Natural Remedies for Nail Fungus & Thickened Nails

Vicks

Posted by Suzy (Hemel, Hempstead ) on 01/02/2018
★★★★★

My daughter had nail fungus on her toes. The doctors said they don't describe it on prescription anymore for children so it was nearly £20 for a small tiny bottle that would last a month and would need more each month for 7/8 months Dr said.

I came on here and choose to give Vicks a go and within a couple of weeks of putting Vicks on each day it has totally cleared up, so a big saving. thank you :)

Oregano Oil

Posted by Cathy (Adelaide, Sa) on 09/26/2017
★★★★★

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.

Vitamin E Oil

Posted by Jamberry (NC) on 10/17/2021
★★★★★

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!

Witch Hazel

Posted by Cereluna (Antioch, Ca.) on 07/21/2015
★★★★★

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!

Listerine

Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 01/25/2026
★★★★★

In a study conducted by the department of oral medicine in Peking University School of Stomatology, the researchers looked at the use of several mouthwashes in treating C. albicans strains that grow on toenails and lead to toenail fungus. Listerine had significant antifungal activity that reduced the activity of C. albicans that cause yeast infections found on nails.

Overall, Listerine is a beneficial tool for treating yeast infections found in the mouth, skin, and nails. Yeast infections can be reduced by rinsing the mouth out with Listerine, soaking affected areas with Listerine, or placing a rag soaked in Listerine on the affected area.

Whether you have a toenail fungus or athlete's foot, your bottle of regular Listerine mouthwash can help treat the problem within a few days. Listerine contains thymol, which has antifungal properties that help kill the fungus responsible for toenail fungus. It provides fast relief from symptoms like stinging and burning sensations and excessive itching.

Also, it acts as an antiseptic to prevent further infection. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again. Listerine is antiseptic and contains four essential oils; eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate, and thymol.

Directions:

Dip your hands or fingers in undiluted Listerine for 30 minutes every day for 1 week. If you have sensitive skin, dilute Listerine by mixing it with equal amounts of water. Treatment 30 days.

Rob's Method:

Soak a paper towel with Listerine (yellow), fold it over and under your toes, put your foot into an empty bread bag and put a sock over your foot. You can wear it for one hour or over nite, your choice. Do this for afew days til fungus is gone.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Jarred (Palo Alto, Ca) on 04/03/2013
★★★★★

To cure nail fungus, simply soak the affected nail in HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. It does not have to be food grade. I cured nail fungus by using a 3% solution from my local drug store.

Grapefruit Seed Extract

Posted by Renee (Utah) on 07/10/2015
★★★★★

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.

Listerine

Posted by Big Joe (Chicago, Il) on 10/23/2012
★★★★★

I had these ugly yellow toe nails. I hated them. I would gargle with Listerine and then afterwards put my bare feet into the sink, one at a time, and spit the Listerine on them. Then I would just let it dry on them. They went away in about 10 days.

I guess you could apply Listerine directly or tape a cotton bandage to your toes, but this is what I did and it worked. I used just the standard yellow Listerine.

Eliminating Sugar

Posted by Michigan_gal (Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA) on 09/23/2012
★★★★★

Thank you Ted, Earthclinic and all of the people who sat down and took the time to share your stories. I'd like to share so that I can help someone too.

I'm a 41 year old white female. I stay active and I'm a healthy ideal weight (5Ft - 108lbs) Approx. 65% of my diet is organic foods and I do my best to avoid processed foods. I don't drink soda or consume artificial sweeteners. I avoid foods that contain High Fructose Corn syrup and Hydrogenated oils. However, I have come to discover my healthy diet wasn't as healthy as I thought.

For the last 3 years I have had recurring scabs near the back/crown of my head, sometimes infected. Like a bad habit, I've picked them for years not knowing what they were exactly. This summer's heat triggered the worst ever of my smelly scalp problem which would subside and get bad again. I wash my hair every morning but in the past few months I would notice my head got stinky before lunchtime. I would be sitting in my chair at work and could smell my own head just sitting there. It's smelled like a dirty cheesy rotten sock. If I rubbed my fingers on my scalp they smelled bad. I just started dating this summer and would rush home to wash my hair before going out on dates. I began researching and discovered other people with the same exact story as me. I was shocked and saddened to read it was a fungus and how it was so hard to get rid of. I'm against taking oral drugs as I've read they hurt your liver and never seem to work anyway. I found EarthClinic and I fully believe in natural remedies and that food is medicine.

