Onychomycosis is the medical name for nail fungus. The disease causes many unpleasant sensations, both physical and aesthetic (constant embarrassment, shame, inability to take off shoes or gloves in front of people). It is especially difficult to hide pathology in summer. But an unpleasant appearance is just the tip of the iceberg, and people with this disease know how many problems are associated with it! Today we will talk about treating nail fungus with folk remedies. You will find the most effective recipes and treatment methods in this publication. But first let's look at the causes of the disease, because they will need to be eliminated first!
Why does onychomycosis develop?
Fungus is an infectious disease, and infection occurs after physical contact with a sick person (shaking hands, using the same nail file and other personal hygiene items, wearing the same slippers, shoes, gloves, socks, and so on) . If someone in the family becomes infected, the fungus can easily be passed on to other family members.
The fungus is extremely tenacious and can wait for its victim for a long time on the ceramic coating, on the surface of the bathtub - it is this that poses the greatest danger of transmitting the disease.
You can easily become infected with a fungus outside your home, in common changing rooms, in a bathroom or in a swimming pool. Infection often occurs in nail salons as unscrupulous employees inadequately monitor the hygiene and sterilization of the tools they use to perform the work.
But not everyone is exposed to the infection. For example, if there are 5 people in the same steam room, only 1 of them or none of them will become infected, even if a carrier has been here before. Why? The issue is a weakened immune system - chronically weak immunity or its deterioration after recent illnesses. Infection occurs at lightning speed, all it takes is a light touch of the bare foot on the floor where the person carrying the fungus walked.
Today there are many effective methods for treating nail and foot fungus. Folk remedies or medicines should be used only after consultation with a specialist who will select the most productive therapy. But you cannot delay a visit to the doctor, as the infection spreads quickly and an advanced fungus will be much more difficult to cure.
Signs of fungus
Recognizing the presence of an infectious fungus is very simple. The disease mainly manifests itself with the following symptoms:
- the nail plate changes its appearance and color (it can become whiter, turn yellow, a greenish tinge often appears) and darkens over time;
- with the development of the disease, the nail plate begins to peel off, then crumble and can completely collapse (the crumbling ends at the base, and as soon as the nail begins to grow, it crumbles again);
- unpleasant itching and even painful cracks appear on the skin around the infected nail;
- Excessive foot sweat, unpleasant odor persists even after washing.
To quickly stop the development of the disease and get rid of it as quickly as possible, you need to urgently start treatment for nail fungus. The most effective folk remedies are described in the following content. Below each recipe there will be comments from people who have overcome the disease.
Preparation
Reviews of many pharmaceutical products are mostly not the most enthusiastic. People write that they spend a lot of effort, time and money on treatment, but still the disease persists for years and its development can only stop. Another thing is folk remedies! Most people have found an effective nail fungus treatment. They write that all recipes are based on cheap and publicly available products, the disease begins to regress from the first procedures, you just need to follow the recipe and recommendations correctly. Folk remedies for treating fungus on toenails and fingernails need to be applied correctly, to do this it is necessary to remove most of the affected tissue. This is done like this:
- Heat the water to a comfortable temperature for soaking your feet, you can even make the water a little warm.
- Pour three liters of heated water into a basin or bathtub, mix with 3-4 tablespoons of wine vinegar (if you don't have it, use apple cider vinegar).
- Soak your feet or hands in the bathtub (depending on where the infection is occurring). This procedure will relieve discomfort in the form of itching and disinfect the skin. The skin and the affected part of the nail plate will be steamy and can be easily cut.
- Remove as much of the soaked fabric as possible. The fewer affected areas that remain, the easier it will be to stop the infection and completely eliminate the fungus.
Then you can start treating nail fungus with folk remedies. The most effective, time-tested and people-tested recipes are based on simple and affordable products. We suggest moving on to the review.
Horseradish root
This plant is used in many alternative medicine recipes. Horseradish root is used to combat many diseases, including nail and foot fungus. Treatment with a folk remedy from this product is not the fastest, but one of the most effective. By undergoing this therapy, the fungus dies completely and the growing nail will be healthy! It is necessary in a timely manner, when the nail plate grows, to cut off the modified part, this way you will quickly get rid of the unsightly appearance.
The recipe is simple:
- Peel the horseradish root from the top dark-colored layer and grate the rest on a fine grater.
