Nail Fungus
Natural Remedies

Natural Remedies for Nail Fungus: Home Treatments

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Monistat 7
Posted by Jill (Portland, Or) on 08/18/2009
★★★☆☆

Responding to the Monistat post....

Years ago when I was pregnant I developed a strange nail problem. My fingernails would actually blister up, like a pocket and crack open eventually, causing the skin under my nail to poke through- usually in the middle of the nail somewhere. When I was delivering, the doctor noticed I had bandaids all over most of my fingers. He took a look and said I had athletes foot in my fingernails. He told me that you can get it in your nails also as a fungus. I was advised to get some over the counter yeast infection cream and apply daily. I did this and within a couple months the nail filled back in around the area and eventually went away. I have never had this problem again.

Years later, I have now have toenail fungus problems. I remembered this treatment and initially tried it. However, I did not have the same results. At first, my nails did start to seem to look better but if I didnt use it daily they would eventually go back to the way they were. In the meantime, I have tried everything under the sun, including detox foot baths from the local naturopathic clinic by my home. I dont have any opinon about those yet. I have tried tea tree oil, eucalyptis oil, yeast infection creams, anti-fungal solutions over the counter, vicks vapor rub, Hydrogen peroxide, ACV, and pine tar. So far, nothing has helped. Im going to try Teds remedy with the ACV, Hydrogen peroxide, and bleach to see if I get any results.


Ted's Remedies
Posted by Carol (Largo, FL) on 07/19/2009
★☆☆☆☆

Hi Ted,

I appreciate the time you take to offer so much information on how to cure ailments naturally. I've had toenail fungus for many years and have spent tons of money and still can't get rid of it! I gave your formula of ACV with peroxide, followed by clorox and then tea tree oil mixture and did it for about a month and my toenails are still the same! Also, the tea tree oil burns my skin and it peals all around my nail, which makes my toes look really gross! I want to give the alkalizing a try too see if that helps. I feel I have internal fungus (candida) and that's why I can't get rid off this, because I also have seborrheic dermititis and scalp problems.

Is there something you suggest I should do?

Thanks, Carol


Distilled Vinegar
Posted by Gissel (West Palm Beach, Florida) on 07/15/2009
★★★★★

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


Ted's Remedies
Posted by Rhonda (Hollister, FL) on 06/06/2009
★★★★★

I have never had a fingernail fungus infection until about a month and a half ago, and it is driving me crazy! I work as a server in a resteraunt, so it is very important that my hands look neat and well groomed, so the customers dont get grossed out! I have bitten my nails since I was a kid, and I decided that it might look better and help me stop biting if I would put fake nails on, long story short, I ended up with fingernail fungus. It started in 1 fingernail, and is now moving to all, but the problem is, my hands get wet everyday, I have to put my hands in our bleach bucket to get towels to wipe down the tables after customers have left, so this has been a real battle!! bleach doesnt help fight in this situation, it seems to make it worse, but the 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 1/2 peroxide is really working, one of my nails is slowly coming off, and each day I soak in the morning, afternoon and evening before bed, and as the nail clears up i keep cutting it off, my other nails i think i caught in time before they got as bad as this one, i dare not try the bleach after, since my hands are in it all day as it is. but the vineger and peroxide are working good, and i can tell whatever kind of fungus this is, it cant stand it!!! wish me luck, because im in for a ride!! but i cant afford the expensive products they have out there, and its just a shame i had to buy a cheap set of nails, and end up with a fungus! I also think the bucket at work doesnt help the matter any either.


Baking Soda and Maple Syrup
Posted by Whisper (Timmins, Ontario Canada) on 05/21/2009
★★★★★

Fungus and Cancer:

I've used baking soda and maple syrup to cure fungus that I had on my big toe. In a matter of 3 days of taking one batch of this every day I saw the difference.

What I did, in a small pot I put 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 3 tsp of maple syrup I heated it up on medium (setting at 5) then reduced to 3 to allow it to boil for 5 minutes in all. Do not try to double the recipe otherwise you take away the effectiveness. Before it cools down too much I transfer onto a sandwich bag (not sure if this is wise, but that's what I've used so far) and I've put it in the freezer for about 3 to 4 minutes to let it cool and once cooled it comes off the plastic very easily, now don't let it sit in freezer too long otherwise it'll get real hard. Check it often and when it comes off then its ready to make into small pieces, I find its like making toffee, I twist it so that it looks equal lengthtwise and then take the scissors and cut into small sizes, once that is done I then take half of what I've cut and swallow them down with water. Some have eaten it straight from the pot I can't handle the taste and it seems to work just as well.

