Natural Nail Fungus Treatments: Effective Home Remedies

After trying many otc products for nail fungus with no success, I came across several articles about using vinegar, sometimes with other additives, to cure their nail fungus. After having tried many other things and seeing several people had tried this with success, I decided to give it a try.

I bought a plastic shoe box, put undiluted white vinegar in it and soaked my foot twice a day for about 3 weeks. (I only change the vinegar solution every few weeks and keep a lid on the plastic box when not being used. ) The vinegar was a bit too strong and started creating a few sores on the top and sides of a few toes. Wanting to continue, I put a salve on those spots while soaking my foot and that cleared up that problem.

After about 3 weeks, I decided to dilute the vinegar, about half white vinegar and half water. That was much more gentle on my foot and no longer have my skin get irritated by the vinegar. I also started soaking my foot only once a day for about 30 minutes each day. I have now been doing this for a little over 3 months. (During this time, I also kept clipping my toenails back as far as I could to expose as much of the fungus under the nails as possible. ) Three of my little toes that had fungus now have been cured and the nails are slowly growing back with no signs of fungus. My big toe is also responding, but because of the size of the nail, is taking much longer to grow out and get rid of the remaining fungus under the nail, but it too seems to be responding. The nail growing from the base seems to be free and clear of any fungus. Hopefully in a few more months, my big toenail will be totally free from the fungus.

I don't know if this works for everyone, but it seems to have worked for me.

I've had 2 dodgy toenails, one for about 10 years and one for about 2 years. After reading all the testimonials, I started soaking my feet in the cheapest generic supermarket white vinegar. I don't even know if it's distilled, but I assume it must be. I've also alternated between putting tea tree oil and generic chest rub ointment on both nails twice a day. After six weeks, the nail with the 10-year fungus now looks like a normal pink nail and the nail with the 2-year fungus still looks dodgy.

I had a very bad nail fungus for 23 or so years. I practically had no healthy nail left on my big toe. It was very ugly and was just a crumbly mess. I tried a lot of otc meds (before I got wise), none worked. Also tried a lot of natural cures, vicks, h2o2 etc, and none of them did anything to help. I had pretty much resigned myself to funky toe for life, when I decided to give it one last go with White Vinegar, just the ordinary cheap as chips stuff.
After my shower I would soak a cotton ball with vinegar and put it on my nail with a plaster over it. Nothing else. Did it for 2 or so months. Total cure. My nail (and my partner cannot believe it) is normal again, as in I do not hide it anymore and am rather proud of the little fellow now. I have nice feet and am really happy at last to have nice healthy feet.

One thing, the vinegar does smell a bit early in the day, but for me it was worth it. Every now and again I do a vinegar day just to keep the fungus away.

Distilled vinegar works, I had a toe nail fungus for over 10 years on my big toes, I started to spray pure distilled vinegar into my toe nails every day twice a day for 3 months and I also cleaned underneath my toe nail with the vinegar. today my nails are clear and beautiful. just be patient it will work. Make sure you do it in the morning before you wear your shoes and before you go to sleep, it is very important to have your feet clean

Vinegar soaks (two hours) for nail fungus : I tried soaking my toenails in vinegar and water 50:50 for fifteen minutes at a time after a shower and nothing seemed to be happening. One day while sitting at my computer I decided to soak then rather than take time to soak when I was ready for bed. Two hours went by before I remembered I was soaking my feet, and they were all "pruny". I did it for two hours again two more times in that week, but not on consecutive days, and never again. It has now been about three months, and I now have about 1/8 inch of normal nail growing in. If fifteen minute soaks aren't working, try two-hour soaks! I only did it those three days. Who knows? It may take only one two-hour soak! I don't think the kind of vinegar matters. It's the acid in vinegar that destroys the fungus and all store vinegar is about the same.

White Vinegar cured toe nail fungus

Had funky toenail for about 20 + years, tried a lot of remedies to cure it, no joy. Tried the vicks, acv, lavender oil, etc nothing worked. It was really bad by the time I started using white vinegar (distilled) heinz worked for me. To be honest I really was hopeful but not expecting a lot. Well within 3 months my toe nail is cured and healthy looking. I am 45 and have not seen this little chap/ette look healthy since I was about 22.

