Fungal infection of the nail plate is an infectious disease caused by various types of harmful microorganisms. Since the fungus not only leads to deformation, but also to rejection of the nail in the event of complications, it must be treated. A folk remedy for nail fungus is the safest and most effective treatment option for the disease.
Nail fungus and its signs
Before using folk remedies for nail fungus, you should make sure that this is the case. Signs of onychomycosis do not appear immediately, but gradually. The first symptoms almost always go unnoticed, especially if the person has never had a similar problem before.
The most important harbingers of the disease are itching of the skin on the palms and soles and discoloration of the nails. If you start therapy at this stage, a cure is easily possible. In addition to itching and changes in the color of the nail plate, brittleness occurs, inflammation of the areas of the fingers near the nails occurs, as well as thickening of the skin around them.
Important! The pathological process should be diagnosed by a doctor, who will also tell you which folk remedies should be used to treat mycoses.
Causes of nail fungus
There are many causes depending on the type of lesion and its location. Nail fungus affects not only the feet, but also the hands. If one nail becomes infected, the lesion spreads to the other. This disease is contagious, so it is worth familiarizing yourself with the causes of its appearance on the arms and legs.
On foot
Mycosis is a widespread disease because it is most easily infected in places where it is widespread:
- Infection can occur in a swimming pool, sauna or bathhouse. Harmful microorganisms remain in the shower on the floor, on changing benches and carpets. High humidity is a preferred environment for the life and reproduction of pathogenic fungi.
- At home in the bathroom. Even if a person does not visit a swimming pool at work or wash in a public shower, this does not protect them from infection. If there is already a carrier of the infection in the family, the use of a towel, washcloth and soap becomes the cause of familial infection. Bathroom mats, shower screens and an unwashed bathtub can also be a source of infection.
- During a pedicure session. Manicurists and pedicurists are required to sterilize their instruments after each use. If these rules are not followed, the client can not only become infected with a fungus, but also develop additional skin problems.
- When trying on shoes. Not all stores and retail outlets control the process of trying on shoes when purchasing. When choosing a new pair, be sure to try them on with a sock, as the likelihood of problems with nails and skin in the form of fungus increases.
- Walking barefoot on the beach. Particles from the feet of infected patients remain in the sand, and a healthy person can get onchemycosis while walking barefoot.
On hands
Before thinking about how to get rid of fingernail fungus with folk remedies, you should familiarize yourself with the causes of its occurrence. The palm does not come into contact with the causative agent of the disease as often as the foot, so the routes of infection of the nail plate on the hands are different. The most common include:
- Disruption of the endocrine gland, the presence of serious blood diseases leading to complications;
- increased sweating on the palms;
- long-term use of antibacterial agents or drugs against malignant tumors;
- the presence of chronic gastrointestinal diseases that lead to a weakening of the body's resistance to various microorganisms;
- Damage caused during professional activity, housework;
- Manicure with non-sterile instruments.
How can adults and children get rid of the fungus?
Depending on what form of the disease it is, the therapy can be different. At the first manifestations on the skin of the hands or feet or the nails of the extremities, you should consult a pediatrician if it is a child, a therapist or a dermatologist if it is an adult.
The specialist will prescribe the necessary medication for you. These include tablets and ointments. In addition, many of them recommend folk remedies for nail fungus. These methods are no less effective and help fight the problem, even if it is an advanced version.
Important! Therapy requires an integrated approach, as this greatly facilitates the elimination of the lesion. Therefore, along with the listed methods, hardware treatment options are also practiced.
Recipes for folk remedies
Treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies is carried out after consulting a doctor. After diagnostics and tests, the specialist takes into account the patient's individual needs and prescribes appropriate medication. It is not worth carrying out independent treatment, since ignorance of some features of the disease and the presence of an allergy to some components of the drug or folk method lead to complications.
vinegar essence and egg
Vinegar and other acids destroy microorganisms that provoke the development of fungi. Therefore, vinegar essence or ordinary table vinegar 9% is often used in the treatment. Baths can also help with advanced forms. They use it to make baths, lotions and ointments. The most effective remedy with this component is an ointment containing a chicken egg with butter. Make homemade ointment:
- Wash an egg and place it in a container so that it does not touch the walls or stick out.
- Do not pour it with vinegar, but with vinegar essence (70%).
- Place in a dark place for a few days. During this time the shell should completely dissolve.
- Remove the film from the resulting composition, then mix it with the essence.
- Add a spoonful of butter and beat.
Apply the mixture to the affected areas before bed. To improve the effect, wrap it back with a bandage. Treat it for at least a month and a half or until the problem is completely resolved.
