Fungal infection of the nail plate is an infectious disease that is caused by several types of harmful microorganisms. Since the fungus leads not only to deformation, but also, in case of complications, to rejection of the nail, 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 it. Signs of onychomycosis do not appear immediately, but gradually. The first symptoms almost always go unnoticed, especially if the person has not previously encountered a similar problem.
The main harbingers of the disease are itching of the skin of the palms and soles, and discoloration of the nails. If you start therapy at this stage, it will be easy to cure. In addition to itching and changes in the shade of the nail plate, fragility appears, inflammation of the areas of the fingers near the nails is observed, as well as thickening of the skin around it.
Important! The pathological process should be diagnosed by a doctor, who will also tell you what folk remedies should be used to treat mycosis.
Causes of nail fungus
Depending on the type of lesion and its location, there are many causes. Nail fungus affects not only the feet, but also the hands. When one nail becomes infected, the lesion spreads to the other. This disease is contagious, so it is worth familiarizing yourself with the causes of their occurrence on the arms and legs.
On foot
Mycosis is a public disease, since it is easiest to become infected in places where it is widely used:
- Infection can occur in a swimming pool, sauna or bathhouse. Harmful microorganisms remain in the shower on the floor, on changing benches, and rugs. High humidity is a favorite environment for the life and reproduction of pathogenic fungi.
- At home in the bathroom. Even if a person does not visit swimming pools or wash in a public shower at work, this will not protect him from infection. If there is already a carrier of the infection in the family, the use of one towel, washcloth and soap becomes the cause of family infection. Bathroom mats, shower grates, and an unwashed bathtub can also become a source of infection.
- At a pedicure session. Manicurists and pedicurists are required to sterilize their instruments after each use. If these rules are ignored, the client may become infected not only with a fungus, but also acquire additional skin problems.
- When trying on shoes. Not all stores and retail outlets control the process of trying on shoes when purchasing them. When choosing a new pair, you should try it on with a sock, as the likelihood of problems with nails and skin in the form of fungus increases.
- When walking barefoot on the beach. Particles from the feet of infected patients remain on the sand, and when walking barefoot, a healthy person can contract onchemycosis.
On hands
Before you think about how to get rid of fingernail fungus using 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 will be different. The most common include:
- disruption of the endocrine gland, the presence of severe blood diseases that lead to complications;
- increased level of sweat on the palms;
- long-term use of antibacterial agents or drugs against malignant tumors;
- the presence of chronic gastrointestinal diseases, which lead to a weakening of the body’s resistance to various microorganisms;
- formation of damage during professional activities, household chores;
- manicure with non-sterile instruments.
How can adults and children get rid of fungus?
Depending on what form of the disease is being dealt with, therapy may differ. 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. 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, because this makes getting rid of the lesion much easier. Therefore, together with the listed methods, hardware treatment options are practiced.
Folk remedies recipes
Treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies occurs after consultation with a doctor. After diagnostics and tests, the specialist takes into account the individual needs of the patient and prescribes appropriate medications. It is not worth practicing independent treatment, since ignorance of some of the features of the disease and the presence of an allergy to some components of the remedy or folk method will lead to complications.
Vinegar essence and egg
Vinegar and other acids destroy microorganisms that provoke the development of fungus. Therefore, vinegar essence or ordinary table 9% is quite often used in treatment. Baths with it can help even with advanced forms. They use it to make baths, lotions, and prepare ointments. The most effective remedy with this component is an ointment, which includes a chicken egg with butter. Making homemade ointment:
- Wash one egg and place it in a container so that it does not touch the walls or peek out.
- Pour it not with vinegar, but with vinegar essence (70%).
- Place in a dark place for a couple of days, during which time the shell should completely dissolve.
- Remove the film from the resulting composition, then mix it with the essence.
- Add a spoonful of butter, beat.
Apply the mixture to the affected areas before going to bed. To improve the effect, rewind with a bandage. Treat with it for at least one and a half months or until the problem is completely eliminated.
To prepare the second recipe, you 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 used before bedtime. After application, wear mittens or socks, depending on the location of the lesion. The result after daily application of the composition should appear 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. For preparation, 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 nails, if any, should be trimmed. Apply the solution using a cotton pad. Remove it from the nail plate only after stopping the hissing process, which is characteristic of peroxide. Afterwards, wash your feet and hands and lubricate the affected areas with tea tree essential oil. Even though this recipe is quite effective, it will take a month for your nails to grow back.
Tea mushroom
Previously, kombucha was popular and was found in almost every home. Despite its current irrelevance, it is an effective folk remedy in the fight against fungus. It has an antibacterial effect. For the first treatment option, it is not the liquid that is used, but the mushroom itself. A small piece is applied to the affected area, wrapped in a bandage or plastic bag. Leave it like this until it dries or in the morning. For preventive purposes, in addition to lotions, the kombucha liquid itself is also used. In addition to lotions, kombucha is used in other ways. To do this, it should be crushed and rubbed into the affected nails or skin on the feet or hands. Do this at least twice a day.
The next option involves the presence of a three-month infusion of kombucha. The liquid in which the mushroom 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, those who suffer from diabetes or alcoholism, since this mushroom contains alcohol.
Treatment with laundry soap
Another home option for eliminating fungi involves using laundry soap. Despite the fact that experts consider this option not very effective, it is still used as an auxiliary one. Laundry soap has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
It helps soften the nail during baths, which simplifies the subsequent nail treatment process. To enhance the effect, tar and vinegar are used in tandem with soap. You can speed up the healing process by using the following options for using the product:
- wash your feet or hands with laundry soap 2 times a day (morning and evening);
- steam your feet with a small amount of grated laundry soap for at least 20 minutes (a spoonful of soap per liter of hot water);
- soap your feet, wait 20 minutes.
