Natural Remedies for Nail Fungus

I, too, have had success with vinegar for toenail fungus, even after previously battling a very advanced case for 10 years, although I still have it in one stubborn toenail. I used white vinegar. It was recommended to me to spray it on twice a day, which I think is the fastest and easiest thing to do. I used a 2 oz sprayer found in the travel toiletries section. Wasn't told to soak, but it occurred to me just a few weeks ago that maybe I should soak and saturate that nail, and it is now much improved. Hasn't come back in the other nails, either. Am so happy about this safe, easy and inexpensive treatment.

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!

I sure understand your frustration with toe nail fungus. I suffered from it for years. Raised, discolored thick and painful nails that nothing would fix until I started taking apple cider vinegar daily, a decent size shot in water in the morning and another at night. I did it for weight loss and my nails grew out beautiful. I wasn't expecting it and I wasn't taking the ACV for that reason. I had no idea it would clear up the fungus but it makes sense when you think about it. I kept the bad part of my nails cut short because they hurt if I hit my toe on something. When I realized they were growing out clean and pink, I kept them well trimmed as They grew out new. They reattached to the nail bed. I can't tell you how happy I am with this. It's the absolute only thing that worked. They are still as pretty as can be. Thank God. I hope you give it a try and stick with it. They take awhile to grow. Trash your old shoes too.

Worked Temporarily

Hi, I've had toenail fungus for the last six years. It bothers me aesthetically, but also causes concern that I have fungus in the rest of my body causing aflatoxins.

I've tried Listerine, Vicks, Potassium Iodide, Oregano Oil, and pretty much every other common OTC "cure" including methylene blue topically and orally.

The only time my nails mostly healed I was drinking a gallon of milk a day and heavily supplementing zinc. This led to other problems such as IBS and lower libido so I stopped that regimen.

The other sensitive "cause" is once I start supplementing selenomethionine or even eating more Brazil nuts, the nails start getting more yellow and brittle.

Just looking for any other advice? Or does anyone have luck with internal pharmaceutical antifungals?

I have been thinking about this idea for sometime now. I'm glad someone did it before I order the lights.

This may sound bad but it works on fungus between toes. Soak your feet in your fresh urine for about 20 minutes, wash feet. Fresh urine would be urine from that day. Cured mine within a few days. Investigate urine therapy

No, you pack the salt under the nail bed.

First, clean it out as much as possible with a nice soak and scrape out any gunk under there. Then cram as much salt under the nail as you can. Use some coconut oil on your skin so the salt doesn't burn it. Repeat each day. Wash, clean out, pack with salt. Within a couple days, you will see new pink nail bed growth. It really works!

Had a very badly fungus nail, very horrible and thick, difficult to cut.

Smear garlic juice on it every day or so and it will grow up perfectly fine. Worked for me anyway.

What?! You're taking alkaline water to prevent cancer - but you drink Coca-Cola daily???

Coke causes major diseases, possibly even cancer. Please research, you need to drink something different (orange juice?) for your hypo-glycemia.

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.

6 year battle with toe nail fungus is finally over! After trying numerous OTC products with no success. Probably because of my lack of daily applications. I finally found a product that worked with only applications once every 3 weeks or so. And it only took 18 months. Starting out my big toe was solid black. Yuk! Now it looks normal again. I'm sure it would have worked faster if I applied it more often but its hard when your busy all the time.

Gentian violet is an antiseptic dye used to treat fungal infections of the skin (e.g., ringworm, athlete's foot). It also has weak antibacterial effects and may be used on minor cuts and scrapes to prevent infection. It will stain our toe nail (and everything else it contacts with...) but that is the working power behind it.

Apply with a Q-tip, allow to dye, put a sock on if you don't want your bed sheet with a purple streek on them from sleeping on them. Give it time, it does work.

I was a bartender for many years and a common ailment is a fungus developing from handling and scooping ice on your fingernails and skin from the ice. My nails and skin around the nails looked grey-ish black all the time. A friend of mine who did nails suggested I soak my fingers in witch hazel and it worked!! A simple soaking in a bowl with the witch hazel every night for about 10 minutes did the trick. Also works for toenail fungus.

