Easy to Use Nail Fungus Home Remedies

Nail Fungus Home Remedies

Having a nail fungus infection on your fingernails or toenails can be embarrassing; some sufferers have even referred to it as humiliating. There are many ways to treat nail fungus infections, and here we will share some of them with you.

How Does A Nail Become Infected?

Toenails can become infected extremely easily. This is because they are constantly coming into contact with microorganisms that naturally make contact with skin. They are then able to attach to the nail sheath and eventually work their way underneath the nail and into the nail bed. The reason toenails are so prone to becoming infected by fungal spores is because they provide the perfect breeding ground, especially when it comes to someone who wears shoes and socks for the majority of the day. People who wear the same pair of shoes every day are more susceptible to developing a fungal infection than those who alternate pairs of shoes every day and allow their shoes to dry out completely before wearing them again.

It is very important to trim your toenails. Trim toenails close to the skin. Accidental chips in the nail can become an easy entry point for fungal infections.

Wear shoes that allow your feet to breathe. Wearing shoes that are too tight can cause toenail fungus because there is no air circulation inside your shoes. Also, if your shoes rub, they could easily leave an opening for a fungal infection to invade your nails or the surrounding tissue.

Typical Symptoms of Nail Fungus Infections

Discoloration of the toenail, could be white or yellow
Nail becomes thick or disfigured
A stinging feeling or pain from around the nail
Brown or black spots on the nail
Pieces of the nail crumble, break off, flake off easily
Oozing pus from around the nail
A nail falling off completely

Recommended Home Remedies for Nail Fungus Infections

The sooner you catch a nail fungus infection, the easier it is to treat. If the nail fungus is already established, it will take longer for the fungus to respond to treatment, and the longer it is allowed to go, the more likely it is for you to need prescription treatment.

Here is a list of recommended treatments to use at home in treating nail fungus caught in the early stages:

ClearFungus – This is one of the leading natural remedies used for curing toenail fungal infections. Considered a natural product that offers antifungal properties, it is not considered a home remedy. The natural ingredients in it are formulated to kill toenail fungus and help create healthy nail growth.
VapoRub – Although it is not clear why this product is effective, it is great at stopping the growth and spread of fungal infections. The treatment does not kill the fungus, but it does prevent it from spreading and allows a healthy nail to grow until the infection has been completely trimmed away. There have not been any clinical trials completed on this product.
Hydrogen Peroxide, Listerine and Rubbing Alcohol – Either combined or separately, all of these chemicals have shown major strides in the ability to treat nail fungus. They all provide antiseptic properties. Soak your nails and surrounding areas in your choice of these solutions. They can be combined or used separately for 20 minutes twice per day.
Tea Tree Oil – This oil is considered a very powerful antiseptic and antifungal essential oil. Wash and dry your feet before using this product. Rub the oil on the affected area and surrounding skin twice per day after washing.
Vinegar – Mix vinegar with equal parts water. Soak your toes in the solution for 20 to 30 minutes. Wash thoroughly and dry completely.

These remedies are great to use if the infection is caught in its early stages. If you follow instructions, you may be able to clear the infection up yourself. If the symptoms are bad, or you catch the infection later in the cycle, speak to your doctor before using a home remedy.

How to Cure Toenail Fungus with Tea Tree Oil

Curing Toenail Fungus with Tea Tree Oil

It is not very common for a doctor to recommend natural remedies for treatment of nail fungus. They tend to recommend prescription medications. However, Tea Tree Oil is completely overlooked even though it has been shown effective in treating nail fungus and completely eliminating it. The Mayo Clinic, a well-known source, confirms that Tea Tree Oil is effective. Why is this particular oil effective? It has its own natural anti-fungal properties.

Tea Tree Oil comes from a plant native to Australia. People have it used for centuries to treat infections of various origins. The plant has antimicrobial properties effective in treating infections. The medical community sees a lot of potential in using this oil to treat infections, but they still typically rely solely on man-made medications rather than recommending natural remedies. Treating fungal infections can take a long time and it is very common for someone to give up and drop out of a trial, which throws off the results. Losing just one person from a trial can cause a study to be inconclusive or completely void the trial all together.

The Popularity of Tea Tree Oil

It doesn’t matter how many studies exist on this product, the general public has taken to it extremely well. Tea Tree Oil can be found in a lot of products and a lot of distributors love it. All through the internet you can find people talking about how Tea Tree Oil helped treat their nail fungus and how well it worked. You can find this both on distributor’s testimonials and on different websites.

Customers were excited by the way the treatments worked. The treatments work differently depending on the person and don’t work for everyone.

For Tea Tree Oil to work, it is recommended to be 100% pure and applied directly to the affected nail, as well as the skin around it. This is because this is the perfect place for the fungus to hide. In order for it to be completely effective, it is recommended to use a Tea Tree Oil soap and wash thoroughly with it. Afterwards, you should dry your feet or hands completely and then apply the Tea Tree Oil to the affected area. It should be used several times per day. It is important to be very careful not to use too much. This is because it can irritate the skin.

Tee Tree Oil is a topical treatment. Never ingest it under any circumstances. If ingested, it can cause a severe toxic reaction.

If at any point during treatment with Tea Tree Oil you experience any symptoms of allergic reaction, stop using it immediately and contact your doctor.

Even though Tea Tree Oil is a natural treatment, let your doctor know that you are using it and keep him or her up to date on how your treatment is going.