After the presented manipulations, the skin and nail plates soften, which simplifies their processing.
Birch tar and tar soap
Birch tar and its derivatives, most often soap, are used to solve cosmetic problems. These include increased oiliness of the skin, the occurrence of comedones, and this also includes nail fungus. Previously, birch tar was used to eliminate skin lesions by lubricating the skin and nails with it. But before doing this, it is worth steaming it in soapy water or another solution. After removing dead skin using a pumice stone, nail file or scissors, the tar is applied with a cotton swab and left for several hours without dressings.
In addition to using it in its pure form, you can prepare an ointment based on it. For this you need baby cream and tar. Mix in equal quantities. Also use by applying to the required areas. Leave the ointment for 2 hours, then wash your feet (hands) in warm water.
Another way to cure a fungal infection is also to create 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. Mix all this until smooth. To make the process easier, heat in a water bath. Apply the resulting composition to the nails and cover with a band-aid.
Folk remedies for treating nail fungus involve the use of tar soap. With it, as with household items, you can make baths and lotions. 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 manifestations.
Iodine solution against fungus
Iodine is used to combat the proliferation of microorganisms on nails and skin. It helps eliminate unpleasant odor as well as itching. To get the effect of this remedy, you should use it systematically for a month or two.
To get rid of fungal infection, you need to take a 5% solution and apply it twice a day. They also make baths with it, adding it to hot water. The procedure lasts at least 15 minutes, and after that, hydrogen peroxide is applied to the damaged nails.
Lotions are made using iodine solution. For preparation you need nitrofungin with garlic juice, iodine and vinegar essence. Mix everything in equal quantities, stir and apply to the steamed area of skin overnight. Also, with this composition, affected areas of the nails can be easily removed.
Important! After using files, scissors and other objects to remove the lesion, it is necessary to disinfect it. This is necessary to eliminate the possibility of re-infection.
Potassium permanganate solution
The easiest way to disinfect a surface is to treat it with potassium permanganate. This product allows you to use it for both lotions and baths. The easiest way is to take a moistened cotton swab, dip it in manganese and treat the skin and nails.
- To prepare an antimicrobial bath you need half a liter of vinegar and 10 grams of manganese. Dilute all this in 10 liters of boiled hot water. Keep your feet or hands in this liquid for 20 minutes. Repeat the procedure until 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 to the lesion. Put on a sock after bandaging the area. Keep the lotion for at least a quarter of an hour.
Essential oil lotions
Traditional methods of treatment are inexhaustible, and everyone can choose a more effective option for themselves. Oils, essential and otherwise, are used for a variety of purposes, but have also proven themselves to be an effective solution to the problem of fungus. 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 consists of 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 signs of the disease disappear. No less common is a mixture of two oils – tea tree and lemon. This composition will quickly return your nails to their previous condition.
Important! Using tea tree oil often leads to darkening of the nail plate.
Baths and compresses of table or sea salt
The simplest and most effective remedy against fungus consists of sea or table salt. In addition to this, you will need iodine with soda, essential oils, garlic water and more. For the first bath, you need to mix a glass of soda with a liter of water, two tablespoons of salt and an iodine solution.
The next option requires the use of essential oils, which have a calming effect and disinfecting properties. For 100 grams of salt you need 6 drops of oil. Chamomile, eucalyptus, juniper are suitable. Lotions are also made with salt. The solution requires a tablespoon of sea or table salt, as much as garlic juice. Dissolve all this in a glass of water. Apply to the nail plate and skin twice a day.
Important! Sea salt baths are effective even for advanced forms of the disease.
Mumiyo
This pharmaceutical drug is a means of wide application and action. Its rich composition allows you to eliminate the signs of onychomycosis. But its significant disadvantage is that it can cause an allergic reaction. This remedy negatively affects the proliferation of fungi by activating various processes. They allow you to destroy 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 the treatment of mycosis is the one that is ideal for a particular patient. If we are talking about the initial form of the disease, then the simplest and most inexpensive means are suitable for therapy. These include lotions with vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and iodine solution. The best foot baths with hands are when adding sea salt or regular table salt, also with the same potassium or iodine permanganate.
Despite the cheapness and ease of preparation, the use of these options leads to rapid achievement of the effect. The more advanced the form, the lower the likelihood of eliminating the manifestations of the disease. In this case, you cannot do without the use of medications.
Important! When using folk remedies, the main condition is systematic use.
Reviews
After people notice manifestations of the disease, they often do not go to the doctor for a consultation, but go to the forum and read 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 on the topic of onychomycosis and its therapy. Each of them is effective in a specific case. If we are talking about an advanced form of the disease, the traditional treatment option will not work. Therefore, it is worth saying stop to alternative medicine before an examination by a specialist occurs.
Prevention of fungus on nails
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 bathrooms and showers in places of widespread use, saunas and baths;
- try on shoes while shopping in socks;
- prefer socks made of cotton fabric;
- refuse someone else's shoes;
- do not use other people’s personal hygiene items;
- keep your feet dry;
- monitor your health status, since a fungal disease manifests itself against a background of general malaise.
Important! Compliance with preventive measures is also necessary after treatment, since after recovery the patient has an increased risk of relapse.
Conclusion: 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 at the first signs of the disease, but also in advanced forms of nail fungus. Watch the video from the user: how to quickly get rid of nail fungus.