Fungal infection of the toenails is a very unpleasant disease. In addition to aesthetic discomfort, it has a negative effect on the patient's immune system. Treatment experience shows that pharmaceutical drugs do not always help to achieve the desired result. Considering their harmful effects on the whole body, it is worth thinking seriously about the meaning of such therapy. Therefore, a natural question arises for the carrier of the infection: how to get rid of nail fungus so that you can forget about the disease forever.
Pros and cons of home therapy
I would like to immediately warn the reader that you should not expect quick results from traditional medicine recipes. Any effect at home can be seen only after regular daily procedures for a certain period of time. It should also be noted that there are different types of nail fungus, so each recipe should be selected individually.
Home therapy has the following advantages:
- naturalness. Homemade medicine contains only natural and well-known ingredients;
- the ability to affect various types of fungal infections. In addition to effective treatment, the home remedy not only has a harmful effect on the body, but also allows strengthening protective functions;
- selection of components taking into account the individual characteristics of the body. When preparing a recipe, it is possible to refuse raw materials that cause allergies;
- existence. Any home remedy against fungi does not use scarce components, which allows you not to store them for future use and prepare medicine as needed.
Preparation procedures
During the treatment, hygiene should be observed, which does not allow the fungal colony to multiply. This includes daily changing of socks, water procedures and use of items for personal use only. Before using external products, the affected nails are subjected to the following treatment:
- soak the nail plate in medicinal baths of soap and soda solution;
- remove the affected areas with a nail file, tweezers or scissors;
- drug administration.
Strengthening the immune system is no less important for the successful removal of fungal infections from the body. For this purpose, experts recommend taking special vitamin complexes that increase the protective functions of the body.
Vinegar-based recipes
Vinegar has received good reviews against fungal infections on the nail plate. Its action is based on the inability of fungal spores to survive in an acidic environment. A prerequisite for successful treatment is the correct proportion of the drug.
Any type of vinegar is used to prepare home remedies: table vinegar or apple cider vinegar. The latter type is preferred because it is made only on the basis of natural ingredients. You can also use vinegar essence, but it is diluted to the required concentration.
Vinegar baths
This method is the simplest and most convenient way to remove nail fungus. Treatment with this method lasts about 2 weeks alternately with other methods.
- Heat 0. 5 liters of 9% vinegar to a pleasantly warm temperature and pour it into a basin. Dip the affected fingers in the liquid and keep it for 15 minutes. Do not rinse with water. For a greater effect, you can wear socks soaked in vinegar overnight;
- Vinegar diluted 1: 1 with carrot juice also helps to get rid of the fungus well. Heat the mixture to 40 ° and steam the leg in it;
- Brew a packet of dried celandine in 1 liter of table vinegar. The duration of infusion is not important - the longer, the better. Add about 5 tbsp to the filtered infusion. l. salt and mix. Use as a warm bath for 5 minutes. To increase the effect, the procedure is carried out several times a day.
Ointments with vinegar
- Pour 100 g of vinegar essence into a fresh chicken egg. Leave it in a dark place for 5-7 days to dissolve the eggshell. Add melted or soft butter to the resulting mixture, then beat everything. The resulting emulsion should resemble mayonnaise. Apply the ointment to the affected nail every evening until the external symptoms disappear completely. During the treatment, the nail plate will soften and peel off. It can be carefully cut to remove the affected area more quickly;
- for this ointment you need 1 tsp. combine dimethyl phthalate with 1 tbsp. l. any vinegar and vegetable oil. A raw egg is added to the thoroughly mixed ingredients and the whole mixture is beaten. The finished ointment is stored in the refrigerator and used as is
night clothes.
Other recipes with vinegar
Dilute the essence of vinegar with plain water in a ratio of 1: 1 and mix it with flaxseed flour. Knead a hard dough similar to plasticine and wrap it in plastic. If necessary, cut a piece of the dough, make a flat cake and place it on the affected nail, securing it with tape. Treatment is carried out for 5 days.