I just soaked a bit of cotton wool in vinegar, popped it on toe nail and then put a plaster over it. Best done after a shower/bath when nail is soft. After about 3 days of doing this the base of my toe nail (where there was a sliver of healthy nail left..& I use the word "healthy" loosely} got really sore and tender. The skin got red, swollen and kind of spotty. However shortly after that I began to notice a change that has been continuing. 'Tis a miracle!
God bless to all.

I have fought toenail fungus for over 30 years. I have tried Lamisil, Vicks, hydrogen peroxide and now, distilled vinegar for the past 11 months and I have finally won the battle. I diluted the vinegar, half & half with water, and sprayed it on my toenails twice daily. I have also been cleaning under the nails at least once a week. IT WORKS!

I used distilled vinegar to cure my toenail fungus. It took a little over a year to get rid of it, but it works. I had the fungus on both of my big toes for about 6 years. It was horrible and painful because they were lifted and very thick. My husband, being in the medical feild, was really amazed. We were told only lamisil would work. He also has the fungus on his big toe. He has had it for almost 20 years. He had his toenail removed when he was 20 and it grew back with the fungus. So after he saw my results he has been using it. It has taken a bit longer for him, but it is working. After 20 years he has new clear nail growing in and the nail is thinning out. Now the only thing he say's is " Honey can you refill my vinegar bottle". All you need is Patience and plain distilled vinegar!

The website where this was original quoted from is http://askwaltstollmd.com/wwwboard/wwwboard.html

Dr Stoll doesn't mind people using his methods and letting others know. I had bad toenails and used that approach and it all cleared up. Using the two drops at the base allows the white distilled vinegar to absorb through the nail and change the PH under the nail. By using only two drops you also prevent excess moisture from remaining under the nail. You need to apply twice a day 12 hours a part. In about six weeks, you should begin to see a thin clear nail at the base. After 6 months, your nail should grow out. Once the nail grows out, you should continue applying for about three more months. The major mistake people make is forgetting to remain consistant and missing a treatment or applying to much. For that reason cotton schwabs are also recommended. One dunk for each foot. This treatment does take a while and is 100% effective if you do it corretly and have virtually no expense. For some it has taken two and a half years, most cases are cured between 9 months and a year. Once your nail is infected, Dr Stoll feels you must grow healthy nail to push out the bad nail. Another recommendation is to drink two Tablespoons of ACV with apple juice or water twice a day. This helps treat fungus. Remember white distilled vinegar on the outside and Apple Cider Vinegar orally. Not the other way around.

I hurt my big toe nail when I was 12, then it got infected. I am 30 now and for the past 18 years I removed my bit toe nail 3 times, I used a lot of different creams and took limisil twice (each time 3 months) During last five years, my second big toe got infected , then two other nails. I became desperate. So this summer I did the search online and found that white vinegar can cure the fungus. I start to follow the suggested procedure: twice a day put couple of drops on the matrix of the toe. Right away I started to note the results. First my small toes and now after 18 years I finally start to see clear nail near the matrix! Hope this information will help others. Also, please note I've read that only white 5% vinegar is good for this procedure, apple cider vinegar doesn't help.

I used distilled vinegar to cure toenail fungus. Applied twice a day from a dropper bottle (as described by Nedra from Berkeley.

I just discovered yr site seeking sore throat gargle. Cayenne seems to have some positive effects, so thank you. I followed the recommendation of Walt Stoll, M.D. in Saving Yourself from the Disease-Care Crisis to treat my toenail fungus. It worked absolutely when I followed his instructions to the letter. Now even my physician assistant son recommends this to his patients with onychomycosis:

"If an individual with onychomycosis (toenail fungus) will fill a dropper bottle with the cheapest distilled vinegar from the grocery store (do not use good vinegar that has not been distilled) and put 2 drops of the vinegar at the growing base of the affected nail every night and morning, within a few months, normal nail will begin to show at the base of the nail.

"Remember, the normal nail will have to grow the infected nail off the body. If the treatment is missed, for even one dose, the nail that grew that day may not be resistant to the fungus and the fungus can jump from the infected nail that is still present into the healthy (but not resistant) nail. If that happens, infected nail will be seen at the base in a few months (when it has grown out enough to be seen) and the treatment will have to be continued until THAT infected nail tissue is grown off the body. In essence, the treatment time would have to be started anew."