I learned this at another site and was wanting to share it since I've gained so much more from this site. APPARENTLY, HEATING it is VERY important. the molecules of the salts and sugars must be bonded by heat. THE FUNGUS OR CANCER loves the sugars of the syrup but then the attached sodium bicarbonate is A LETHAL TROJAN HORSE. I didn't use this for cancer but this information was given along with the fungus.

Baking Soda and Maple Syrup
Posted by Whisper (Timmins, Ontario Canada) on 05/22/2009

Sorry I tend to differ from your link that you've posted I don't believe it to be The Jim Kelmun Protocol.

It's the study done by Dr. Tullio Simoncini he is surgeon, specialised in oncology, diabetology and in metabolic disorders. More over he is also Philosopher Doctor.


Baking Soda and Maple Syrup
Posted by Whisper (Timmins, Ontario) on 06/02/2009

In response to Janice from Coloma, please do not double or try to alter the recipe, its simply 1tsp to 3tsp of Maple Syrup, you start at low heat which is a 6 on the dials after it comes to a boil which would be about 2 minutes reduce it to 3 and keep on stirring, caramel brown would be the color once done. Do NOT leave in freezer too long otherwise your going to make it hard as rock.

I currently have two friends who are trying it out, one has been on this for three days now and we are now seeing little dark dots on her planters wart.

Another has sebaceous cyst on his head, he's double the dosage, taking one recipe in the morning and one at night, it being his first day of using this he says "the cysts on my head didn't hurt today" his head was hurting so we'll see what happens in a few days. I'll keep you posted on results of the two people.

Response to Rena, my fungus dried up in three days a noticeable difference could be seen.


Ted's Remedies
Posted by Araminta (Boise, ID) on 04/30/2009
★★★★☆

I want to give my so far so good story on my remedy for toe nail fungus. I did what was reccomended.I used the Distilled Viniger and Hdrogen proxide mix (soaking my toes for 5 min.) Then I dry them off and soak my toes in a 10% / 90 % bleach and H2O mix. Then the tea tree oil.vasoline mix.

I have done this for 4 days now at night before bed. I have seen my pinky toe harden and color slowly start to come back. I have noticed my cutical bed recend, and I am noticing a new nail forming under my old very soft malformed nail. I am so glad I found this site!

I have to confess I mis read the directions and for the first two days I was using a baking soda viniger mix, I think that was helping as well.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Malcolm (Chapel Hill , North Carolina) on 01/04/2011

Did you get results? Would like to know what happened.


Vicks
Posted by Sasha (Surrey, B.c. Canada) on 03/31/2018

What I do is always cut off until I can't cut anymore... And scrape out as much of the crumbly fungus crap as possible. No matter WHAT remedy you do or don't do ALWAYS DO THAT!


Ted's Remedies
Posted by Debra (Grosse Pointe Farms, MI) on 02/12/2009
★★★★★

When the nail on my big toe showed fungus, I went to the doctor who could only offer me a medication that can be hard on your liver and, some say, doesn't work for all people or it works only temporarily. Plus, the medication is very expensive. Instead, I got online and found different remedies. I eventually found Ted's cure and decided to give it a try. By the time I found his recipe, my nail had turned black and half of it crumbled off. It was pretty horrible. After following his suggestions, my nail slowly began showing improvement as it grew. It didn't happen quickly, but it worked. My nail is now fully grown and perfect. I can again wear my summer shoes. I continue rubbing a little tea tree oil on that nail and avoid dark nail polishes. I choose a french pedicure instead as a preventative measure.


Ted's Remedies
Posted by Laurie (Yellowknife, NWT Canada) on 01/19/2009
★★★★★

I was plagued with fungus on my thumb and index finger on one hand,I had it about 3 years.. the nails were deformed and very thick and cracked, I have a very public job so was quite embarrassed by them... I tried a few over the counter fungal creams but they didn't help..and in searching found Teds remedy.. I'm very impatient and wanted to rush the remedy..but it takes time. I first tried the Lemon grass oil..but having deformed nails then having them turn orange wasn't very pleasant but it did turn the nail beds almost black and may well have helped kill off the fungus..then I did the bleach and vinegar soaking for about a month.. about a table spoon of bleach in 3-5 of water ..and straight cider vinegar ..each once a day for a few minutes....others have said they lost their nails etc.. mine just slowly grew out into healthy nails...it's been about 6-8 months and they look just great and you could never tell there had been a problem to begin with.. Thanks Ted..