I've tried many different topical scalp approaches listed on EarthClinic. They made my hair look great and lessened the smell a bit but never cured it. I read a few posts where people said they were cured from cutting sugar completely out of their diet. I wasn't ready to go that extreme and kept trying various topical treatments. As months passed and my dating relationship failed due to my avoidance of my partner, I knew I had to do the extreme and starve the fungus from the inside out.

I have cut out sugar completely. No sugar/honey, no ketchup, or mustard, (nothing with vinegar in it) no salad dressings, no flour, no white potatoes, no wheat, no fruit, no dairy, *although I do allow myself 2 tablespoons of cream in my coffee with stevia extract powder. My diet consists mostly of fish, chicken, eggs, beans of all kinds, tahini, spinach, zucchini, veggies, olive oil, seasonings, lots of quinoa.. For dessert I mix almond butter cocoa powder coconut oil together, it's delicious. I bought Ted's Alkaline ebook and in the morning and evening I drink the formula of lemon juice, water and baking soda. I also take probiotics in pill form since I can't eat yogurt right now.

I have been washing my hair for 2 months using a mild non SLS tea tree botanical shampoo and conditioner found in a local health food grocery store.

At night, I apply a mixture of lemon juice and a drop of pure tea tree oil to my scalp using a cotton swab or sometimes I drizzle it on. A few days a week I do a borax rinse in the shower. I go about shaving and let it sit for a few minutes then rinse it out. These seem to be working along with my new diet.

NO SUGAR- Day 1 - the worst that happened was I had a mild headache all day. I was a bit emotional but not irritable.

Day 3 of No Sugar - my head did NOT smell by lunch time! It did have a faint odor in the evening but only because I was rubbing my scalp to see if any smell rubbed off. It has been easier than I thought possible to do this diet and I feel very good so far. I am amazed and finding it hard to believe my head doesn't stink! This is a first.

Day 5 - I felt kind of weak and had foot cramps that woke me. Overall, doing very well and not craving sugar at all. My tongue is actually pink, not the regular whitish. Oh and I've lost 4lbs so far but I'm never hungry because I eat as much as I want.

Day 7 - It's gone, the smell is gone. I am in the practice of washing my scalp morning and night to keep it clean and so the fungus have nothing to feed on.

Day 14 - which is today the day I'm writing this. I am certain No Sugar is the CURE for scalp fungus. I plan on staying on this diet for a full 21 days. I'm a little nervous about going off it. I dont want to scoop sugar in my coffee anymore and I don't plan on it. I feel like all those foods I gave up are just useless filler foods with no nutrients. It doesn't mean I don't want those delicious cupcakes or chocolate chip cookies I smell baking in the store but I'm certainly not going back to my old ways of eating. I feel brand new now. This is a wonderful thing.

P.S. I think because my diet was pretty healthy to begin with that I didn't suffer from a lot of the sugar withdrawal symptoms people encounter.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Mary (Thedford, Ne, Usa) on 07/10/2012

As a science teacher, I would STRONGLY urge you to avoid using any concentrations of Hydrgen Peroxide higher than 20%. At 30% concentrations, skin can be severely burned. Even something as common as hydrogen peroxide can be very dangerous if not used properly.

Borax, Clove Oil

Posted by Elly (Topeka, Kansas) on 06/14/2011
★★★★★

Hi folks, clove oil and borax have helped me conisderably with my stubborn foot fungus and eczema. I ingested it and also used it on the foot. I used one drop of clove and a pinch of borax in water to drink and I added one drop of clove and a pinch of the borax to some olive oil and rubbed in on my feet. After a few days of this they feel 100% better so far. Im cutting my sugar down to help this as well. One side effect I noticed is increased libido lol.

