Home Remedies for Fungal Nail Infection
A fungal nail infection, also known as onychomycosis, is one of the most common fungal infections in the world.
It tends to mostly affect the toenails due to the fact that they’re more exposed to humid environments, such as when wearing socks or shoes.
Some of the most common symptoms that accompany a fungal nail infection are:
- Brittle nails,
- Thicker nails,
- Deformed nails,
- Nails assuming a yellowish color,
- Broken nails,
- Complete loss of a nail.
It’s important that you go to your doctor as soon as you start to notice any of these symptoms.
Timely treatment will help prevent nail loss, which tends to happen in advanced stages of infection.
In this article, we’ll offer some home remedies that can help to address this condition.
Home Remedies for Fungal Nail Infection
Apple Cider Vinegar
When you have a fungal nail infection, the surrounding skin suffers an imbalance in pH levels. This creates a more alkaline environment which encourages the spread of the infection.
Because of its acidic nature, apple cider vinegar can make the environment more hostile for fungus.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of apple cider vinegar (125 ml)
- 6 cups of water (1.5 litres)
Materials
- A bowl to wash your feet in
Instructions
- Pour the water into the bowl. The idea is that you need to comfortably submerge your feet.
- Add the apple cider vinegar.
- Soak your feet in the solution for around half an hour.
- Then, rinse your feet with fresh water and be sure to dry your nails well.
- Repeat this every morning and evening until the infection has cleared.
Lemon Juice
Lemon is one of the most effective natural products for treating infections. This is because it has natural antibiotic, antiseptic, and anti-fungal properties.
The concentration of citric acid inside a lemon is a really powerful tool for rebalancing your body’s pH levels.
Instructions
- Rub the lemon directly over the nail and leave it to act for 15 minutes. Rinse with plenty of water and dry well.
- Another option is to pour a little lemon juice over a piece of cotton wool and use some sticky tape to attach it to the infected nail. Leave it to act for 20 minutes, remove the cotton wool, rinse, and dry well.
- If the lemon juice is acidic enough, you can also mix it with a little olive oil and massage your nails with it.
Garlic
As well as it’s multiple uses for cooking, garlic also has antifungal and antibacterial properties. This is due to the ajoene and allicin that it contains, which are highly effective in treating fungal nail infection.
Furthermore, these natural properties prevent the fungus from spreading to the other nails.
Instructions
- Before going to bed at night, cut a clove of garlic in half, and rub one half over the infected nail.
- Leave it to act overnight and wash the nail with soap and water when you wake up the next day.
You can also mix garlic and olive oil.
Ingredients
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil (16 g)
Instructions
- Crush the garlic and mix it with the olive oil.
- Apply the mixture to the infected nails.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is one of the natural remedies with the highest concentration of alkalizing and antiseptic properties. This makes it excellent for regulating your body’s pH levels.
When applied to your nails, it’s a powerful weapon against fungal nail infection. It’s also a natural exfoliant for removing dead cells around the infected nail.
Furthermore, baking soda works as a whitener, which helps to get rid of the yellow colour that infected nails tend to have.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of water (45 ml)
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda (9 g)
Instructions
- Pour the water into a bowl and add the baking soda. Mix them to make a paste. You can add more baking soda if you think it’s necessary.
- Apply the mixture to the infected nail at night and wash it in the morning.
- Repeat this process for 15 days.