Laurie


Vicks, Garlic
Posted by K.Lynn (Mt Healthy, Ohio) on 01/13/2009
★★★★★

Not too long ago I found a remedy for toenail fungus-storebrand vapo rub-. My whole toenail was black/purple and when I cut back the toenail as far as I could and squeezed the toe alot of pus came out at first. Then I put the vapo-rub (idea from this site) and the pus stopped, idid this every night and it slowly got lighter and smaller. But after parusing (spellugh) this site I decided to kick it up a notch and add crushed (in a bowl with a spoon) fresh garlic w/ vapo rub. I put it on my toenail(big glob) and wrapped it w/ loose gauze and first aid tape(hypoallergenic) the fungus was gone in 2 days! NEEDS FRESH APPLICATION EVERY NIGHT BEFORE BED. thankyou earthclinic, God Bless you.


Honey
Posted by Pineshi (Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada) on 01/07/2009
★★★★★

New Topic - For Toe Nail Fungus

I used honey to get rid of my toenail fungus that I had for two years. I tried Vicks, ACV and water washes and one day, I used unpasteurized honey just to be different. I had read that honey is antimicrobial, antifungal and antibacterial. My fungus was disappearing right away when I used honey. What I did was wash my feet every day with ACV water wash, hot and applied honey to toes and gauzed up with tape to keep covered for over time to keep from reinfecting self with shoes and socks. The skin and nail tissue was coming off in swathes and eventually the fungus has gone. I keep the wash and gauze for another few months until the nail is all grown in new again. I plan on microwaving the shoes to kill any fungus that might be alive there.

Unpasteurized honey has worked for me.


Ted's Remedies
Posted by Janedoe (Concord, Nh) on 05/16/2010

It has been over a year that I have been fungus free! This is the best site ever!


Listerine
Posted by L (FL, USA) on 01/08/2025

I know this is an ancient post, but if someone with the same issue is reading, I'd recommend glycolic acid or alike for calluses. Such products are used on facial skin to speed up the rate of skin regeneration and replacement (for aesthetic reasons - younger skin look very quickly) and that's why they also work on calluses. For the ease of use, you can apply a premade 8% or stronger glycolic toner after daily shower and adjust frequency of use.

I use it also preventatively to reduce or eliminate BO. I live in FL and in summer I sweat buckets and often don't smell good, if I work outside the deodorant won't hold all day unless I reapply. I do not use glycolic acid daily for this, armpits are sensitive and can begin peeling too much if I use every day. Didn't have this issue when using it on soles though... and it seems to be effective in preventing body odor for many people. For me, I can't extinguish the armpit problem without deodorant, but I really notice a huge difference on my feet, no odor whatsoever if I use regularly. I also tried - bought in powder form and dissolved - mandelic acid (also used in facial peels and toners) as well for this purpose. Allegedly, the acidic environment created by these acids kills the bacteria that produce unpleasant odors when breaking the sweat down on our skin. Mandelic acid is a bit gentler on the skin compared to glycolic.


Distilled Vinegar
Posted by Moi (V.ville, Ca) on 03/09/2010

Oops, that was me. A plaster (in Ireland where I grew up) was a generic or non company name for what is commonly known in US as a bandaid. To reiterate my post, it works and has continued to work for the past year or so.


Vinegar, H202, OTC
Posted by Trinh (Houston, TX) on 08/25/2008
★★★★★

1. Soak both feet (to get rid of the fungus on my big toe as well as preventing other toes from being infected) with distilled vinegar everyday for 30 minutes.
2. Rinse with water and use paper towels to dry feet.
3. Soak cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide and dab it on all toes.
4. Blow dry feet.
5. Apply fungus cream on feet.
6. Wait for about 30 minutes and apply Penlac on all toes.
7. I wore only open toe shoes, and I don't even cover my feet with a blanket at night!

I did the above steps everyday and my big toenail looked beautiful in only 3 months! As you can see, I used vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, antifungal cream, and Penlac. My theory is that if one doesn't work, then at least the other will, or the combination of all 4 is just too powerful for the fungus to survive.

Vinegar, H202, OTC
Posted by Ms. M (California ) on 08/27/2016

I too have toenail fungus. I saw what you are using to treat yours, I'm going to do the same for a month and see if I get results like yours. I've never tried vinegar before, but I'm sure it's better than having liver failure d/t the poison these doctors try to push down your throat.

I'll keep you all posted. Fingers crossed.


Listerine
Posted by Michelle Fitzpatrick (Jacksonville, Florida-USA) on 07/30/2008
★★★★★

I worked for a spa that used no harsh chemicals in their mani/pedi's. I learned that spraying listerine mouthwash on your feet will disinfect them. Keeps fungus away. I also learned that rubbing alchohol is a good and sanitary cleaner for your tub so you can prevent and kill fungus and bacteria from re-occuring.

p.s. Rubbing alchohol can be used all over house as cleaner & disinfectant!!