Colloidal Silver

Posted by Healthnut (Palm Springs, Ca) on 11/13/2010
★★★★☆

I've tried everything - and I mean everything! - to get rid of the nasty toenail fungus on my big toe. Finally, one day, I decided to spray my toes with colloidal silver. In a few days, the big black streak of fungus started disappearing. I know it's going to take up to a year for my toenail to grow out but, already, I'm about half-way there! I spray my toes twice a day, morning and night.

Iodine

Posted by Ddm (Tampa, Fl) on 09/28/2010

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

Listerine

Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 08/27/2016

HI U KAREN,,,,,,,,,,, listerine is a weak sister compared to Dr Tichenor's liniment that he developed in the War Between the States. He treated all wounds with this. It is made in New Orleans and few stores carry it, so I now buy mine via the internet. It is too strong to be used directly and must be diluted. Here is the URL.

https://www.drtichenor.com

It will cure all the things you are addressing.

=======ORH============

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Jesse (Granite City, IL) on 09/04/2007
★★★★★

After reading many of the suggestions available on this and other sites I added some of my own thoughts to the process and formulated my own treatment method.

The major problem with toenail fungus is that once you get it it is hard to get at it because the nail itself protects the fungus. So I took a dremel tool with a fine grit sandpaper bit and ground the toenail completely away. This is relatively painless as long as you do not hold the sandpaper in one spot for too long as it will generate heat and burn you (not severely but painfully).

After sanding away the entire toenail surface the nailbed is almost completely exposed. Since then I have been treating it with peroxide and after about 5 treatments (just once or twice a day) the peroxide no longer bubbles when applied indicating that the infection is gone. I have let it grow out a little and ground it down again a couple of times for good measure but when the nail grows out it looks healthy and normal. I will have to see what happens when the nail is completely replaced but so far it is working! Just be careful and use your head when you sand off the nail so you don't hurt yourself.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Carol (Independence, Missouri) on 01/06/2013
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

I agree with Richard. I was grinding my toenails down with a sanding drum on my Flexshaft several years ago, which caused the fungus to spread to more toenails and fingernails, but the really scary part was that I got the fungus in my lungs from breathing that dust. I was hospitalized for two weeks and could have died from the lung fungus. My doctor told me it was dangerous to even file the thickened nail down because that also causes the fungus to become airborn. The only thing you should use are nail clippers. He told me to dip the clippers in a 50/50 solution of bleach and water after clipping each nail to prevent the spread of the fungus. If the nails become painful because they are pinching in at the side, soak them in warm water with ACV or TTO twice a day to soften them. You can also cut out a notch at the curve to relieve the pressure. The nail surface will absorb any remedy you use, so there's really no need to file or grind them down.

Alkalize

Posted by John (Perth, Australia) on 02/08/2007
★★★★★

I think that alkalizing had the biggest affect on curing my nail fungus. I undertook a number of means to alkalize. That included virgin coconut oil, olive leaf extract, alkalized water, alkaline foods, zeolite, heavy metal detox, etc. I also found that wearing a poultice of zeolite powder and cayenne pepper also has good healing properties. I would often soak my feed in zeolite and acidic water. And after I put my socks on, I would soak some coconut oil and essential oils into the sock just above the nail. But I think the ultimate cause is being too acidic (I had candida too). I have now raised my pH to over 7.0 - up from less than 5.0 a few months ago. My ORP has changed from -ve 20 mV to close to -ve 200 mV. From what I have read, fungus can't exist in an alkaline body.

Application Hints

Posted by DeeDee (Sydney, Australia) on 02/03/2007
★★★★★

Just a hint for all the medications you try. I found it best to appy after showers, soaking etc. But also needed to use on perfectly dry nails like at bedtime. You can see the liquid being pulled in by the dry tissue. Cures work much quicker.