To prepare the second recipe, you will also need essence (1 tbsp) with an egg, as well as dimethyl phthalate (1 tsp). Mix all components and leave in a cold place for 24 hours. The resulting ointment can also be applied before bedtime. After application, wear mittens or socks depending on the location of the lesion. The result after daily use of the composition should be visible after 3-4 weeks.
peroxide and vinegar
Fungal nail disease can also be treated with vinegar and peroxide. With the help of this composition it is removed from the skin in 1 week. To prepare it, hydrogen peroxide 3% and the same vinegar are used. It is necessary to mix these solutions in equal quantities. If a 3% vinegar solution is not available, it is worth diluting a 9% solution with water in a ratio of 1 to 3.
Before applying the resulting liquid, it is worth preparing the surface. The hand or foot should be washed with antibacterial soap and the nails trimmed if necessary. Apply the solution with a cotton pad. Remove it from the nail plate only after the hissing process characteristic of peroxide has stopped. Then wash your feet and hands and lubricate the affected areas with tea tree essential oil. Although this recipe is very effective, it will take a month for your nails to grow back.
tea mushroom
Kombucha used to be popular and found in almost every household. Despite its current insignificance, it is an effective folk remedy in the fight against fungi. It has an antibacterial effect. The first treatment option uses the fungus itself rather than the liquid. A small piece is applied to the affected area and wrapped in a bandage or plastic bag. Leave it like this until it dries or in the morning. In addition to lotions, the kombucha liquid itself is also used for prevention. In addition to lotions, kombucha is also used in other ways. To do this, it should be crushed and rubbed into the affected nails or the skin on the feet or hands. Do this at least twice a day.
The next option involves the presence of a three-month kombucha infusion. The liquid in which the fungus floats is also used as a solution for lotions. It must first be strained and boiled for at least 40 minutes.
Important! It is not recommended to use this option for pregnant and lactating women, suffering from diabetes or alcoholism, as this mushroom contains alcohol.
Treatment with laundry soap
Another way to eliminate fungus at home is to use laundry soap. Although experts consider this option not very effective, it is still used as an auxiliary option. Laundry soap has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
It helps to soften the nail during bathing, which makes subsequent nail treatment easier. To enhance the effect, tar and vinegar are used along with soap. You can speed up the healing process by using the following ways to use the product:
- Wash your feet or hands with laundry soap twice a day (morning and evening).
- Steam your feet with a small amount of grated laundry soap (a spoonful of soap per liter of hot water) for at least 20 minutes;
- Soap feet, wait 20 minutes.
After the presented manipulations, the skin and nail plates become softer, which simplifies their processing.
Birch tar and tar soap
Birch tar and its derivatives, most commonly soap, are used to solve cosmetic problems. These include increased oiliness of the skin, the appearance of comedones, but also nail fungus. Historically, birch tar was used to eliminate skin lesions by lubricating the skin and nails with it. However, before that it is worth steaming it in soapy water or another solution. After removing dead skin with a pumice stone, nail file or scissors, the tar is applied with a cotton swab and left without bandages for several hours.
In addition to using it in pure form, you can make an ointment from it. For this you need baby cream and tar. Mix in equal quantities. Also use it by applying it to the required areas. Leave the ointment on for 2 hours and then wash your feet (hands) in warm water.
Another way to cure a fungal infection is to make a tar ointment. To prepare it you need badger fat or cream, sulfur powder and tar. The mixture consists of two parts tar and one part fat and sulfur. Stir everything until smooth. To facilitate the process, heat it in a water bath. Apply the resulting composition to the nails and cover them with a plaster.
Folk remedies for treating nail fungus involve the use of tar soap. You can use it to make baths and lotions, just like you can with household items. It also has antibacterial properties. Tar soap and ointments based on it are effective products, but their significant disadvantage is the specific smell, as well as some limitations.
Important! Soap and ointments should not be used if the patient has sensitive or dry skin or has allergic symptoms.
Iodine solution against fungi
Iodine is used to combat the proliferation of microorganisms on nails and skin. It helps eliminate unpleasant odors and itching. To achieve the effect of this remedy, you should use it systematically for a month or two.
To get rid of a fungal infection, you need to take a 5% solution and apply it twice a day. They also make baths with it by adding it to hot water. The procedure lasts at least 15 minutes, after which hydrogen peroxide is applied to the damaged nails.
Lotions are made with iodine solution. To prepare it, you need nitrofungin with garlic juice, iodine and vinegar essence. Mix everything in equal amounts, stir and apply to the steamed skin area overnight. In addition, affected areas of the nails can be easily removed with this composition.
