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Does Tea tree oil for toenail fungus work? Learn how to use Tea Tree oil for nail fungus and how effective it is from reviews of past users. Your cure for nail fungus is in the Australian Tea tree oil.
Discolored nails are a turn off especially if you have them on your fingernails that are exposed for the whole world to see. When on your toenails, you can at least hide them in socks and shoes. However, covering the discoloration makes the situation worse as it is caused by fungus, type of dermatophytes microorganisms, which love to thrive in warm, moist and dark environments. Another type of the parasites that could be causing the discoloration is yeast, which is also responsible for Candida infections.
The discoloration is not the only unsightly nail fungus symptoms, there are several. When you notice more of these, you sure have nail fungus and you should start shopping for a cure before the infection gets out of hand. Various natural home remedies for fungus on nails work well without the intervention of prescription medications when the infection is still fresh. However, they do not guarantee success. Tea tree oil is one of the natural remedies that have been proven by FDA to cure nail fungus. You could try it as well at home and watch it cure the horrid infection. Learn how to use Tea tree oil for nail fungus and discover whether it will work.
Does Tea Tree Oil Cure Nail Fungus?
According to a report on the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, Tea tree oil is probably helpful. “Topical application of 100% tea tree oil solution, twice daily for six months, can cure fungal toenail infection in about 18% of people who try it. It can also improve nail appearance and symptoms in about 56% of patients after three months and 60% of patients after six months of treatment. It seems to be comparable to twice-daily application of clotrimazole 1% solution (Fungoid, Lotrimin, Lotrimin AF). Lower concentrations of tea tree oil do not seem to be as effective.” (Nih.gov)
Does Tea tree oil cure nail fungus? It therefore seems you have to use high concentrations of the oil if you want to cure the nail fungus. Furthermore, it may work for you and not for someone else.
It does not hurt to try it anyway since the oil is natural from Malaleuca alternifolia tree found in the South East Coast of Australia. It has antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties. This is why it is not only used for nail fungus, but other skin ailments such as psoriasis, chicken pox, acne and athlete’s foot among others. The same microorganisms that cause athlete’s foot are responsible for toenail fungus.
Does Tea tree oil cure nail fungus? In some cases, it may and in others, it may not. Trying is the only way to find out. If your infection is still new it could cure, however, in advanced infection it could take a while or not cure at all.
How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Nail Fungus
How to treat toenail fungus with Tea tree oil requires that you make a habit of trimming your nails every often. If you can trim and file your nails every day or after two days, this would ensure that, the Tea tree oil gets where the fungus is located. When most of the infected nails have been clipped away, it is possible for the oil to reach the fungus in hiding.
If you are not a person who remembers to use it everyday consistently, you may not achieve results with Tea tree oil. How to use Tea Tree oil for nail fungus involves applying it on daily basis two to three times in a day. It is a topical medication and therefore should be used as such for excellent results.
You should follow the application for about 6 months. Even if the infection clears earlier than the six months, it is important to continue for the longest time possible just to make sure that the infection does not come back. You may want to soak your feet or toenails in a Listerine and vinegar solution or any other herbal solution.
Black toenail fungus or any other type needs to be attacked with all ways possible. In order to prepare an herbal foot soak, you just need to boil herbs such as neem or lavender in a pot and let them simmer for half an hour before you use the solution for a foot soak.
It is upon you to play around with natural ingredients that help clear toenail fungus such as Epsom salt foot soaks, table salt, and sea salt among others. You should also consider adding essential oils to the foot soak to make it more effective. Either you can use lavender oil or a blend of several essential oils includes thyme oil, eucalyptus, and Ceylon cinnamon oil among others.
After soaking your feet, you can dry them effectively with a blow drier. If it is during the day, go out under the sun and get the beautiful rays on your toenails. The fungus will already be leaving from seeing the light. How to use Tea Tree oil for nail fungus will be much more successful after the soak.
How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Toenail Fungus
Apply the Australian Tea tree oil for toenail fungus using an ear bud, q-tip or just a cotton ball. Ensure that you get a good amount of the oil on the cotton wool and drop as many drops with the q-tip. Ensure that the oil gets to go under the nail plate.
This is where the fungus hides and you should get it there. If the oil irritates your skin, you may want to dilute it with base oil such as jojoba or coconut oil. These oils also have antifungal properties and they can dilute the concentrated Tea tree oil.
You may want to hold the cotton ball over the nail bed overnight with a band-aid. This way, the fungus will be fought overnight. Whatever you do make sure that you get the oil on the nail bed and on the sides of the nail and on the nail plate itself as well.
Tea Tree Oil Nail Fungus Treatment Research Findings
Here are research findings of Tea tree oil nail fungus treatment as found on sterishoe.com
“A randomized, controlled trial published in the Journal of Family Practice examined the effectiveness of a twice-daily application of 100% tea tree oil, compared to a 1% topical application of clotrimazole antifungal medication. After six months, the tea tree oil was found to be as effective as the topical antifungal for the 177 study participants.”
Another controlled trial “looked at the efficiency of a cream containing 5% tea tree oil and 2% butenafine hydrochloride. After four months, 80% of the 60 people using the cream reported significant improvement in their condition, with only mild inflammation side effects.” (Sterishoe.com)
These findings prove that Tea tree oil nail fungus treatment is just as effective as any OTC nail fungus treatment. Since it is all natural, it is better to try it than the OTC creams, which are laden with unknown ingredients and harmful components. If you must insist on the OTC creams, select one with the natural Tea tree oil and undecylenic acid these ingredients are FDA approved as treatment and give great results.
Tea Tree Oil for Nail Fungus Reviews
The best way to find out how the maleleuca alterifolia works is through Tea Tree oil for nail fungus reviews. These give a firsthand account of using it and the reactions if any. Just like any other nail fungus treatment, the reviews are both negative and positive.
However, positive Tea tree oil for nail fungus reviews outweighs the negative.
“I have had great success with tea tree oil. My nails had been affected with toenail fungus for decades and were so thickened and curled at the top that walking was painful.” (tipking.co.uk)
“I developed a skin reaction to the oil. This treatment is NOT SAFE or EFFECTIVE. There is a reason that tea tree oil has not been widely recommended for the treatment of toenail fungus.”(tipking.co.uk)
“A friend of mine said she had used it to eliminate a fungus under a toe nail. I’ve been trying it for over a month and the fungus under the nail is about 1/2 gone. The nail is looking quite healthy above the infected area. The infected area appears to be dormant and receding.” (Amazon.com)
“This is the stuff – if toenail fungus is what you’ve got. I thought mine was just a smashed nail, but it would not go away. Used this stuff for 6 months – several times a day at first then off to maybe once a week. Patience is the trick, it does not work overnight, and the healthy nail has to grow out. If fungus is what you’ve got, this is the stuff.” (Amazon.com)
“I used it once, and my freaking nails are already changing for the better. I wish I would’ve done this years ago. “(About.com)