Mouthwash

Posted by Alice (Sierra Vista, AZ) on 12/07/2006
★★★★★

I have used vinegar and monostat plus a wide range of expensive over the counter "cures" for toenail fungus. I'm thinking of using the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Most of these things "sort of worked" but only mildly and slowly. I'd get a patch of clear nail at the base, and a lessening of the under-nail build up, only to have the fungus rush in and take over the whole nail again if I missed any treatments. I used Listerine-type mouthwash only by accident, because both big toes and one smaller toe became infected and I was too poor to visit the doctor. I was only hoping to control the infection long enough to be able to get medical help. Imagine my amazement when I found not only the infection cured in just a day or so, but also the fungus problem both in the nail and beneath the nail make dramatic improvements. I am angry because the medical establishment should be aware of this and other cures which are readily available to the public at a cost which almost every person in this nation CAN afford. I am angry because I would not have had the nail fungus get to the point it has, except due to the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry, I have been deliberately led to believe nail fungus was almost impossible to cure, and therefore any "home remedies" would have next to no effect in curing fungus, so I did not even try try until I accidentally got monostat on a "mole" and saw it instantly begin to "cure" the mole. I reasoned it might also help fungus. It did help, but nothing like the dramatic effect I've had with the mouthwash. Because of the misleading by our medical and pharmaceutical industry, I thought the progress I saw was the best I could hope for. The medical and pharmaceutical industry expect and demand to be paid immense amounts of money, so they can live like kings. To do this they apparently are either willing to lie or at best incredibly negligent, at a huge cost to the rest of us, in life and in health, as well as in money. My mother died with feet so badly infected with fungus and the subsequent infection, it was horrible. Had she known she could have cured the fungus problem with something as cheap and simple as mouthwash, she might be alive today. I know she believed toenail fungus to be extremely difficult or impossible to cure. It would have been nice to cure mine before my big toenail was totally destroyed. I'm hoping it will come back, but at least I have a real CURE. Plus I bet the other cures given here will also work. Meanwhile doctors collect vast sums of money to give people pills which destroy livers and cost a fortune. When they could simply advise them to use mouthwash! Isn't that what quacks are supposed to be guilty of?

Cedarwood Oil, Goat Milk

Posted by Darlenr (Cleveland OH) on 09/10/2025
★★★★★

After years of unsuccessful faithful daily application of commercial fungus products and a podiatrist's “solution” of cutting his toenail out, a goat milk cream with Cedarwood essential oil was tried. The goat mama who makes it said it was necessary to have those two in combination—GOAT MILK & good quality therapeutic (not just aromatic for the “perfume”) CEDARWOOD essential oil. We were amazed!!! In only one week of daily application, the fungus was finally gone and his nail looked normal, healthy and beautiful!

Iodine

Posted by GrassTwig (Geneva) on 04/17/2025
★★★★★

I have had toe nail fungus on one toe nail and it kept coming back every few years after healing.

I have tried other remedies, but Iodine drops was the quickest cure, one month cure. I used Nascent Iodine, it is discolored. I'm from Europe and found it at piping rock shop in United States and purchased it there (I'm not affiliated to this merchant).

First cut the toe nail completely up to the root of the nail. Then use a scrubbing pad, kitchen type for example, and scrub any fungus or dead skin on the toe. Then apply one drop of nascent iodine. Let it there for a few seconds, them apply some coconut oil on the toe.

From then on, every day after shower, scrub again, apply iodine drop and after drying, apply some coconut oil. Avoid too much sugar when healing. Good luck with healing toenail fungus.

Application Hints

Posted by Alex (Thessaloniki) on 12/19/2023
★★★★★

For better results and penetration of every active ingredient you use, a Scholl product suggests filing the infected nail first. Their plan is to file the nail once per week (with a new or disinfected file) but apply the active ingredient every day. Repeat this for four weeks. Then in the second stage of protection just aply once per week until the new nail is developed and no discoloration exists.

Heat

Posted by Linda (Minnesota) on 11/30/2023
★★★★★

Thank you, Frank. I saw a Youtube video in which a guy had a fingernail fungus and he used a cigarette lighter on the nail for several days. He did not recommend it because he didn't want his video to be taken down (and he expressed that on the video). After about a week of holding the flame of the lighter a few inches away from, but directly toward the nail, his fungus disappeared and the new nail grew out perfectly. I was amazed to see that. Here's that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2s-lXWmLkI