I discovered recently that I have Candida overgrowth, which resulted in a brown motteling of the skin on my arms which is spreading up my upper arms due to candida. I have had this for many years and doctors never knew or cared what it was. After researching, I discovered that it is caused by my candida overgrowth. I started applying witch hazel every day to my arms, followed by sunscreen and then alternating every day with different anti-fungal creams but always using witch hazel first. You have to use different anti-fungals to kill the little creatures because they get resistant if you don't switch up. The zinc in the sunscreen also helps. It's necessary to use a cream after witch hazel because it is drying. In about 3 days I noticed the "rash" getting lighter!! I am so happy that it is working. Mine was so brown and very embarrassing. Don't take pills to destroy fungus! Use witch Hazel!

Two years ago, at the start of summer, the big toe of my left foot became red, swollen and began throbbing. It was so painful, and I had no idea what the deal was. Then I noticed the toenail was getting yellow, crusty and thick. About a week later the two next to it began doing the same thing. Along with the ugly, disfigured nails came the horrible throbbing pain.

I tried: bleach soaks, vinegar soaks, 4 OTC medicines, prescription penlac (that one helped one toe), peroxide, mouthwash, urine (pure desperation), powders, yeast infection medication, tea tree oil, rubbing alcohol, epsom salts and vicks vapor rub. The middle toe of the three got better. The fungus on the other two laughed and made my toes throb with pain to show me who was boss.

Then I read about laser treatment, but the cost was ridiculous and many people complained it didn't work. So, understanding light was what I really needed, I ordered 36 watt, UV nail light off Amazon for less than $30-the kind salons use to dry finger nail polish. When it arrived I filed my nails down with emery boards as much as possible. Two of the nails were already 3/4 gone. Every day while I was on the computer I put my foot in the nail light for 10 min. - 45 min. I didn't really have a schedule, just daily, whenever I remembered. Also, every time I bathed, I made sure to clip/dig out as much of the crumbly nail as I could.

Within a week the throbbing was gone. A month later my big toe is pink and half grown out, with no fungus, the toe that was getting better is pink and just a tad short, and the other toe is about 1/3 grown out, and also has no sign of fungus. And didn't even bother using any kind remedy after the first two weeks. The only drawback is my left foot has a nice tan, while my right is kind of pale. Now I make sure both feet take a turn under the nail light. Also, I go barefoot or wear sandals as much as possible to expose my feet to as much light as possible.

I started with grapefruit seed extract and take 10 drops internally 3 x day in water. I also rub it on my toenail 2-3 times a day. The next day the hard stuff behind my nail started to soften and I could remove some. Each day I am seeing improvement. It is just amazing.

Well, thanks for that idea, and I am very intrigued that you have had such success with vitamin c and skin cancers (! ). But I do not see any tissue loss on my face, just an added fold of baggy, slightly puffy skin at the naso-labial crease. That I would like to lose!

Well, thanks for that idea, and I am very intrigued that you have had such success with vitamin c and skin cancers (! ). But I do not see any tissue loss on my face, just an added fold of baggy, slightly puffy skin at the naso-labial crease. That I would like to lose!

Hi Tassi, what you describe makes me think you may have had a cancer that inflamed and then was dismantled, leaving a space under your skin. I say this because I have used vitamin c on my skin cancers and experienced the swelling and then tissue loss as the cancer tissue is removed. It left a definite divot at the time.

The good thing is that the tissue loss in your face will likely fill back in over time.

I read many impressive things about ozonated olive oil as a cure, so (having tried just about every other remedy for nail fungus and candida) I finally ordered some online from what seems a reputable source. I used it sparingly, applying with a toothpick to just one or two fingernails at first, then after a couple of days I applied it sparingly to all my fingernails, as they are all infested with fungus. From the first application, I was distressed by the intense smell but I think this is just how it is "supposed to smell." After the second day of applying to all my fingers, still very sparingly, my face swelled up. A liquid formed under my skin, a bag formed under one eye, then I watched my face sag down over the next few weeks and now, a couple months later, I am left with having aged in appearance about 5 years. I can't recommend this to anybody who has sensitivities. Note that I never touched my face with the stuff, or anyplace else other than around all the edges of my fingernails.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Believe me I've thought of doing the same thing!! This really had me laughing out loud, thanks for that, needed a good giggle! I'm now using peroxide 10 and Aragan Secret nail oil, I'll let you know how it goes in time to come :)

How or where can I get oregano juice?

