Natural Nail Fungus Treatments: Effective Home Remedies

I have had left big toe nail fungus for over 20 years and not keen on surgery I soldiered on. While browsing through the posts I cam across the ACV with the 'mother' and hydrogen peroxide (I had 6% in the house diluted it to 3%). Soaked the toe for three days while trimming and filing afterwards. 3/4 of this very thick unsightly nail just amazingly painlessly came off after all these years. I am mighty ecstatic cant stop looking at my, emerging new nail will continue to soak and file until the whole nail is pink and healthy.

Thank you All for the very helpful contributions, there make a big and cheap difference in enhancing we stay health and keep up the good work. I feel blessed since the day I stumbled on to this site.

I had a bad fungus in one big toe and it was starting in my other big toe. All I did was drink ACV with bicarb soda each day (twice a day). In 3 months the nail with the fungus gradually grew out and I just kept cutting the bad nail off. I put nothing on the nail. It had been there for over 5 years and I had taken something in the past which did not work.

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 think (big sigh of relief) I am finally able to report a good remedy combination for clearing nail fungus after trying many different treatments the past couple of years.

Ingredients:
Apple Cider Vinegar
Borax
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hot water

I add 1-2 tablespoons of borax to hot water, wait until it dissolves, then add equal parts of organic apple cider vinegar, water and 3% drug store peroxide (I eyeball this, might be about 1/4 cup of each). Note: it's very important that you find a dish that allows you to soak as much of the top part of the foot as possible. I soak in this concoction for 30 to 45 minutes every day (sometimes more, sometimes less)... I do take a 1 or 2 day break from time to time.

Glad to report that the nail growing in on the big toe looks perfect! I am not touching it this time! (Filing the nail down really set me back last spring)

To Bill from the Philippines... I tried your formula (borax, hydrogen peroxide and milk of magnesia in June when you mentioned it here on EC). After 1 week, the fungus turned from yellow to white, and slowly started to clear from the nail. Then one day the top of my big toe, just below the nail, started to itch like crazy, like poison ivy (but more likely athlete's foot). I must have scratched it in the middle of the night because the next morning it was raw and oozing (yuck)... Shortly after that the fungus returned to the base of my nail. I tried your formula again for another few weeks and didn't seem to be getting very far. I am theorizing that unless you apply these anti-fungal remedies to as much of the foot (and in between the toes) as possible, it is very difficult to get rid of the fungus. Fingers crossed. My nails are growing out so fast (thanks to a daily glass of homemade milk kefir and a partial raw food diet) I think my nails might be clear by December. Will report back with y'all again then.

Bill, regarding you and your girlfriend having issues with the air conditioner.

I found when I first moved to my apartment that if I'd been using the A/C, then there was maybe a week or two where it was cool enough to not use it, when I'd return to it I got massive headaches. I could barely detect a smell in the air that is only there when the A/C is running. I inspected it to find that when I took off the front cover, a (nonremovable) tray at the bottom of the unit collects an inch or so of water.

To make a long story short, it was growing mold, even if the tray had time to dry before I turned it on again. My solution was to purchase bottles of colloidal silver online that are intended for treating hot tub water in place of chlorine or bromine. I only have to put in maybe a dropper full, and this purifies that tray so that the when the A/C is on again, it's not filling my apartment with mold spores.

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.

Hi, I had toe nail fungus, mixed 50 - 50 Bentonite Clay & regular vaseline to make a paste.

Applied daily and once or twice a week. I also put 1/2 cup of baking soda in a foot bath to soak 20 minutes and found it was gone in 2 weeks..

Hope this helps.

For nail fungus, I found that making a baking soda paste and letting it sit on your toes for 10 minutes each day does the trick. Make sure that you clean your toes afterward.

I also found that washing your toes before bed each night really speeds up the process.

In the past (per Earth Clinic) I tried vinegar and tee tree oil, but experienced no results.

HI U OLE PATOOTS DOIN,,,,,,,, as all know ISJS. Anyways, on reflecting how the sight of my fungus shook me, I think you can test yourself at home.

Take two Q tips and swab one side of your mouth and the other side with the second Q tip. Store in a sterile glass jar and observe weekly for a month. If you have growth, the amount should tell you how severe your problem is. If you have no growth, I don't think you can say that you have no fungus. I am going to use the technique to ascertain my treatment progress.

My natural doctor told me the VF of my fungus and I was not impressed, but when he showed me the growth on my two swabs, it scared my mule. I think the visual result will tell you something too.

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After trying over the counter options and some other natural remedies I finally gave wild oregano oil a go. My big toe nail was an awful yellow-white colour and almost all of it had lifted away from the nail bed. I started rubbing in a tiny amount of the oil onto the cuticle and nail and a drop under the nail ( where it had lifted) each day. It takes at least a month to notice but you will start to notice the nail near the cuticle improve. My nail is about 75% there, just the tip needs to grow out. I now have a nice pink nail growing that is attached to the nail bed. HAPPY DAYS!!! I haven't used nail polish the whole winter either, so looking forward too lovely painted nails during summer. Thanks for sharing this cheap and easy remedy.

I went to the health food store and found a product containing caprylic acid that was supposed to cleanse yeast from the body. I took half the dose recommended on the bottle daily and the nail fungus was gone in a week.

Update to my original post:

The nails cleared up. I persisted in using Vit. E oil for two years, once a day, then stopped. The fungus has NEVER returned!

