Fungal infections can indeed impact any part of the body. Fungi are primarily present in and on the body alongside diverse types of bacteria. But when a fungus begins to overgrow, you can experience an infection.
Onychomycosis, even called tinea unguium, is a fungal infection that influences either the fingernails or the toenails. Fungal infections mostly grow over time, so any immediate difference in the way your nail looks or feels could be too mild to notice at first. Of course, you can get a good Nail fungus medicine in India that works for your condition.
Why Does Nail Fungus Infection develop?
A fungal nail infection stems from the overgrowth of fungi in, under, or even on your nail. Fungi flourish in a warm, moist setting, so this environment can trigger them to overpopulate naturally. The same fungi that activate ringworm, jock itch and athlete’s foot can trigger nail infections.
Fungi that are already staying therein or on your body could trigger nail infections. If you have contacted someone else who has a fungal infection, you might have contracted it. These infections affect toenails more commonly than your fingernails, likely because your toes are generally limited to your footwear, where they stay in a warm, moist setting.
Also, if you get a manicure or pedicure at a nail salon, you need to ask how the employees or staff therein sterilize their tools and how often they do it. Tools or instruments, like emery boards and nail clippers, might spread fungal infections from person to person if they are not sterile.
Are There Any Home Remedies for Nail Fungus?
Like any other fungus infection, you can come across numerous home remedies for your toenail infection. Keep on reading to get an idea.
Black Tea
If you soak your feet in plain tea, it can be beneficial in treating toenail or foot fungus. Of course, black tea possesses tannic acid that dries out the feet, eradicates bacteria, and helps to close the pores of your foot to reduce sweating.
- Just boil two quarts of water and add 5 to 6 tea bags. Permit the tea to cool and soak feet for around 30 minutes. You can use this foot soak regularly if desired.
Baking Soda
To heal your affected nail, you need to add baking soda to a foot soak. You can even make a baking soda paste with a negligible amount of water and apply it directly to your affected foot. Ensure that you permit the paste to sit on the affected area for 10 to 20 minutes. Once you are done, rinse with warm water and dry your foot thoroughly.
You can even sprinkle baking soda onto the foot or footwear like foot powder. Once you apply baking soda to your dry and affected foot, make sure you put on clean socks. Remember that baking soda might wick away moisture while healing properties act to reduce toenail fungus.
Hydrogen peroxide
It is something that can kill the fungus that breeds on toenails. You can directly wipe hydrogen peroxide on the infected toes or toenails with a dry and clean cloth or cotton swab. This hydrogen peroxide might also get used in a foot soak. All you need to do is:
- Blend ⅛ cup of hydrogen peroxide (or various capfuls) to four cups of cold water and soak feet for around 10 to 20 minutes. Once you are done, rinse your feet with warm water and dry them up.
Always Wear Clean Socks and Shoes
If you are regularly changing your socks and shoes, it can also cut down on the development of unwanted foot fungus. Yes, your socks and athletic shoes might even be washed in hot water to rid the development of yeasts and fungi that could grow on the fabric. Some shoes can even be machine dried, and drying shoes in the sun is another excellent option when cleaning footwear.
Adding half of a cup of baking soda or even one cup of vinegar to the washing machine might aid eliminate bacteria or fungus on socks or even shoes. Then, boots and other footwear that are not machine washable might get wiped out with a vinegar and water mixture or sprayed with an over-the-counter or (OTC) antifungal spray. Remember that medicated powders can also get help in treating shoes for foot fungus.
You permit the feet to breathe by taking off shoes and socks once possible to prevent fungal growth. You must guard your feet by wearing breathable footwear and clean socks. Antimicrobial socks and shoes are made up of bamboo, copper, or even speciality fabrics, and these can help lessen unwanted bacteria and yeast from developing in your footwear.
Apple cider vinegar
Another excellent home remedy to treat your issue of toenail fungus encompasses the use of apple cider vinegar. Yes, vinegar is an antifungal that might be mixed with water to form a foot soak. Just try two portions of vinegar to one part of warm water and soak feet for around 20 minutes daily. You would get to feel the change in a few days or a week.
Use Salt
Soaking feet in an Epsom sort of salt (magnesium sulfate) bath might be beneficial to relieve your foot fungus. You can blend one cup of Epsom salt with two warm to hot water quarts and soak your feet for ten to twenty minutes.
You can even use some essential oils to blend the salt with. These essential oils are effective because they have herbs and ingredients good for overall health. Once you soak your toes in the mixture of salt and essential oils for twenty to thirty minutes, you will feel some relief. Make sure that you dry off your feet properly with a clean cloth once you are done.
Powerful Essential Oils
Essential oils are gaining popularity in homoeopathic treatment to heal and fix a variety of common ailments. Different essential oils have antibacterial and antifungal properties. Some essential oils that you can opt for to help reduce toenail fungus encompass:
- Clove oil
- Wild oregano oil
- Tea tree oil
- Clary sage oil
- Jasmine oil
- Lavender oil
- Ylang-ylang oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Cinnamon oil
- Lemon oil
- Wild oregano oil
- Lemongrass oil
- Thieves oil
Before applying them to the skin, you need to dilute essential oils with a suitable carrier oil, such as coconut oil or olive oil. Blend the desired oil or blend of oils with a carrier oil of your preference and apply a couple of drops to the affected nail.
Conclusion
So, since you know about so many remedies, you can make the most of them. And you can even use the products like antifungal nail polish India to ensure that your feet still look lovely and stunning while undergoing a fungus attack!