How to cure nail fungus at home is the first question a person asks when faced with unpleasant symptoms. Simple and affordable traditional medicine recipes are effective in the early stages of a fungal infection.
Pharmaceutical companies are constantly working to improve old antifungal drugs and bring new ones to market. The assortment of antifungal drugs is huge and gives hope to easily get rid of an unpleasant disease. At the same time, the number of victims of bacterial infestation does not decrease. Paradox? No, a perfectly understandable fact. Microscopic fungi are constantly mutating and adapting to negative survival conditions. New strains are emerging that are resistant to drug therapy. It becomes more and more difficult to remove the fungus. But there is an alternative to conventional treatment. Reliable, proven formulations from conventional medicine eliminate the fungus on the nails of the feet and hands even before the discovery of the first pathogenic virus by scientists.
How and how to cure a fungus at home
Not a single person is immune to onychomycosis infection. Just wearing shoes increases the risk of infection by 50%. Weakened immunity, going to gyms, swimming pools, public baths and saunas are the most common causes of the development of nail fungus. At the first suspicious symptoms (change in the shape or thickening of the nail plate, the appearance of spots, detachment from the bed, itching, redness, peeling), it is necessary to take immediate action. The cheapest treatment option is to use home formulations. However, it should be remembered that traditional medicine is effective only in the initial stages of onychomycosis.
All home remedies can be roughly divided into three groups:
- Pharmacy antiseptics - this includes any over-the-counter drugs that affect the life of the fungus. These are creams, ointments, solutions with a synthetic and natural formula of the active ingredient.
- herbal preparations - essential oils, tinctures and decoctions for baths from medicinal plants can significantly improve the condition of the affected nails in a week.
- Household solutions and substances - soda, salt, table vinegar - effectively eliminate the primary symptoms of the fungus, but require long-term use.
You should be prepared that treating nail fungus is always difficult and time consuming. Methodology and consistency are the essential prerequisites for successful home therapy.
How to cure toenail fungus quickly with pharmaceutical preparations
Often used to treat onychomycosis are the simplest antiseptics that can be bought at any pharmacy for literally a penny. However, dermatologists warn that the use of antiseptics can cause burns and allergic reactions. A high concentration of the antiseptic does not guarantee effectiveness. Moderation and caution are the main principles when treating fungus on the feet and hands with the simplest of solutions.
| Active substance | Application mode |
|---|---|
| iodine | A 1: 1 solution is made from iodine and alcohol. Apply to the affected areas of the nail with a cotton swab twice a day. |
| Medicinal hydrogen peroxide | Mix equal amounts of peroxide and water, apply compresses 2-3 times a day for 30 minutes. |
| formaldehyde | Wipe the affected nails in the morning and evening. |
| Zinc oxide (ointment) | Apply thinly to the nails in the evening and cover with a sterile bandage. |
| Aluminum potassium alum | 0, 5 teaspoons of powder is diluted in a glass of hot water. Treat your nails several times a day. |
How to cure nail fungus at home with plants
Nature is the best helper in the fight against pathogenic microorganisms. Medicinal plants have antibacterial, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties. An ideal kit for the prevention and treatment of onychomycosis. But in large forbs, few species are effective against most strains of yeast infections. The table shows the strongest plants.
| Medicinal plant | Form of medicinal composition | Application mode |
|---|---|---|
| rowan | Grind fresh fruits into a homogeneous pulp | Apply the mixture on the nail affected by the fungus, put a gauze bandage over it, leave the compress on overnight |
| Celandine | Alcohol tincture | Gently lubricate the nail with tincture every night before bed. |
| Oak | Dried bark | Pour 1 tablespoon of bark with 1 liter of water, insist in a water bath for 50-60 minutes. Soak for 10 days every night |
| Tea tree | Volatile oil | Moisten a cotton swab with oil and wipe the affected nail 2 times a day, morning and evening |
| garlic | Grind the cloves to a pulp | Apply mash to the nail, cover with cling film and put on a gauze bandage |
| Tea mushroom | Soaked dried mushroom | A piece of kombucha is applied to the infected nail at night and tied with cling film and then fixed with a bandage. Perfectly softens the plate and makes it easier to remove later |
How to treat nail fungus with household solutions
You can try to get rid of the fungus with well-known products like vinegar or salt. The recipes are very simple:
- Vinegar. The treatment uses ordinary table, apple or wine vinegar 9% and 70% essence. The latter is preferred due to the possibility of adjusting the concentration. You need to soak your feet or hands in medicinal solutions every day for 10-14 days. 250 ml of vinegar or 3 tablespoons of the essence is diluted in 1 liter of boiling water (temperature - the hotter the better). Keep your feet in the solution for 20-30 minutes or until the water cools completely. After 3-4 baths, the affected nails begin to peel off, they need to be removed with orange sticks. Do not cut or tear off the panel.
- Salt. You can treat nail fungus with a saturated saline solution. Dissolve 5-6 tablespoons of table or sea salt in 2 liters of hot water and take a 30-minute bath every night before bed (until the water has cooled completely). Doctors recommend increasing the therapeutic effect of the composition with a pinch of potassium permanganate. Add a few crystals to the bath to make the water turn light pink. The duration of treatment is at least 10 days, even if the symptoms have disappeared after 3-4 procedures.
- Sparkling water. An alkaline environment is harmful to microscopic fungi. Soda compresses and baths help control infections. There are several effective baking soda recipes. Rub the affected nails with a solution: stir 1 teaspoon of baking soda in 50 grams of warm water, moisten the nails with a cotton swab several times a day. Soda-salt bath: thoroughly stir 3 tablespoons of salt and soda into 2 liters of hot water, dip your feet or hands in the solution, do the process for at least 10 days. Compress: quench 1 tablespoon of baking powder with vinegar, apply mash to the nails, wrap tightly with cling film and fix with gauze bandage.
Toenail fungus can only be cured with quickly available means if no more than a week has passed after the infection. With advanced onychomycosis, all home methods are used as an adjunct to systemic drugs. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully examine the nails and feet every day, especially after visiting public changing rooms and wearing work or sports shoes for long periods of time.