Beer Soak – Homeopathic Remedy for Nail Fungus

Beer Soak as a Nail Fungus Remedy

Not only is the yellowing of fingernails and toenails unattractive, but it can also be harmful and contagious. Fungus living in or under your nail causes such discoloration. The disorder is not uncommon, but it can make nails become rough and thick as well as turn yellow or white. While a severe case of nail fungus infection may require prescription medication, milder cases may be treated at home with various remedies. Homeopathic remedies have been used for many years and have been proven effective nail fungus treatments.

One of the treatments is very simple. Combine dark beer, also known as stout, white vinegar, and acidophilus together to soak your feet in. Acidophilus is a bacterium that works well in treating nail fungus infections. Mixed with beer, it creates an environment that does not permit growth of the fungus.

Why Does It Work?

The vinegar and acidophilus combine together to create an acidic environment. Fungi cannot survive in an acidic environment. Bacteria, like acidophilus, thrive in this environment and fight infection.

The alcohol in the beer softens the tissue around the nail, allowing the vinegar to get under the nail and begin killing the fungus.

Nail Fungus Soak Recipe

1 large bowl or tub (large enough to soak the affected area)
4 cups white vinegar.
2 pints of stout.
1 sachet of acidophilus
Nail file (use it at least once per week).

Directions

You can use this mixture for up to 48 hours mixing it up. You can use it repeatedly during this time frame.

Mix the ingredients in the soaking container.
Soak the affected nails in the container for at least 30 minutes.
Wash the affected area with warm water and soap.
Dry completely.

Soak the affected area at least twice per day for 3 to 6 months.

Once Per Week

Once per week, right after you have soaked the affected area, use a nail file to file the affected nails. When you do this, expose the new nail. Soak the affected area for an additional 30 minutes. Wash with warm soap and water as you normally would and dry completely.

If you notice that the area around the nail becomes sensitive after you soak them, or during the soak, reduce the number of times you soak them to once per day. After about a month, you will see a change take place.

If the affected area is not too severe, you may see change after about a week of treatment. You must use the treatment on a regular basis and do not miss a treatment. After the fungal infection begins to die off, you will see new, a fresh nail growing from the cuticle area.

Over time, trimming your nail will eventually cut off the portion that was yellow and thick, and a new, beautiful nail will take its place. It may take up to 12 weeks for a new nail to grow in place of the old infected one.

Fungal Toenail Infections and Using Home Remedies

Home Remedies can fight Fungal Infections

‘Home remedy’, is the phrase people think of when something has been passed through generations of family or many people by word of mouth. In some cases, these home remedies do work. Most of these remedies were brought about by people when it wasn’t easy to get to a doctor; so they used the next best thing, by using household items.

Many people agree that many of these home remedies work for nail fungus. Applying Vicks VapoRub, or soaking the nail in Listerine, vinegar, bleach, peroxide, or various essential oils on the affected areas of skin can help.

Although bleach is an item we don’t recommend, people online have suggested it.

Some Useful Remedies

These items change the pH level of the area you apply them to. Since fungus needs a certain amount of pH, this makes it unlivable for the nail fungus. Doing this may affect any other skin that comes in contact with the area. This can cause the skin to dry out, which can cause it to be more susceptible to infection. To help keep this from happening, you can take the solution of vinegar or Listerine and soak a cotton ball in it. Then apply it to the affected area for 15-20 minutes. This will keep the healthy skin around the infection from becoming dry and lower risk for infection.

Many people ask why or how Vicks VapoRub can work. It is pretty unanimous that the eucalyptus rub does show quick results in clearing up toenail fungus. To do this you must rub the entire affected area with the compound. You should see results in clearing of the infection in just a few days.

Although proven to be effective, rubbing alcohol or peroxide can irritate the skin.

If applied to the nail and the area around the infection they will kill the toenail fungus.

When using these remedies remember to be smart about it. All of them have been shown to help slow, kill and/or remove toenail fungus. But, just like any other medications, over-the-counter or prescribed, you should stop treatment right away if the infection gets worse or spreads. If the infected area is already releasing pus or has separated from the nail, don’t use these remedies and seek advice from your healthcare provider.

About the Condition Called Hangnails

Hangnails and their Prevention

The hangnail is one of the most common problems with nails. There are a few things you can do to help prevent hangnails from ruining the look of your hands. Hangnails do more than just make our hands look bad; they cause us pain by snagging on anything and everything. Here we will show you some simple solutions to stopping hangnails.

What Is A Hangnail?

The hangnail is caused by extra skin building up around the nail’s base and sides. This extra skin detaches itself from the nail and sticks up. This skin sticking up can be painful while removing, or commonly ripping and biting it off.

What Causes Hangnails?

Dry cuticles are usually the cause of Hangnails. At the base of the nail is the cuticle, which can dry out and break away from the nail causing a hangnail. Biting, picking, and pulling at hangnails tend to make them worse and last longer. The risk of hangnails is increased if the person spends more time with their hands in water.

This causes the skin to get soft, which allows the skin to be more easily damaged. Children are more commonly seen getting hangnails by biting their nails.

How Do I Prevent Hangnails?

The best way to solve the problem is by preventing it before it happens. You can do this by moisturizing the cuticle.

Some Simple Hangnail Prevention Tips:

Avoid biting or ripping off your hangnails. This can cause bleeding and infection. Use a pair of nail scissors and cut the hangnail close to the base to stop deterioration.
Soak your hand in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes, dry thoroughly, then apply a moisturizing cream or oil to the skin surrounding the nails.
Don’t bite your nails. This will prevent you from getting hangnails. If you find this difficult, there are products you can get to put on your nails. These products will make the nails taste bad and prevent you from biting your nails.
Wear gloves when using cleaners or when your hands are submerged in water for a really long time.