A Self-Help Guide to Managing Toenail Fungus

Toenail fungus is a common but tough to cure disease that makes your toenail infected and ugly.

It's awful, sometimes it hurts and can be maddeningly hard to get rid of. While severe cases do warrant medical attention, many people attempt to treat the problem at home.

1. Create an Environment Where Fungus Can't Thrive

The first thing we do as part of any self-care plan is deal with creating an environment where fungus can't thrive. Fungi thrive in dark, damp and warm environments — like the inside of a shoe. So, actually your first line of defense, if you will, is just plain old good foot hygiene. Daily wash your feet in warm soapy water and dry them thoroughly, especially between the toes. You need to change your socks regularly. And you’d better choose the socks that are made of cotton or wool. When you are in tidy places, you can take off your shoes to make your feet respire the fresh air.

2. Direct Interventions

Second among them are direct interventions, some recent topical treatments do show promise. The least expensive and most convenient are the OTC anti-fungal preparations. These are available as creams, ointments or medicated nail polish. Seek out things that have ingredients such as clotrimazole, terbinafine or tolnaftate. No matter which topical you try, though, it's all about application. It's a good idea to thin the nail before you put them on. Gently file down the thickened, discolored piece of nail with a disposable emery board. This not only removes the infected material but better permits medicine to go under the nail. Soothe the nail and after a shower when the wood is saturated.

3. Natural Remedies

Beyond commercial products, many of us turn to natural remedies — and the science behind how effective those treatments are can be somewhere between thin and inconclusive. One of the most popular ones is tea tree oil that comes from a plant's leaves and has strong antiseptic and anti-fungal attributes. To apply, use one or two drops of pure tea tree oil on the affected nail and do this once or twice a day. Others have had success with a vinegar foot soak. The idea is that the acidic genius of vinegar (one part to two parts warm water) can create an unfriendly environment for foot fungus if you soak your tootsies in it 15-20 minutes a day. Another fumigation considered one of the household items is Vicks VapoRub. It's not exactly what it was designed for, but its ingredients (camphor and eucalyptus oil) have demonstrated a certain amount of anti-fungal properties in studies.

4. Avoid Re-infection and Propagation

While undergoing self-treatment, it is also crucial to avoid re-infection and propagation of the fungus. Your shoes and foot care gadgets can contain fungal spores as much as your home. After each use, clean your clippers and files using a wipe of rubbing alcohol. Better yet, you'll want to create a pair of clippers that's reserved for use only on the infected nails. Sprinkle a fungicidal powder or spray for easy treatment. Wear non-leak sandals or shower shoes in public wet places all the time,including the gym locker room and pool deck areas. This simple trick might prevent you from getting the fungus in the first place — and keep it from spreading to other parts of your house.

Taking care of fungus toenails on your own is less of a sprint and more of a marathon. And you'd better be in training and prepared to do something brutal every single day for just shy of a year. Making the leap from gross, unhealthy nails to clear, healthy ones can take a while but good self-care — and lots of it — is often the first and most important step you'll take to reclaim your feet.