Fungal infection of the nail plate is an infectious disease 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. The folk remedy for nail fungus is the safest and most effective way to treat this 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 remain unnoticed, especially if the person has not encountered a similar problem before.
The main harbingers of the disease are itching of the skin of the palms and soles and a change in the color of the nails. If you start treatment at this stage, it will heal easily. In addition to itching and a change in the color of the nail plate, fragility appears, inflammation of the area 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 which 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 getting to know the causes of their appearance on the hands and feet.
On your feet
Mycosis is a public disease, because it is easiest to get infected in places where it is widely used:
- Infection can occur in a swimming pool, sauna or bathroom. Harmful microorganisms remain in the shower on the floor, on changing benches and mats. High humidity is a favorite environment for the life and reproduction of pathogenic fungi.
- At home in the bathroom. Even if a person at work does not visit swimming pools or wash in a public shower, this will not protect him from infection. If there is already a carrier of infection in the family, the use of one towel, washcloth and soap becomes the cause of family infection. Bathroom mats, shower bars and unwashed tubs 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 can become infected not only with the fungus, but also get 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, you should try it on with a sock, as the likelihood of nail and skin problems in the form of fungus increases.
- When you walk barefoot on the beach. Particles from the feet of infected patients remain on the sand, and a healthy person can get onchymosis when walking barefoot.
On the hands
Before you think about how to get rid of nail 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 ways of infection of the nail plate on the hands will be different. The most common include:
- disruption of the endocrine glands, the presence of serious 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;
- creating damage during professional activities, household chores;
- manicure with non-sterile instruments.
How can adults and children get rid of fungus?
Depending on which form of the disease is being treated, the therapy may differ. For the first manifestations on the skin of the hands or feet, or the nails of the extremities, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician if it is a child, a therapist or a dermatologist if it is an adult.
The specialist will prescribe the necessary drugs. These include tablets and ointments. In addition, many of them recommend folk remedies for nail fungus. These methods are no less effective and help to fight the problem, even if it is an advanced version.
Important! Therapy requires an integrated approach, as this makes it much easier to remove the lesion. Therefore, in addition to the above methods, hardware treatment options are also practiced.
Recipes of folk remedies
Treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies occurs after consultation with a doctor. After diagnosis and tests, the specialist takes into account the individual needs of the patient and prescribes the appropriate medication. It is not worth practicing independent treatment, because ignorance of some characteristics of the disease and the presence of an allergy to some components of the drug or folk methods will lead to complications.
Vinegar essence and egg
Vinegar and other acids destroy microorganisms that cause the development of fungi. Therefore, vinegar essence or ordinary table 9% is quite often used in treatment. Baths with it can also help 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 hen's egg with butter. Making homemade lard:
- Wash one egg and place it in a container so that it does not touch the walls or stick out.
- Do not cover it with vinegar, but with vinegar essence (70%).
- Put in a dark place for a few 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, wrap with a bandage. You are treated with it for at least a month and a half or until the problem is completely eliminated.
To prepare the second recipe, you also need essence (1 spoon) with an egg, as well as dimethyl phthalate (1 teaspoon). Mix all the components and leave in a cool place for 24 hours. The resulting ointment can also be used before going to bed. After application, wear gloves 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 diseases can also be treated with vinegar and peroxide. With the help of this composition, it is removed from the skin in 1 week. Hydrogen peroxide 3% and the same vinegar are used for preparation. These solutions should be mixed in equal amounts. 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, 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. After that, wash your feet and hands and anoint the affected areas with tea tree essential oil. Although this recipe is quite effective, it will take a month for your nails to grow back.
Tea mushroom
In the past, kombucha was popular and found in almost every home. Despite its current insignificance, it is an effective folk remedy in the fight against fungus. It has an antibacterial effect. For the first treatment option, no liquid 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 the lotion, the kombucha liquid itself is 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 the skin of 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 mushroom floats is also used as a solution for lotions. First, it must be strained and boiled for at least 40 minutes.
Important! It is not recommended to use this option for pregnant and lactating women, those suffering from diabetes or alcoholism, because this mushroom contains alcohol.
