Do They Work? A Review of Home Remedies for Nail Fungus
Yellow, discolored, brittle nails - What a pain.
I dealt with nail fungus for years.
It really sucked.
I couldn't wear sandals, going to the pool or beach was out of the question.
I went to the doctor but the medications he prescribed either didn't work or had weird side effects.
That's when I decided to look for home remedies for nail fungus.
I discovered there were a huge variety of supposed cures for nail fungus.
"I don't want to try every single one of these!" I thought, "How do I judge the good treatments from the bad ones?" Maybe you're there now.
Well, let me help you out.
I want to go over a few supposed remedies here to save you some time - so you don't waste your time like I did.
Let's look at a few remedies that are being thrown around and whether they work or not: Tea Tree Oil - Tea tree oil is one of those "cure alls" that's promoted by natural health people.
The Aborigines in Australia have been using tea tree oil for thousands of years to treat just about every health ailment under the sun, including fungal problems.
Does it work? How many of these ailments it actually cures is anybody's guess, but I can say it works for treating toenail fungus.
One study showed it was as effective as topical antifungal treatments.
Bleach - The question isn't whether this home remedy for nail fungus will kill the fungus on your toes, it will.
The question is whether bleach is a safe treatment.
I don't think it is.
Any bleach solution strong enough to take care of your fungus problem is likely to cause major irritation or even burn your feet.
Does it work? Probably, but not recommended.
Vicks - Vicks VapoRub contains an ingredient called Thymol which is made from the herb Thyme.
Thymol has antiseptic properties and was used by Indians in North America to treat wounds.
Does it work? It's worth trying.
There hasn't been much research done to test it, but a lot of internet reports suggest it works after applying it regularly for 3-6 months.
Vinegar - This one is sort of like bleach.
Household vinegar is nothing more than a weak acid.
A strong enough solution of vinegar will kill any microorganism or fungus.
Does it work? I'm somewhat skeptical.
I think any solution strong enough to kill the fungus might cause burns.
However, some folks have claimed apple cider vinegar is very effective.
Out of these four home remedies for nail fungus I listed, I think Vicks is the most effective.
I personally had great success with other methods, but that's for another article! Good luck!
I dealt with nail fungus for years.
It really sucked.
I couldn't wear sandals, going to the pool or beach was out of the question.
I went to the doctor but the medications he prescribed either didn't work or had weird side effects.
That's when I decided to look for home remedies for nail fungus.
I discovered there were a huge variety of supposed cures for nail fungus.
"I don't want to try every single one of these!" I thought, "How do I judge the good treatments from the bad ones?" Maybe you're there now.
Well, let me help you out.
I want to go over a few supposed remedies here to save you some time - so you don't waste your time like I did.
Let's look at a few remedies that are being thrown around and whether they work or not: Tea Tree Oil - Tea tree oil is one of those "cure alls" that's promoted by natural health people.
The Aborigines in Australia have been using tea tree oil for thousands of years to treat just about every health ailment under the sun, including fungal problems.
Does it work? How many of these ailments it actually cures is anybody's guess, but I can say it works for treating toenail fungus.
One study showed it was as effective as topical antifungal treatments.
Bleach - The question isn't whether this home remedy for nail fungus will kill the fungus on your toes, it will.
The question is whether bleach is a safe treatment.
I don't think it is.
Any bleach solution strong enough to take care of your fungus problem is likely to cause major irritation or even burn your feet.
Does it work? Probably, but not recommended.
Vicks - Vicks VapoRub contains an ingredient called Thymol which is made from the herb Thyme.
Thymol has antiseptic properties and was used by Indians in North America to treat wounds.
Does it work? It's worth trying.
There hasn't been much research done to test it, but a lot of internet reports suggest it works after applying it regularly for 3-6 months.
Vinegar - This one is sort of like bleach.
Household vinegar is nothing more than a weak acid.
A strong enough solution of vinegar will kill any microorganism or fungus.
Does it work? I'm somewhat skeptical.
I think any solution strong enough to kill the fungus might cause burns.
However, some folks have claimed apple cider vinegar is very effective.
Out of these four home remedies for nail fungus I listed, I think Vicks is the most effective.
I personally had great success with other methods, but that's for another article! Good luck!