soaked in the solution which kills the fungus so I don't see it being a problem however if you are not seeing progress you should switch over to a strip of tissue folded up appropriately before soaking and applying and then disposing of it after each application, and likewise for the finger cot. (This is where cutting a finger off a disposable glove would be ideal because you will get 5 day's application from a single glove so it will be quite economical this way.)

Toe Nail Fungus. Tried many things for five years with no results, my big toenails were almost completely black. Soaked a cotton pad in ACV and taped it on to the toes and left it on for a few hours. Before bed I soaked the toenails in tea tree oil. After two weeks the black has all gone and the toenils are starting to look normal again after five years, amazing.

For fungus, Press'n Seal is absolutely great to wrap a toe with for during the day or a bedtime. You will be sealing it from the air. But, whatever you apply it will still be there twelve hours later. Just a 4 inch by 6 inch piece.

YEA!! I can't stop admiring my toes! :>) I want to report that I tried Ted's remedy for fungus on my toes and it worked!! I accepted that my pinkie toes were black but when it spread to the edges of my nails on big toes...it was war!! I followed the instructions: equal parts of ACV and Hydrogen Peroxide on cotton balls for half an hour, then followed with equal parts of Clorox and water (used Qtip), then poured generous amounts of Peppermint and Tea Tree oils. I don't remember when was the last time I saw my pinkie toe nail white but that's what happened within 2 weeks and the edges of my big toes are clear as well. My hubby is convinced and today began the treatment on his toe. Thanks and God bless!!

3% Hydrogen Peroxide OTC + a cuticle pusher + Tea Tree essential oil = MEANINGFUL RESULTS are in, FINALLY! (*after 20+ years of struggling with embarrassing black toe nails) Blessings and peace to everyone. This is my first post. I am sharing with you guys and gals (my fellow sufferers) what has finally made a difference in my 25+ year struggle with black striped toe nails. I have posted a photo of the stripes (now only on my right pinky toe) that have "haunted" me ever since my tween years (I am 41 now).

Like many of you, my unsightly, discolored and funkified toe nail issue has been part of my identity for far longer than I would like to remember. To make matters worse, I wore toe nail polish to hide behind. For most of the time. Until the past couple of years. I finally had had enough of the ordeal. Or I got lazy. Or got smart. Who knows. With few exceptions (e.g., occasional sandal wear), I started going barefoot natural. I had tried many of the popular remedies, including 70% Isopropyl alcohol, white vinegar, apple cider (ACV), OTC fungus targeting oils and creams, essential oils like oregano and tea tree... even household disinfectant bleach solution for mold and mildew (not my wisest or safest decision ever made, so not recommending you try this one). Until one day. One day it dawned on me that I might combine two approaches combined - the everyday household 3% hydrogen peroxide plus diligent nail hygiene using this one beauty product tool my niece gave to me years ago: a professional quality heavy duty cuticle pusher.

Technique: 1. Use the cuticle tool!

*When my toenails were still soft from my bath/shower, or even many times when I was in the process of taking my bath/shower, I would push my cuticles back and scrape away any excess skin surrounding the nail bed. I always exercised extreme caution bc it was all too easy to get carried away (thus, accidentally scraping so deeply that my toe nail would start to bleed). I read in another person's post about sanding the top layers of the nail bed to get rid of the fungus stuff. I think this is the same type of idea, only I used a professional manicurists tool.

2. Spray the 3% hydrogen peroxide onto the effected nails and let dry without ever rinsing it off.

*I discovered a small spray bottle version of the peroxide that cost like $2 at the supermarket. This helped with aseptic technique, plus was just downright quicker than unscrewing a cap and having to fiddle with a qtip or cotton ball or the like. 3. Apply an essential oil (appropriate to my particular pathogen blasting plan) onto the sprayed nail(s). I tried a few different ones, but ended up settling on tea tree (or melaleuca) because of its multi purpose fullness.

*I repeated this as often as I could remember to, like whenever I showered. Three? Four? Five times per week? (though ideally would have been daily, even if it meant foot bathing on non shower days, since this probably would have speeded up the results, I would imagine). Last year at least 4 other nails (in addition to my pinky toe seen in the photos) were partially black, if I remember correctly. Now my only discolored nail of concern is that right pinky toe (which was always the worst, though my left pinky toe was about as bad).

Please don't give up, everyone. Have hope!