- Apply the paste to your nails thickly and secure with a bandage.
- It is necessary to keep the product on the legs or arms for at least 8 hours, which is why the procedure is carried out on the weekend or in the evening.
- Wash your nails.
- The procedure is carried out 2 to 3 times a week.
Everyone who tried treatment with a folk remedy for nail fungus left positive comments. They write that the method is effective, helps to cope with the disease relatively quickly and efficiently. The product is very cheap, and this is also noted in the reviews. The only thing is that it is recommended to pass the root through a fine grinder, as it is inconvenient to grate it.
There are those who advise washing your feet and hands every day with a decoction of horseradish and horseradish leaves during the intervening days of therapy. They write that this way the disease will regress twice as fast!
The decoction is made like this:
- Grind 2 horseradish leaves, a little root (a tablespoon should be enough), mix, pour a liter of boiling water.
- Leave for an hour and then strain.
- Place your feet or hands in the bathtub and pour in the broth. Keep your feet in the water for 10 to 15 minutes.
Coffee
Home treatment of nail fungus with folk methods is very diverse and everyone can choose the procedures according to their taste! Here's a popular coffee-based technique. The advantages of the procedures are the spread of a pleasant smell throughout the environment! The method is especially useful when you are going on a visit where you will need to take off your shoes. This procedure almost completely eliminates the unpleasant odor that comes from feet affected by fungus.
What we have to do:
- Prepare natural (strong) coffee - use three tablespoons of crushed beans per liter of boiling water.
- Wait for the drink to cool a little and pour it into a bowl.
- Place your feet in the coffee and keep them there for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Rinse with clean water, dry and put on cotton socks.
Do the procedure every night and soon the fungus will completely disappear and the skin on your feet will become incredibly soft.
People's reviews about the procedure are only positive. Some write that they were initially skeptical of the coffee method; They didn't believe it really helped. Reviews say that natural coffee is much more effective than many popular antifungal remedies sold in pharmacies.
Celandine
Celandine is a poisonous plant, but at the same time very useful for humans. Hundreds of different infusions, decoctions, ointments and lotions are made from it, which help eliminate thousands of diseases. Celandine is productive in treating nail fungus. There are many popular recipes, including baths, lotions and ointments. We choose the most effective publishing methods.
The recipe is:
- Pass the stems and foliage of the plant through a meat grinder, you will get a paste with orange-yellow-green juice. Work only with gloves, as celandine can leave burns on the skin.
- Squeeze the juice, the cake can be prepared in boiling water (for half a kilo of cake, 5 liters of water are used, add to the bath - clean all the skin! ).
- Pour the juice into a glass container, which is convenient to store in the refrigerator - the shelf life of celandine juice is 4 days.
- Fill a basin with warm water, pour two liters of water, dissolve 2 spoons of salt, 6 spoons of soda.
- Soak your nails in water for 15 minutes and then wipe off.
- Take a few drops of celandine juice, mix it with the same amount of water (you can use aloe juice), moisten a cotton pad and apply it to the affected nail plate. Lock it up.
- Remove the disc after 30 minutes. Do not overexpose as this may cause burns to the skin around the nail.
The procedure is carried out every day, once in the evening. The course is until a completely healthy nail grows.
In the morning, it is recommended to apply ointment with celandine juice to your nails, you can do it like this:
- Mix two drops of celandine juice in a teaspoon and take twice as much petroleum jelly or baby cream. Mix and apply to nails.
- Try not to wet your hands for an hour after applying the ointment.
According to reviews, the folk remedy for treating nail fungus is the most effective, or one of the most effective. The cost of treatment is very cheap, as the plant can be harvested from May to September completely free of charge and grows everywhere!
Tea tree oil
It is a natural antiseptic that helps to effectively fight fungal diseases. If fungus appears on your nails, you will definitely appreciate treatment with a folk remedy, it is practical and can be used both at home and at work.
The recipe is:
- At home, steam your hands well in a salt and soda bath. If you need to use the product at work, place your hands under a stream of warm, even hot, water for several minutes.
- Apply a drop of tea tree oil to the affected area and rub in well until it is completely absorbed.
- Don't get your hands wet for at least an hour.
- The procedure is carried out twice a day.
Reviews claim that this therapy can completely eliminate the fungus in the shortest possible time, and the result is noticeable after the first day of use. The plate begins to change color to normal, so only the healthy nail grows.
