You will discover that you have nail fungus if your nails are flaky, brittle, discolored, thick or uneven in thickness, chip easily, give off a foul odor, sting or itch. Such a fungus is not too difficult to contract, and is a common problem worldwide. You may pick up a fungus from showers that have been used by another infected person or by skin to skin contact with another person’s infected fingers or toes. Wearing the shoes of an infected person or being manicured or pedicured with the same implements used on an infected person will pass the fungus to you.

Fortunately, such nail fungal infections can be treated without the need to pay for a physician’s assistance. The various at home treatments include the use of vinegar, tea tree oil, Listerine, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Zetaclear and Vicks Vaporub. The earlier the treatment begins, the better. The goal is to stop the growth of the fungus before it becomes too expansive or damaging to the nails and nail bed. Most of the remedies require treatment several times daily until the fungus disappears. The key is persistence.

Soaking the nails several times daily in a mixture of equal parts of vinegar and warm water, then drying them out, will get rid of the fungus over a matter of days. Applying tea tree oil onto the affected nails with a soaked cotton ball will bring an end to the infection in days as well because tea tree oil is a natural fungicide. The antiseptic qualities of Listerine, applied several times daily, will also chase away the fungus. Soaking the nails in rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide (either pure or mixed with water) several times a day will dry up the fungal infection. Some people have found the application of Vicks Vaporub helpful, but it is perhaps not as effective as these aforementioned treatments.

As the fungus infection subsides and disappears, the damaged nail may slough off and a new one will then regrow in its place. This will take some patience and tender care, as the nail bed is unprotected. It is important that the nail be given the chance to regrow without further damages. The infected places must be given air to cure and also kept away from sources of possible re-infection.

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