Vicks
Posted by Brent (Pine City, Minnesota) on 07/19/2008
★★★★★

I have had toenail fungus for at least 15+ years on my big toe and the one next to it. I had heard that hydrogen peroxide would get rid of it. It did nothing for my toe fungus after using a bottle over a course of three months. I then heard from a couple friends that they cleared their fungus up with vicks vapor rub; so I tried it for two days and I can already see a dramatic improvement. You can get a generic brand also which is a lot cheaper. I bought a chest rub brand made by Target and I compared the active ingredients and percentages to Vicks and it was exactly the same mixture at a way cheaper price. It works great. I can't believe it took me so long to improve my toenails. I was always wearing socks with my sandals because I was so embarrassed of my fungus but not anymore.


Distilled Vinegar
Posted by Juanita Watson (Gaithersburg, MD) on 05/14/2008
★★★★★

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!


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Robert (Naples, Florida) on 01/05/2008
★★★★★

The question of whether Vicks Vapo-Rub works on toenail fungus was the subject of a University of Michigan study about a decade ago. Their conclusion was positive; they isolated the specific ingredients that worked, and received U.S. Patent 6,361,785 (look it up to see the results of the research).

Also note that 90% of toenail fungus is caused by four dermatophytes that are the same culprits in athlete's foot and jock itch. (Therefore, to prevent re-infection, one must get the fungi everywhere - nails, feet, & crotch. Also change towels regularly, and don't dry your feet first, then transfer the fungus to another place.)

The formula (based on the research study, (which I've adapted for a more natural cure) is: 1 part Menthol oil
1 part Thymol oil
1 part Camphor oil
1 part Lemon Eucalyptus oil
1 part Tea Tree Oil
5 parts DMSO
5 parts Aloe Vera
5 parts Rubbing Alcohol
(the oils can be bought on e-bay, DMSO in a health store)

Apply twice a day to nails and feet. I've suffered from this vexing problem for 40 years, as did my mother and grandmother. It works.

Multiple Remedies
Posted by Robert (Naples, Florida) on 01/20/2008
★★★★★

Robert's Fungus Saga - Vicks Update

Part One: Feet

Q. Do the ingredients (camphor, eucalyptus, thymol, menthol) work?

A. I've applied the solution on my nails as well as to my entire foot to get rid of all the fungus that might eventually cause a reoccurrence. The results were obvious after 4-5 days: first, the athlete's foot symptoms between my toes rapidly got better and were healed in about a week. Then, at the seven-day point lots of skin started sloughing off all over my feet where the fungus was obviously in hiding -- including the heal callus. I was surprised to see so much sloughing of the skin around the base, sides and top of the toe nails -- this area apparently had been deeply affected by the fungus, but just looked like tough skin that I had become accustomed to expect. Within 2-3 weeks the unaffected new toe nails could be seen at the cuticle. Now, several months later, there is a clear line of demarcation between the old fungal nail, and the new clear nail. I expect that it will be 3-4 more months before all the old nail has grown out and gone.

Q. Is the formulation the right one?

A. After much research and playing kitchen chemist, I learned that coconut oil is a good anti-fungal as well as a great emollient. DMSO doesn't need to be at 25% concentration. 10-15% is sufficient. Oregano Oil is composed of Thymol and University of Western Australia research proved tea tree oil's anti-fungal capability, so I added it as well. The essential oil amounts are at least or a little more than what bio-chemists call the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The formulation I like and use now is:

Revised Formula
1 part Menthol oil
1 part Thymol oil or Oregano oil
1 part Camphor oil
1 part Lemon Eucalyptus oil
2 parts Tea Tree Oil
2 parts DMSO
12 parts Virgin Coconut Oil

There is probably a synergistic (i.e. harmonious working together) effect of anti-fungal herbs, which has been demonstrated in several studies. In one test of ten plant species whose oils were anti-fungal, researchers noted that "combinations of the anti-fungal essential oils increased their activity remarkably." In a similar study, researchers stated that "in all the oil combinations, the anti-fungal potency was found to increase over individual oils."

Part Two: Adult "Acne"

This is where the "saga" starts to get interesting. After my adolescent acne should have cleared up 35 years ago, it got slowly worse. All over the bearded part of my face, what appeared to be sacs of hardened oil under the surface of the skin had been forming nodules. These didn't get infected,' each just grew larger. Over the years I've seen dermatologists who said, because of my otherwise great health, "you're just a middle aged adolescent," blaming it on high testosterone, etc. The apparent acne problem continued and worsened.