Garlic
This is a universal root vegetable that has a wide range of uses. Therefore, it is used to enrich the flavor of dishes and to combat numerous infectious diseases, including nail fungus. Effective folk remedies make the treatment of the disease pleasant (you see how the disease regresses), fast and productive. How to use garlic for treatment:
- Peel a clove or several pieces of garlic (depending on how far the disease has spread), pass through a press or grate on a fine grater.
- Boil your hands or feet in water with soda and salt and dry.
- Apply the paste to the infected areas and secure with a bandage. The compress is kept on the nails for at least 3 hours.
- It is necessary to repeat the procedure, as in the case of horseradish, 2-3 times a week.
To speed up the healing process, on days when you don't apply compresses, rub garlic oil into your nails once a day.
Reviews of the product claim that its effectiveness is the same as compresses with horseradish. Unlike the latter, garlic has a strong smell, and then the smell is absorbed by the skin, and it smells for a long time. But you can always find garlic, unlike horseradish!
Rowan leaves
You can treat the fungus with a folk remedy at home using rowan, or more precisely, its foliage. The disadvantage of this method is that fresh foliage is only available in hot climates; cannot be found in winter! But the effectiveness of the product has been proven by many people, and if it is necessary to treat a fungal infection in summer and autumn, it is recommended to try it.
The recipe is:
- A few fresh rowan leaves should be well washed, chopped or chopped.
- Mix the porridge with a few drops of sunflower oil (it can be refined or unrefined, use whatever you have on hand).
- Apply the product to your nails, apply a bandage, remove it after a few hours (at least 3 hours).
- Compresses are applied daily until complete recovery.
Reviews claim that this folk remedy slowly helps with the treatment of advanced nail fungus. If the problem is severe, the fungus is not in the early stages, then it is best not to use this method. As many people write, for advanced infections, celandine lotions, garlic compresses and horseradish help well.
Recipe with hydrogen peroxide
Treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies is used both in the initial stages of the development of the disease and in advanced forms. The product is very productive and many people write reviews about it. Some people use only peroxide, without additives, while others make even more effective products based on it. We would like to present one of the recipes:
- Mix in 4 cups of hot water: half cup baking soda, quarter cup hydrogen peroxide (3%), half cup Epsom salts, quarter cup 9% vinegar.
- Soak a cotton ball in the solution, squeeze out some of the excess, apply it to the painful nail and secure it with a bandage or plaster.
- After 10 hours, change the disc to a new one, soaked in the same composition (it must be stored in the refrigerator, it is enough for the entire course).
- The duration of the course is one month, during which the fungus will completely disappear and healthy, smooth and beautiful nails will grow!
Other treatments
How many people haven't tried to rid their nails of fungus! There are simply incredible methods, and they are written in reviews, which helps a lot, despite the confusion in the recipes! So, you can find the following methods:
- Apply kerosene to the affected area of the nail. Wrap your finger in plastic wrap and hold it for 15 minutes on your hands and 30 minutes on your feet.
- It is recommended to apply a rust neutralizer, sold in automotive supply stores, to severely affected plates with an advanced form of the fungus. I advise you to follow the safety rules: wear gloves when the windows are open, avoid contact of the product with the skin and mucous membranes.
Hand and foot care during treatment
To quickly overcome the disease, you need to follow some rules for caring for the skin of the extremities and nails:
- In the morning after waking up and in the evening after all walks, you need to wash your hands and feet thoroughly with tar soap. This product has a disinfectant effect, the fungus does not multiply.
- Sweat creates favorable conditions for the development of fungi, which is why shoes should be made from natural, breathable materials.
- When treating nail fungus with folk remedies, the fastest results will be if you start treating shoes with antiseptics every day. Socks, bed linen - for single use!
During therapy, avoid visiting bathhouses, swimming pools, saunas and other places where you could infect someone else. At home, so that family members don't get hurt, only wear your own slippers, don't allow anyone else to use them, don't go barefoot.
Nail fungus, the treatment of which we discussed at home with folk remedies in the article, is not a runny nose! And to completely get rid of the disease, you need to be patient and follow all the recommendations.
Only if the prescribed conditions are met will effective results be obtained in treating nail fungus with folk remedies. Photos of the components for preparing potions are available in the article.