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!!

My toenail, also, dropped off on left big toe and right peeled off like butter. I'm looking at very much healthier and getting better toes.

I had fungus in one of my big toes for about 15 years. During that time I tried strict regimens of both OTC and prescribed topical medications, as well as tea tree oil. Had the nail removed twice so I could get whatever medication onto the infection site, which was at the base of the nail.

Twice the infection appreared to be gone, but later my heart sank as I saw the fungus returning.

Finally I ended up getting a prescription for an antifungal to be taken orally for 90 days. Expensive stuff, about $1000 USD. It did the trick... for three months! I decided to go it again. I got a second prescription, same stuff, thinking it might finish off the fungus 100% this time since it was a smaller infection than the first time. Well it worked... For three years. When I saw the infection returning, I almost cried.

I got online and started searching madly for causes of the fungus. That's when I first learned of the concept of candida, and intuitively felt there was something to it for me. I adhered to a strict diet (Google Candida diet), most importantly NO SUGAR. Worked like a charm; I saw results with my toe in a couple of months.

Over the following ten years fungus reappeared three more times... But at the top of the toenail, whereas before it was the base of the nail. The good news about that was that now I could get a topical medication to it without removing my nail.

The medication I used was bleach. I used the bleach pen, applying a line of it twice a day under the toenail. All three times this killed the fungus within a week. I realize this would not be a popular remedy with naturalists, but stubborn infections call for desperate measures.

Everytime it had appeared I had realized my sugar consumption had gradually increased over time, resulting in another fungus outbreak. So along with the bleach, I also cut out sugar during the treatment phase.

Finally I accepted that I am more sensitive to sugar than most people, and adopted a low sugar diet as a lifestyle.

I have been fungi-free for four years now! My toenail looks normal, as if it had never suffered 15 years of infection.

Hang in there! You have no choice but to be patient with the process, and you too will soon be fungi-free.

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.

Hi, haven't been here for awhile but really want to share my new success story of battling toenail fungus. I have fungus on both feet, especially bad for the big toes. I believe I got that from a damaged toenail. Have tried everything non-precription for the last 6 years - alcohol, bleach, soaking in apple cider vineger, hydrogen peroxide etc. but to no avail. In July 2011 I tried decolourized iodine. I had a hard time finding it, but finally found it in CVS when I was in Chicago. I stocked up a few. I wipe all my toenails with a cotton pad soak with that, once morning and once at night, and put Vicks on it afterwards. That's all. The bad nails are shedding and showing new nails.

Finally, after so many years I see the light of getting new healthy nails. I will continue this routine for a few more months until the new nails are all strong and healthy. I should be able to wear sandles next summer. Using Vicks is important because without it my nails have these white spots, brittle and weak. I believe iodine is quite harsh for nails and strips them dry. Good luck. :)

I noticed a question about using caster oil with nail fungus. I have a story you might find interesting. I had read about its anti-fungal action, and when I began to notice some nail damage, I began applying caster oil twice a day. As I was about to travel and I worried about getting more damage, I went to my podiatrist. He looked at my nail and said that he was sure it was a fungal infection but that he would take a sample for testing. When I returned a month later, he checked back on the test, and was shocked to note that there was no fungus there at all. He wanted to know if I were sure that I had damaged my nail --in other words, he began to look for another reason for the nail problem. There was no other problem and no fungus! caster oil works for nail fungus prevention and most likely treatment.

Yep. Regular & decolorized iodine stopped right big toe nail fungus, almost completely grown out nail now. Just keep trimming off as growing out.

My wife has had a toe nail fungus for over 40 years. She has tried several nail solution cures purchased over the internet including the prescription penlac. None of them worked.

Finally I accessed your web site and tried almost all the remedies you have posted including Ted's remedy, tea tree oil, hydrogen peroxide, full strength bleach painted on carefully, viniger soaks, etc. Along the way I noticed several observations: All of the above work to some extent because they provide a hostile enviroment for yeast and fungus and initially kill or appear to kill it. They also however kill the skin cells and all irritate the area under the nail and even inflame it after prolonged use and the fungus loves the weakened cells. Most also have water in them which the fungus and yeast love! Finally we settled on a cure which is neither acidic nor basic, which is not an irritant, and which has no water in it and which is on your list of cures and the fungus is gone on one foot and almost completely gone on the other, and the nails are clear and white. Vick's! Vicks! and more Vicks!

Sam's cure: Gob it on each toe at night and cover with a thin cotton half sock or footie. Before showering gob it on, dry and gob more on cover with a clean cotton sock. If time permits gob on during the day and change socks. Stop taking baths, shower only unless you can keep your foot out of the water and keep it gobbed with vicks. The idea is to keep water away from the toe nail and the vick's works the best. The camphor and lack of water will kill it and allow the toe nail to heal. It will take several months but it does work and it works the best. After 40 years it will finally be gone!

Tip: If you warm the hydrogen peroxide it will be more effective. Warming it allows the the skin to expand and absorb it better, especially if the fungus infection is in the root of the nail. Do not overheat hydrogen peroxide when warming, cause you might burn your skin.

3% hydrogen peroxide does work, but the big toe will take more soakings than the smaller ones. Do not use if you have cuts on skin as the peroxide will burn the skin. A mix of 2 parts 3% hydrogen peroxide to one part water also works.