How to Get Rid of Toenail Fungus

How to Get Rid of Toenail Fungus

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Looking at sickening toenail fungus – yours or a companion’s – is the stuff of bad dreams. On the off chance that your stained, yellow nails have nothing to do with absence of hygiene, you may experience the ill effects of a nail growth.

Having a nail parasite is maybe considerably more disgusting than managing head lice. The main temperance is that it doesn’t promptly spread from individual to individual, however it can undoubtedly spread to sound nails encompassing the contagious disease.

Thinking about how to dispose of toenail growth? Simply read on.

Causes and Symptoms of a Nail Fungus

• Nail fungus, medically known as onychomycosis, is the same fungus that causes athlete’s foot.
• Nail fungus affects toenails more often than fingernails, due to the fungi-friendly dark, moist and warm environment inside your shoes.
• A fungal infection in the nails is often marked by a discoloration and yellowing of the nails. The infected nails tend to become thick and crumbly as well.
• A progressed infection may cause pain, inflammation and give rise to secondary infections. The brittle and ragged nails also may separate from the nail bed and emit a foul odor.

Preventing a Nail Fungus

• Clean your feet and hands regularly, and keep your nails trimmed short and dry.
• Wear sandals or other open-toed shoes when you can, and always wear absorbent cotton socks when you have to wear closed shoes.
• Never go barefoot in public places like swimming pools, showers and locker rooms. This will help prevent you from picking up a nail fungus.
• Wear gloves while cleaning or doing dishes by hand to avoid overexposure to water as this keeps the fingernails moist for prolonged periods of time, making them susceptible to a fungal infection.
• Never pick at the skin around your nails, as besides giving rise to hang nails it also makes the nails vulnerable to fungal infection.
• Make sure your salon sterilizes the instruments used in manicures and pedicures. You should also give your nails a break from artificial nails and nail polish from time to time.

Home Treatment for a Nail Fungus

Home remedies and mild over-the-counter applications can effectively treat a nail fungus. They key is to find what works for you and be persistent until the infection goes away completely.

File down the fungus-affected nails with a good nail file as much as you can before starting the remedies for maximum benefit. Keep filing the nail regularly during the course of the remedy. This will allow the treatment to work better and allow your healthy nail to grow out faster.

Here are four simple remedies to get rid of a nail fungus.

Method 1: Use a Vinegar and Listerine Soak

A Listerine soak has long been doing rounds on the Internet, courtesy of its efficacy against numerous fungal conditions like athlete’s foot and bad foot odor. Due to the disinfecting properties of Listerine, it can also be used to cure a nail fungus.

Alcohol is the active ingredient in Listerine that fights the fungus, so alcohol-free Listerine won’t work as well. Combining Listerine with vinegar works even better, as the acidic nature of vinegar effectively inhibits the fungal growth in the nails.

Things you’ll need:

• White vinegar (inhibits fungal growth)
• Listerine (contains alcohol that has disinfecting properties)

Step 1. Combine equal parts of vinegar and Listerine

• Pour white vinegar into a bowl.
• Pour in an equal amount of Listerine.
• Make sure that the volume of the solution is sufficient to soak the affected nails.

Step 2. Soak the affected nails in the solution

• Soak the fungus-affected nails in the solution for about 30 minutes.
• Rinse with plain water and gently pat dry with an absorbent towel.
• Repeat twice a day for at least a couple of months.

Method 2: Use an Apple Cider Vinegar and Epsom Salt Soak

The fungus in your nails thrives in the alkaline environment it creates around itself. Vinegar can help maintain an acidic environment in the area, which can inhibit the fungal growth and act as a fungicidal agent over a period of time.

Epsom salt is one of the oldest and most effective home remedies for nail fungus that can be used with raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar to cure the problem. Epsom salt is known to effectively kill the fungal growth in your nails over time and also help with foot odor.

Things you’ll need:

• Hot water – 2 to 3 cups
• Epsom salt (fungicidal agent) – ¼ cup
• Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (inhibits fungal growth) – ¼ cup

Step 1. Make an Epsom salt-vinegar solution

• Pour 2 to 3 cups of hot water into a bowl and add ¼ cup of Epsom salt to it.
• Pour in ¼ cup of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar.
• Mix the ingredients completely. Keeping the ratio about the same, you can adjust the quantity of the solution according to your needs.

Step 2. Soak the affected nails in the solution

• Check the temperature of the water to make sure that it’s bearably hot.
• Immerse the fungus-affected fingernails or toenails completely into the water and let them soak for about 20 to 30 minutes.
• Pat the area dry with an absorbent towel.
• Repeat the remedy twice a day for at least a couple of months for full recovery.

Method 3: Use Vicks VapoRub

While there are numerous hacks for using Vicks VapoRub, here we’re focusing on its utility as an efficient nail fungus treatment. This remedy is not only hailed by home remedy aficionados but is also supported by many health care providers.

Camphor, menthol, eucalyptus oil, turpentine oil, cedar leaf oil and nutmeg oil are the active ingredients in Vicks VapoRub that make it effective against toenail fungus. The petroleum jelly base softens the nails and promotes growth.

Things you’ll need:

• Vicks VapoRub (acts as a fungicidal agent)
• Gauze

Step 1. Cover the affected nails with Vicks

• Apply Vicks VapoRub on the clean and dry toenails affected with the fungus.
• Get the Vicks under the nail as much as you can, and liberally coat the skin around the infected toenails.

Step 2. Wrap the toenails in gauze

• Wrap a gauze bandage around the toes with the infected nails, securing the Vicks over the affected area. Avoid wrapping the bandage too tight.
• Do this before going to bed and leave it on overnight.
• Repeat every night for 2 to 3 months for complete recovery.

Method 4: Use Hydrogen Peroxide

Generally used to disinfect cuts and wounds, hydrogen peroxide can also get rid of a fingernail or toenail fungus. It is an effective remedy that is safe for the skin and is also used to treat a yeast infection.

Using hydrogen peroxide in a hot water soak along with white vinegar and baking soda can yield great results. Hot water softens the hard nails, allowing the healing solution to penetrate deeply. Vinegar and baking soda further help soften the nails and inhibit the fungal growth.

Things you’ll need:

• Hot water – 1 quart
• 3% hydrogen peroxide (fungicidal agent) – ¼ cup
• Baking soda (inhibits fungal growth) – ½ cup
• White vinegar (inhibits fungal growth) – ½ cup

Step 1. Combine the ingredients

• Pour 1 quart of hot water into a bowl and add ½ cup of white vinegar to it.
• Add ¼ cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide to it as well.
• Add ½ cup of baking soda and mix the ingredients together.

Step 2. Soak the affected nails in the solution

• Soak the infected nails in this solution for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Rinse with plain water and pat dry with a towel.
• Repeat once or twice a day, especially before going to bed at night, for a couple of months.

Tips

• You can substitute olive oil with grape seed oil in the essential oil remedy.
• You can infuse coconut oil with camphor to treat a nail fungus.
• Combine one or more remedies for faster recovery. For example, follow soaks and footbaths with topical applications.
• Do not mix the hydrogen peroxide and iodine remedies.

Source: fabhow.com

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