Important! After the lesion is removed with files, scissors and other objects, it must be disinfected. This is necessary to exclude the possibility of reinfection.
Potassium permanganate solution
The easiest way to disinfect a surface is to treat it with potassium permanganate. With this product you can use it for both lotions and baths. The easiest way is to take a moistened cotton swab, dip it in manganese and use it to treat your skin and nails.
- To prepare an antimicrobial bath you will need half a liter of vinegar and 10 grams of manganese. Dilute everything in 10 liters of boiling hot water. Leave your feet or hands in this liquid for 20 minutes. Repeat the process until a recovery occurs.
- For lotions, add half a teaspoon of liquid potassium permanganate to a glass of water. Add some lemon juice here. Moisten a napkin or cotton pad with this solution and apply it to the lesion. Put on a sock after bandaging the area. Keep the lotion for at least a quarter of an hour.
Lotions with essential oils
Traditional treatment methods are inexhaustible and everyone can choose a more effective option for themselves. Essential and other oils are used for various purposes but have also proven to be an effective solution to the fungal problem. Onychomycosis is eliminated by using tea tree oil, lemon, eucalyptus, mint, thymol and pine. Also castor oil, avocado oil, coconut oil.
The first solution for the lotion is a small amount of vinegar and eucalyptus oil. Leave the composition for three days and store in a cool place after use. Lubricate the affected nail and skin with it. Use until the signs of illness disappear. No less common is a mixture of two oils – tea tree oil and lemon oil. This composition quickly returns your nails to their previous condition.
Important! The use of tea tree oil often causes darkening of the nail plate.
Baths and compresses made from table or sea salt
The simplest and most effective antifungal remedy is sea or table salt. In addition, you will need iodine with baking soda, essential oils, garlic water and more. For the first bath, you need to mix a glass of baking soda with a liter of water, two tablespoons of salt and an iodine solution.
The next option requires the use of essential oils that have a calming and disinfecting effect. For 100 grams of salt you need 6 drops of oil. Chamomile, eucalyptus, juniper are suitable. Lotions are also made with salt. For the solution you will need a tablespoon of sea or table salt and garlic juice. Dissolve the whole thing in a glass of water. Apply to the nail plate and skin twice a day.
Important! Sea salt baths are also effective for advanced forms of the disease.
Mummyyo
This medicine is a remedy with wide application and effect. Its rich composition allows you to eliminate the signs of onychomycosis. However, its main disadvantage is that it can cause allergic reactions. This agent has a negative effect on the spread of fungi by activating various processes. They allow the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms without pain and unnecessary problems. This drug allows you to restore the natural process of skin regeneration, which leads to rapid healing of lesions on the leg and arm.
Inexpensive and effective remedy
The best remedy for treating mycoses is the one that is ideal for a particular patient. When it comes to the initial form of the disease, the simplest and most cost-effective means of therapy are suitable. These include lotions with vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and iodine solution. The best foot baths with your hands are the addition of sea salt or regular table salt, also with potassium or iodine permanganate.
Despite the cost-effectiveness and ease of preparation, the use of these options leads to a rapid achievement of the effect. The more advanced the form, the less likely it is that the symptoms of the disease will be eliminated. In this case, you cannot do without the use of medications.
Important! When using folk remedies, systematic application is the main requirement.
Reviews
Often, having noticed manifestations of the disease, people do not go to the doctor for advice, but go to the forum and read the reviews of those who have already solved their problem. This option is suitable if the patient is at least somewhat knowledgeable about the treatment.
There is a lot of information and videos on the Internet about onychomycosis and its treatment. Each of them is effective in a specific case. If it is an advanced form of the disease, the traditional treatment option will not work. It is therefore worth stopping using alternative medicine before being examined by a specialist.
Prevention of nail fungus
A good method of eliminating onychomycosis is its prevention. The fight against the disease begins with the following recommendations:
- refuse to walk barefoot on the beach;
- Use rubber slippers when using toilets and showers in places of frequent use, saunas and baths.
- Trying on shoes in socks while shopping;
- give preference to socks made of cotton fabric;
- reject someone else's shoes;
- Do not use other people's personal hygiene items.
- Keep your feet dry;
- Monitor your health, as a fungal disease manifests itself against a background of general malaise.
Important! Even after treatment, compliance with preventive measures is necessary, since after recovery the patient is at increased risk of relapse.
Diploma: Folk remedies for the treatment of nail plate fungus are an effective method that even experienced specialists consider. Therefore, it is actively used not only for the first signs of the disease, but also for advanced forms of nail fungus. Watch the user's video: How to get rid of nail fungus quickly.