Listerine products are Triclosan free. http://www.listerine.ca/tips-and-practices/our-heritage

Two years ago I tried Lemongrass oil on my toe nail fungus and all it did was to make my nail color go black. It never worked. I had a black nail for months also the nail was curved due to the amount of fungus under the nail.

I finally got it to clear up by using Iodine and Castor Oil applied to the nail and over time the new nail grew in clear and the problem has not come back.

Are you serious? You whacked your nails with a hammer. Made me laugh.

Hi Tassi,

Yes, the internal borax protocol. 1/8 teaspoon in a liter (not a quart) of water a day. A few years ago I tried soaking in peroxide and borax, but it didn't do much. Join me! Side effects of headache and slight brain fog on the first day of the borax protocol, nothing after that.

Hi Becky, when you say the "borax protocol" do you mean the internal, take say 1/8 tsp in a quart of water over the day? Or is there some soaking involved in what you plan?

Hi Tassi,

I am with you on all these remedies! They have been NAY NAY NAY all the way for the past 5 years. I've tried oregano oil (made it spread), laser (the filing part before they applied the laser spread the fungus to 3 more toes.. grrrrr), weekly bleach soaks (does keep it under control), apple cider vinegar (zip, nada) and tea tree oil (made it look worse). I am currently trying the borax protocol as I think that is the only thing that will actually work but it's going to take months. Only on my first week, but plan to do 5 days on, 2 days off for at least six months. Look into that. Would be great to have someone else in the same boat trying the protocol. Good luck!

I tried Urine therapy and got zip. Yes, internal plus soaked in it, feet, hands, body, whatever, washed head and hair with it for a couple of weeks. Did nothing for the fungus. Well, maybe it slowed it down a little bit, the soaking part, but surely no cure, and what a mess. Wet things do not seem to really help -- but neither does anything. See my previous NAY under Oregano oil for a list of useless remedies (for me at least). Since then besides urine I have tried: Urea 40% (a moisturizer, it helped a little but has lots of chemical additives and my toes started to ache and be red and sore so I quit); bee propolis (I thought this was working as a topical, but it actually made it worse -- and the internal that I took gave me a big cold sore.); Everclear (a very strong alcohol, as a topical, but not strong enough to do much for my fingernail fungus); Pythium oligandrum aka "cannibal fungus, " from Czechoslovakia (it seemed to be working on one hand but when I tried it on the other it made the original fungus worse -- I have not totally given up on maybe trying it on my feet, but am discouraged and wary); Topical hydrogen peroxide isn't even working like it used to. That is it so far. Oh yeah, diatomaceous earth, internal -- I have been taking it 1 T twice a day for almost 60 days and fungus is only getting worse, nails are not even growing any faster like they say DE will do.

Niacinamide did not work for me.

You might have some sort of defficiency. If you don't eat lots of meat then it could be B6 and B12 defficiency. I would not suggest eating meat but up your B6 and B12 levels through supplements. Check your zinc, magnesium, vitamin D levels. 70% population is defficient in Vitamin D. I would suggest having juice of green leafy vegetables everyday. Dino

I saw this. not sure if this is what you want.

Azoxystrobin

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/361014750800?lpid=82

http://www.amazon.com/Heritage-Granular-Fungicide-Pound-Bag/dp/B003ORY7IM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412060311&sr=8-3&keywords=azoxystrobin

Catherine: It would be good if you provided a little more detail on what you have tried that didn't work. Anyway, there really isn't any short answers and magic bullets when it comes to fungal infections simply because most times, especially w/ Candida, it's only a manifestation of an underlying immune problem which is sometimes greatly helped by detoxing and a parasite cleanse.

Here is a link to the E.C. Candida page for your perusal https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/candida.html

Have you read Bill's Killing So Sweetly book advertised here on E.C.??