Pretty simple. Works every time. Cure yourself and make yourself an instant hero with this one.

Toenail Fungus: There are two steps to this that worked for me.

1) Used distilled white vinegar. Soak feet a few minutes to get rid of fungus on feet.

2) If you have a toenail fungus as well, one drop on each cuticle twice a day until the nail grows out entirely. Approx. 6-9 months. If you miss a day the new growth will have the fungus and you may have to start again until that grows out. Just make it a habit, I found that the odd missed treatment was ok. H2O2 works as well, I just found the vinegar cheaper and easier to manage.

Much better than the drugs prescribed for toenail fungus that can damage your liver or kidneys. That's why you have to do bloodwork every month or no prescription renewal.

I wanted to share something that has worked great for my toenail fungus. I tried many remedies that helped but just didn't seem to be making a real dent in the problem. Then I read of one lady who after years of fighting the same problem, used a solution of distilled white vinegar and borax 10 minutes a day. I tried it and I am amazed at the results. I put about 1/2 cup of distilled vinegar in a narrow rectangular plastic food storage-type container, then put about 1-2 T borax into it. I heated the mixture up so it was quite warm, laid the container on a rolled small towel at an angle so that the liquid was gathered at the bottom and would cover my toes when I placed my foot in it. I soaked my toes in it 1-2 times a day, for anywhere from 10-20 minutes. For me, this solution brought the fastest and most dramatic results. I will continue using it for awhile to be sure the fungus is taken care of. I also have done other things to help, like keeping my toes aired out, dry, used a topical antifungal solution at night, etc. I also gently filed the nail surface a couple of times to help the solution soak in.

I don't think there is a need for exact measurements of the vinegar and borax - just as long as you have a good solution of both ingredients. The lady of whom I read used a plastic tray and put enough vinegar in it to cover her feet, and used 2 t. Of borax, and she got great results. I hope this will help someone out there.

This cure is based on a scientific study with good results (DOI: 10.7547/87507315-89-3-124) and made into DIY home remedy.

The study used a solution of 0.1% Benzalkonium chloride which is a common ingredient in non-alcohol based hand sanitizer. At 0.1% there is no risk of skin irritation unless you are allergic.

The other ingredient was allantoin which is a mild keratolytic and surfactant. This can be replaced with a crushed up aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), dissolved in approximately 100ml of solution. Mild body soap may also be added in a small amount however this isn't necessary but it may help.

The study applied the treatment to the infected nail and the base of the nail twice daily over 10 months.

RECIPE

• Benzalkonium chloride 0.1% (Non-alcohol based hand sanitizer or a concentrate diluted appropriately)

• 1 crushed aspirin, dissolved in 100ml of solution (optional, dilute further or omit if you experience a skin reaction)

• A small amount of gentle soap or bodywash (optional, omit if you experience a skin reaction)

METHOD

Cut away all excess infected nail with separate nail scissors or clippers so that you don't spread the infection to other nails.

Using a separate file, file back the nail on all surfaces well often. Ideally this should be repeated at least twice a week or more for best results.

Apply solution to infected nails once in the morning and once in the evening, ensuring that you cover underneath the nail where possible and where the base of the nail joins your finger or toe. Ensure that you apply the solution after showering and drying yourself for best results.

Continue until the infected nail has been removed and only uninfected nail remains.

DISCUSSION

This is a safe method of long-term treatment of nail fungus which has good results in controlled study environments.

Hand sanitizer can be applied regularly to the skin and left to dry and has very low risk of causing irritation.

I have personally been applying this solution regularly for about a month and a half and I can see a clear diagonal line of new, uninfected nail emerging from the base of my infected toe. I have often applied the solution more often than twice a day with no ill effects.

If you are a busy person or you have a disability which makes this sort of treatment regime difficult you can try applying the solution to a cotton ball or similar and attaching this to your infected nail using tape or a band-aid. The benefit of this is that you can re-wet the bandage for reapplication of the treatment, and as the solution remains in contact with the infected nail for a longer period this should result in a higher success rate. Ensure that you pay close attention to ensure that you are not causing irritation with the prolonged skin contact from this method.