I've seen doctors, dermatologists, pharmacists, herbalists, laser specialists, and spiritual healers. I've bought every acne ointment known to man. I took pills, vitamins, and herbs. I changed diet. I get plenty of exercise. Nothing worked. I had extensive surgery to correct the problem three years ago, and within 18 months it looked just as bad as before. As a public speaker and author in my profession, the skin condition was emotionally upsetting and stressful.
Having conquered toe nails, I started researching down the path that maybe the acne was caused by a fungus (although the symptoms didn't look like my feet). Was I surprised when I found:

" Tinea barbae is a superficial dermatophyte infection that is limited to the bearded areas of the face and neck and occurs almost exclusively in older adolescent and adult males. Symptoms include inflammatory, deep, kerion-like plaques and noninflammatory superficial patches and lumps resembling bacterial folliculitis. The hair breaks off below the skin surface. It is caused by several dermatophytes. Trichophyton species are most common. Infection of bearded skin may be the result of autoinoculation from tinea pedis or onychomycosis."

In other words, the mess on my face that had caused me so much grief and been misdiagnosed for decades was caused by the same fungus that gave my feet a problem. Apparently the dermatophytes enter the hair follicle (nails and hair are similar biological structures), then attack the sebaceous gland, feeding off the body oil; then the body's immune system reacts with scaring and hardening the facial oil, leaving an oil nodule. The dermatophytes then migrate to the next follicle, and eventually dozens of affected follicles link as a nodule the size of a pea.

Now it became obvious what had happened: The athlete's foot I got as a teenager went to my toe nails, and, because I was ignorant of the relationship of using a towel on my face that might have been used on my feet or crotch, the fungus got transferred.

Not a single dermatologist who examined my face ever bothered to ask the question: "Do you have toe nail fungus or athlete's foot!"

Using the same solution on my facial outbreaks as on my toe nails (the revised formula with coconut oil), the facial condition is clearing up. Just like with my feet, skin is sloughing off and the nodules are beginning to eject. This is the best result I've seen in years. I expect it will take a few months for the problem to be cured, as the fungus is down below the level of the base of the hair follicle in the sebaceous gland.

Part Three: Chronic Sinusitis

For the last 15 years I've had chronic sinusitis, post nasal drip, clogged nose, etc. I was constantly clearing my throat, and sometimes coughing. I snored a lot, which my wife didn't appreciate, and the snoring actually would wake me up in the middle of the night, leaving me tired in the morning. I seemed to catch colds more easily than before, but I attributed this to my very frequent plane travel.

Doctors prescribed antibiotics, but I they did not fully cure the problem and when I stopped the treatment, every symptom returned. (And I just don't like unnatural treatments.) Others said it was allergies.

I wondered: Could my sinusitis be a fungal problem? More exploring on the internet found the answer:

In 1999 Mayo Clinic researchers found the cause of most chronic sinus infections to be an immune system response to fungus, and that this may kick off a secondary bacteriological infection. It is not an allergic reaction, but an immune reaction.
Again, I felt betrayed by the medical profession. Why hadn't anyone told me this?

I went to the health and vitamin store to look for an anti-fungal nasal spray, and nothing met my requirements or budget ($10-15 for a one ounce bottle of ingredients seemed way out of line.) Here's the formula I "invented:"

1. Rinse out a 1 ounce nasal spray bottle
2. Add one eye-dropper (approximately 1 ML) of Oregano Juice (NOT Oregano Oil -it's too strong and will not dissolve in water)
3. Add a pinch of salt (approximately ½ ML) (Iodized salt is OK - iodine is a good anti-fungal)
4. Fill the rest of the sprayer with distilled water, and shake well until the salt is dissolved.

Spray as frequently as once an hour until symptoms subside. For me, this solution began working within an hour; most symptoms were gone in three days. And the price of the ingredients per bottle is just a few pennies.

If the oregano/saline solution is too strong for you, dilute in half with water. If you want, you can add a drop of eucalyptus oil with ½ ML of glycerin, (which will bond the oil to water). I now spray once or twice a day, just to prevent any recurrence.

A very dear friend, who is 75, has had awful sinusitis for years. He heavily cleared his throat every minute or two. I told him of this simple formula, and two days later he called me to say it was working. He then said with amazement: "I don't believe it, we've been talking for over 15 minutes and I haven't had to clear my throat once!"

There are articles and books that claim that some cancers are caused by fungus. If this is true, taking action on fungus early may be very beneficial in the long run. It's time we gave fungus a deeper analysis.



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