Treatment of nails with iodine
Another available and proven remedy is an alcohol solution of iodine, which is an excellent antiseptic and has tanning and cauterizing properties. Its action is based on the ability to coagulate proteins that make up parasitic fungi.
The daily use of iodine as an antifungal agent has received good reviews. However, before treatment, it is recommended to check individual tolerance of the skin, as cases of allergic reactions are known. For this, apply a drop of substance to the bend of your elbow and wait for about a day. If you experience itching or redness, this method is not for you. If no changes are detected on the skin, you can safely start the treatment.
The most popular method is to simply apply a drop of iodine to the nail plate with a cotton swab twice a day.
It is especially important to ensure that the nail surface is completely saturated with iodine, because live fungal spores can remain in untreated areas.
After a week, a slight burning sensation may appear in the treatment area, which indicates the effectiveness of the treatment and is a sign of the destruction of the fungal colony.
Proven recipes with iodine
Other iodine-based recipes are also used at home, including various components:
- Grind well-dried celandine and combine it with iodine to get a thick paste. Apply the resulting composition to the affected nail, cover it with polyethylene and fix it overnight. 3-5 sessions are usually enough to remove the nail plate;
- in a bowl of hot water (3 liters), dissolve a small bottle of 5% iodine solution or replace it with manganese until the liquid turns pink. Steam your nails for about 10 minutes, then dry them thoroughly and apply a penicillin bandage. The procedure is carried out about 3 times, and an improvement in the condition of the nail plate is observed from the first time;
- Combine iodine solution with apple cider vinegar (1: 1) and mix well. Apply to the nail plate twice a day. Continue the course of treatment for at least 20 days.
Baking soda against fungi
The well-known baking soda is widely used not only in food, but also in medicine. Due to its alkalizing properties, the reserve of alkali in the body increases and the acid-base balance is normalized. When it comes to fungal infections, the effectiveness of baking soda is related to the alkalinization of the surface of the nail plate, which allows creating uncomfortable conditions for the reproduction and vital activity of fungal spores.
Soda baths
- For the bath, you need 2 liters of liquid (40°), soda (2 tablespoons) and soap (grated or liquid in the amount of 1 tablespoon). Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Soak your toes in the solution for 20-30 minutes, then use a pumice stone or foot file to remove the softened nail layer. Then dry your toes well and put clean socks on your feet. Use until the external signs of fungus on the nail plate disappear completely;
- A recipe containing half a cup of soda, 4-5 cups of water (40°), ¼ of the same container of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar is considered a powerful medicine. If you like, you can add half a cup of Epsom salt. After mixing the solution well, you can steam your feet. The procedure lasts about half an hour and is performed every evening.
Baking soda paste
To prepare it, you need to prepare 2-3 teaspoons of soda, a little water and lemon. Mix the first two components until a homogeneous paste is obtained. Apply the resulting composition to the affected nail and immediately squeeze a few drops of lemon juice. A slight bubbling and hissing reaction should occur. After a few minutes, the paste can be washed off with clean water and your feet can be dried.
You can use another simple and affordable recipe to make a cake. To prepare, you need vegetable oil (can be replaced with tea tree oil or another kind) and soda. The two components are mixed to a paste-like state, after which it is applied to the steamed nail plate. The paste on the nail is covered with polyethylene and kept overnight. In the morning, the bandage is removed, the nail is washed with water and dried.
Treatment with hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide works well against nail fungus. It can be used both as a main action and as an auxiliary. The secret of this product is its ability to destroy various pathogenic microflora. To get rid of fungal infection on the nail surface, it is enough to apply a cotton pad soaked in this solution to the affected area for 2-3 months. The procedure is carried out twice a day, the duration varies within 5 minutes.
You can take a bath with this medicine. Hydrogen peroxide is combined with hot water (2 tablespoons: 1 l). Steam your legs in several approaches for 30 seconds with a 2-minute break.
Despite the apparent simplicity of the recipes, each of them has an amazing ability to get rid of the fungus on the nail plate. Therefore, regular implementation of such procedures will help to get rid of this insidious disease for a long time.