Home remedies have been called lots of things; ‘holistic‘, ‘natural‘, ‘practical‘, ‘cost effective‘ and on the negative side ; ‘ineffective‘,  ‘a waste of time‘ and ‘no substitute for conventional treatments‘.  No doubt the debate will continue.  But when it comes to treating fungus fingernails, home remedies definitely deserve discussion.

We define ‘home remedies’ as treatments that use common, easily available products that you could lay your hands on in most households.  For fingernail fungus infections the most commonly used are vinegar, beer soak, Listerine, Vicks Vapo Rub and Tea Tree oil.

We have reviewed these on our website, because they may be effective at treating early stage or mild fingernail fungus infections.  It may be worth trying one or more of these before moving onto a prescription based drug.

How to treat fingernail fungus using home remedies:

1. First clean your nails thoroughly and remove any artificial nails or nail polish.
2. Try a vinegar soak.  This involves soaking your fingers for 15 to 20 minutes in a mixture of 1 part white or apple cider vinegar to 2 parts warm (not hot) water. If this concentration of vinegar irritates your skin, you can decrease the amount added to the water. Ideally soak your hands once a day, unless they become dry or irritated.
3. Consider applying Tea Tree Oil to your nail using a cotton bud. The oil contains antimicrobial properties.
4. Another option is Vicks VapoRub. Apply the solution or ointment to your fingernails and let the treatment soak in. (Note the directions for the use of VapoRub do not include use on nails as a treatment for fungal infections.)

Other home remedies such as Listerine and Acidophilus beer soak could also work, but according to the reviews we have done, Tea Tree Oil, Vicks Vapo Rub and Vinegar soak are likely to be more effective.

If none of these treatments work, then the next step - before moving onto prescription drugs - is to consider a natural medication such as ZetaClear, Nail-Rx or Fungisil.

These contain proven anti-fungal agents, do not require prescription and have been demonstrated to contribute to the promotion of healthy looking nails. Click on the links that follow to read our reviews of these three products:

• ZetaClear review - Rated:
• Nail-Rx review - Rated:
• Fungisil review - Rated: