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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Healing Toenails with Listerine and Vinegar


I will never stop being amazed with just how truly multifaceted some home products are. It really rocks my socks (pun intended) that something as simple as Listerine and vinegar can work together to help give you some pretty toenails, as well as reassure you that you no longer have to worry about being the beautiful girl in Boomerang with the jacked up feet. (If you haven't seen this movie, you should. Its an Eddie Murphy classic! Shame on you!) Anyway, you definitely need to try this remedy if you moderately suffer from any of the following:
  • Discolored toenails
  • Thick, hard toenails
  • Black toenails
  • Brittle toes
There may be a solution for you and it doesn't involve socks or really good toenail polish. The truth is you may have an infection in your toenail brought on by a fungus or bacteria. While this may be gross to think about, there are ways to fix your toenail issues, and they may not require an expensive trip to the podiatrist. Below are a few remedies to help you get your toenails clear and manageable with some products you may already have at home.


Refresh Your Toenails With Listerine

Soak your toes in Listerine mouthwash. Listerine is filled with strong compounds and antiseptics such as salicylate thymol, a type of alcohol and euchalyptol which when combined, form a strong toenail fungus treatment. This is great for clearing toe nails because often the leading cause of discolored, thick or brittle toenails is fungus. If you really want to take it up a notch, add vineger to your foot bath. Vinegar, whether its white vinegar or apple cider vineger (ACV) helps prevent the spreading of toenail fungus. Here is what you do.

What To Do:

1. Take any basin that can fit your feet, or a foot bath and fill it up with 1 part Listerine, and 1 part vinegar until you have enough to cover up your toenails. (If you don't have a foot bath, you can buy an affordable one at Target.com or at Bed Bath and Beyond)


2. Use a nail filer or a pumus stone to lightly scratch the tops of your toenails to allow for the easy absorption of the the solution in your foot bath

3. Massage your toes and if need be use and clean toothbrush gently scrape any dead skin or cells
accumulating around the cuticles (Your toes with thank you for it)

4. Soak feet in the solution for 15 to 25 minutes

5. Dry feet thoroughly after foot soaking, as to not encourage fungal growth (Fungus likes moisture!)

6. Repeat 3 times a week until new nail replaces old nail

I hope this remedy helps you out! Tell me what you think!
Photo credit: kygp / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

 DISCLAIMER
On Granny's Cures we strive to provide information from credible sources but we are no substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.

15 comments:

  1. do the nails have to be bare or can you have nail polish on them for the listerene and vinegar to work?

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  2. Since she said to gently file or buff the nails first, I would think no polish.

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  3. Hey Diane, Crafty is right. The listerine needs to penetrate the nail. Nail polish prevents that from happening.Good question tho.

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  4. Wondering how often should you swap the solution? Easy answer would be "after each use" but that will get as expensive as standard medical treatment....

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  5. Vinegar is very inexpensive and if you use a small and tall foot bath you won't need as much solution. Your goal is to get the toes soaking so you don't need alot.

    Re: Wondering how often should you swap the solution? Easy answer would be "after each use" but that will get as expensive as standard medical treatment....

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  6. Tea tree oil is great as well. No need to wash it off just apply and let dry. File, buff and clip nails as usual until like new. Also it has great anti fungal properties. Its like a everyday use oil. You can Google all the uses and I must say it works from personal experience.

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  7. For a more deeply ingrown nail, your doctor may numb your toe with local anesthetic and then remove a vertical strip of nail from the affected side of your toe.
    http://www.footcentersofnc.com/common-foot-problems/ingrown-toenails.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. What do you think about turmeric, It is also best for the treatment of injuries and toenails. Toenails causes very hard pain in foot and if not treated properly it will cause many other infections. My son who had got this disease last month. At that time I had found an easy treatment of this disease using turmeric, here in this article.
    http://www.searchhomeremedy.com/home-remedies-for-ingrown-toenail/
    And within a few days he got very relief from pain. Your shared remedy is also best for toenails treatment.

    ReplyDelete
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    Kate Spade Hobo Bag

    ReplyDelete
  10. Is the solution just ACV and Listerine? Or is water in there as well

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  11. The minty smell of the Listerine was very strong so I figured if nothing else my feet would smell pretty good all day.Flexitol Nail Cream Reviews

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nail fungus, which mostly occurs in your feet, is a common problem troubling many. Your feet support your entire body weight and bear the constant wear and tear.Dermal Therapy Fungistop

    ReplyDelete
  13. try this; soak a small pair of sock (or at least the part of the sock that covers toes] in the mixture (I think amber listerine is best. Put on the socks andgive them a good rub round your toes. Over the top wear one of those plastic blue overshoes , the type you wear when you walk by a swimming pool in your outdoor shoes EBAY ETC FOR THESE. GO TO BED. I DO THIS AND IT DOESNT MAKE ANYTHING SORE BUT BOY IT WORKS. I RECKON YOU WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO DO IT EVEN WHEN THE FUNGUS HAS GONE, SAY A COUPLE OF TIMES A WEEK AS A PREVENTATIVE. YOUR BOTTLS OF LISTERINE /VINEGAR WILL LAST MUCH LONGER

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  14. If you have ever had toenail fungus before, you know that it is not only embarrassing and nasty, but the fungus is also really hard to get rid of. Try these remedies that do work to remove foot fungus.

    Listerine For Feet

    ReplyDelete
  15. Really gentle talking here and i like it very much.better post. Vivo NEX price in Pakistan

    ReplyDelete