Treatment with laundry soap
Another at-home option for getting rid of fungus involves using laundry soap. Despite the fact that experts believe that this option is not very effective, it is still used as an auxiliary. Laundry soap has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
It helps to soften the nails during bathing, 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 product usage options:
- 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 manipulations shown, 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 appearance of comedones, and nail fungus. Previously, birch tar was used to remove skin lesions by lubricating the skin and nails with it. But before you do that, it's worth scalding it in soapy water or another solution. After removing the dead skin with a pumice stone, nail file or scissors, the tar is applied with a cotton ball and left for several hours without a bandage.
In addition to using it in its pure form, you can also prepare an ointment based on it. For this you need baby cream and tar. Mix in equal amounts. 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 to make tar ointment. To prepare it, you need badger fat or cream, sulfur powder and tar. The mixture consists of two parts of tar and one part of fat and sulfur. Mix all this until it becomes smooth. To facilitate the process, heat in a water bath. Apply the resulting composition to the nails and cover with a patch.
Folk remedies for the treatment of nail fungus include the use of tar soap. With it, as well as 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 drawback is a 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 fungi
Iodine is used to suppress the growth of microorganisms on nails and skin. It helps to eliminate unpleasant odor as well as itching. To achieve the effect of this medicine, 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 from it, adding it to warm water. The procedure lasts at least 15 minutes, after which 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 amounts, mix and apply overnight on the steamed part of the skin. Also, the affected areas of the nails can be easily removed with this composition.
Important! After using files, scissors and other objects to remove the lesion, it should be disinfected. This is necessary to eliminate the possibility of re-infection.
Potassium permanganate solution
The easiest way to disinfect the 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 process 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 a sock on after dressing the area. Keep the lotion for at least a quarter of an hour.
Lotions with essential oil
Traditional treatment methods are inexhaustible and everyone can choose a more effective option for themselves. Oils, essential and other, are used for various purposes, but they have also proven to be an effective solution to fungal problems. Onychomycosis is eliminated by using tea tree, lemon, eucalyptus, mint, thymol and pine oil. Also castor oil, avocado oil, coconut oil.
The first lotion solution consists of a small amount of vinegar and eucalyptus oil. Leave the composition for three days and after use store it in a cool place. Apply it to the affected nail and skin. Use until signs of illness disappear. No less common is a mixture of two oils - tea tree and lemon. This composition will quickly restore your nails to their previous state.
Important! Using tea tree oil often leads to darkening of the nail plate.
Baths and compresses made of kitchen or sea salt
The simplest and most effective anti-fungal remedy consists of sea or table salt. In addition, you will need iodine with soda, essential oils, water with garlic and more. For the first bath, you need to mix a glass of soda with a liter of water, two tablespoons of salt and iodine solution.
The next option requires the use of essential oils that have a soothing and disinfecting effect. 100 grams of salt requires 6 drops of oil. Chamomile, eucalyptus, juniper are suitable. Lotions are also made from salt. The solution requires a spoonful 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 in 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 drawback is that it can cause an allergic reaction. This drug 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 the rapid healing of lesions on the leg and hand.
Cheap and effective medicine
The best medicine 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 cheapest means are suitable for therapy. These include lotions with vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and iodine solution. The best foot baths for hands are with the addition of sea salt or common table salt, also with the same potassium or iodine permanganate.
Despite the cheapness and simplicity of preparation, the use of these options leads to a quick effect. The more advanced the form, the less likely it is to remove the manifestations of the disease. In this case, you cannot do without the use of medication.
Important! When using folk remedies, the main condition is systematic use.
Reviews
After people notice the manifestations of the disease, they often do not go to the doctor for consultation, 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 treatment.
There is a lot of information and videos on the Internet about onychomycosis and its treatment. Each of them is effective in a certain case. If we are talking about an advanced form of the disease, the traditional treatment option will not work. Therefore, it is worth saying that you should stop using alternative medicine before seeing 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:
- they refuse to walk barefoot on the beach;
- use rubber slippers when using bathrooms and showers in places of high use, saunas and baths;
- try on shoes while shopping in socks;
- prefer socks made of cotton fabric;
- refuse other people's shoes;
- do not use other people's items for personal hygiene;
- keep your feet dry;
- monitor your state of health, because the fungal disease manifests itself against the background of general weakness.
Important! Adherence to preventive measures is also necessary after treatment, because after recovery the patient has an increased risk of relapse.
Conclusion: Folk remedies for the treatment of fungus on the nail plate are an effective method that even experienced experts consider. Therefore, it is actively used not only for the first signs of the disease, but also for advanced forms of nail fungus. Watch a user video: how to get rid of nail fungus fast.