Avoid “Home Remedies” for nail fungus – here’s why they don’t work
Vinegar soaks, garlic, Listerine foot baths and using Vics Vaporub on toenails are amongst the many, many D.I.Y or home remedies purported to work against nail fungus. Do they actually work for fungal nail? Definitely not. Are they good for foot/nail hygiene in general? Probably yes, because they will all have some mild antiseptic properties and so ‘clean up’ your skin and the surface of your nails. This is the only reason any improvements are reported from these strategies.
Improving your foot hygiene with home remedies and tackling a complex, infectious condition such as nail fungus are two very different things. No matter what the internet might mislead you to believe, fungal nail infection is not just down to poor hygiene. There are a number of causes and the origins of fungal nail infection are significantly more complicated than just having ‘unclean feet’. The reasons why a fungal nail infection can develop are explained in Nail Fungus, The Essential Guide .
Mouthwashes and decongestant rubs are specifically developed, and work very well, for their intended purposes and in or on the parts of the body where we are supposed to use them. They will not penetrate the nail and kill the fungus within. Their formulations are very obviously not designed for nails. The odour of decongestant rubs is also not something you, or your nearest and dearest should ideally live with long term! Alcohols and acids (when considering vinegar and mouthwashes) are also not particularly nail-friendly in terms of their dehydrating properties.
As tempting as it might be just to give something that’s already in the medicine or kitchen cabinets a try if you have toenail issues, it will only serve to delay ever seeing any real results from a strategy based on credible, scientifically developed, evidence-based, and clinically tested products and technologies including Nail ER+ and its TXYL polymers to restore fungal damaged nails when used alongside or following antifungal treatment.