Worked Temporarily

Hey there!

I've written before but no one got back to me. I hope I have better luck this time.

Been taking the Borax but it's not working anymore and I need a new anti-fungal as this seems to be main prob.

I'm trying to find Azoxystrobin without added chemicals but have not been able to locate any by web searching. It was mentioned by some ppl on your site but I could only find some huge $500 gal sources and again not sure if there were other ingredients with it.

Can you help me with this or at least respond this time?

Thank you!

I would try Manuka Honey that has at least a MKO rating of at least 400 on nail fungus. That is therapeutic dose. MKO rating measures the amount of active ingredient. Even hospitals use it. Castor oil is something else. I would buy the hand held $20 infrared (infrarex ST-302) on amazon to help it absorb quickly. Your case is interesting because you tried so many things. Have you ever tested to see what kind of fungus it is.

I bought an expensive pure wild oregano oil oreganoworld very strong smell, 87.6% min. carvacrol, and it did nothing but SPREAD the fungus from 2 fingernails to all five nails on the same hand. I was also putting it in capsules and taking it internally. I eat no sugar & min. carbs, wear flipflops only, keep all nails dry as possible, also tried remedies: Vicks; ACV; baking soda, borax, iodine (internal & external, all 3); coconut oil; colloidal silver; garlic (burned heck out of toe); GSE ("max strength"); Listerine; Olive leaf extract (internal), I am allergic to rubbing alcohol, tea tree oil and neem oil. I have candida and nothing has worked on that -- food grade H2O2 when reaching treatment dose levels made my ankles swell (edema began so I had to quit H2O2 as edema kept getting worse), I tried niacin and my knees swelled up and became unstable. The candida has me under control, it seems. Cannot drink ACV or I get oral herpes outbreak.

What DOES kind of work for the nail funguses is hydrogen peroxide soaks and dipping or dripping it on multiple times a day. If I get the dose right it keeps the fungus sort of under control, at least the nails do not get maximally weird, although the fingernails are eaten away, & need to be clipped halfway down the nailbed, which is quite painful. I always bleach the clipper in between each nail.

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).

Where can I buy the red rosemary oil? I can find the rosemary oil, but not RED rosemary oil. Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks, Val

@Js: The b- vitamin biotin is very good for hair & nails. Coconut Oil taken orally will help prevent reinfection.

I am following up to my post in June. I am continuing to soak my foot with a bleach solution for nail fungus twice a week. 2 of the infected nails are clear (yahoo!!! ). The big toe which was the worst of the lot, looks a lot better and has grown out halfway mostly clear. The issue is that the big toe nail is very weakened from fungus, so it looks like it can get reinfected very easily. Does anyone have a supplement recommendation to strengthen nails that have been infected with nail fungus? That seems to be what is needed to prevent reinfection. Thanks!

Listerine is also great for dandruff...I have used this remedy for dandruff in the past (about 15 years ago) when the only Listerine available was when it was sold in the brown bag like cover. Tingles but worth the try.

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.

I googled, "Triclosan" as someone suggested. It is BAD for your health. Google and see...

I had some toe fungus in my two big toe nails for about ten years. I tried many cures but with minimal results. The fungus was very deep under the nail. then by accident I found a cure that killed the fungus fast.

Here is how it happed. I always wear flip flops and with one black pair that I wear my feet get real dirty black and it is hard to remove. One night I decided to try socking my feet in a solution of bleach and water to get rid of the black color on my feet. it didn't work that well in getting rid of the black, but the next week I noticed there was a lot of space under my big toe nails as if the fungus had died. I soaked my feet again and the fungus seemed dead and easy to remove. a month later there was lots of space under the nails indicating that most of the fungus was gone. I socked my feet again and at least once a month for the next four mounts as a precaution to make sure the fungus was gone for good. the fungus is gone now.

here is what I used:

bleach, sodium hypochlorite, known here in the Philippines as zonrox.

I used one half cup of bleach in half gallon of water. I soaked my feet for about 45 min. I did it twice the first week then once a month after that till there was no trace of fungus

It was so fast and easy compared to all the other home remedies that I tried. and best of all it worked.

How much Listerine did you use.