Treating Fungal Nail Infections with Coconut Oil

Winter is usually when our feet are rugged up in socks and shoes to keep us warm and toasty on those cold, rainy, windy days and nights. The downside is that it’s the perfect breeding ground for nail fungal infections aka athletes foot. The good news is that there are many natural cures available on the market. I recommend treating fungal nail infections with coconut oil.

In case you are unsure whether you have a fungal nail infection or not here are some of the signs and symptoms to look out for.

Signs and Symptoms of Fungal Nail Infections

Toenail fungus can be identified as yellow or brownish in colour, thick and or disfigured nails that can often be inflamed and secrete a white pus from under or around the nail. Foot fungus is generally identified by dry and itchy skin, thick calluses and deep cracks or grooves in the skin of the foot. A strong foot odour will be present and pain will be evident especially when in shoes.

Toenail fungus can often be contracted as a result of walking barefoot in public places like bathrooms, toilets, and around swimming pools, however chronic problems like the one pictured are often the result of a candida or bacterial overgrowth infection.

Common Treatments for Fungal Nail Infections

During the time of my chronic candida infection/SIBO I had several toe nails that became fungal and as a result I lost both my big toenails. I did visit my doctor and did try the pharmaceutical treatments available over the counter. The Doctor recommended Loceryl ointment with a treatment time period of anywhere between 6-12 months. I was a little horrified at the thought, but gave it a go for at least 3 months. The treatments are not cheap and in my opinion and experience don’t work. I also tried Canesten same process, same result = Zero. So at this point, I’d lost 1 large toenail and in the process of losing the other one I decided to try coconut oil. Why didn’t I opt for this in the first place, you may be asking? Mainly because I really believed that a chemical based treatment would work faster and therefore saving my nail at a much quicker rate. Once I’d come to terms with the fact that the pharmacy treatments were all the same and were not going to work it was easy to deal with the fact that the coconut oil would take just as long but my hope was that it would work. In actual fact, the coconut oil treatment only took approximately 3 months in total.

Why Coconut Oil Treats and Cures Fungal Nail Infections

Coconut oil is the only oil that can claim to being anti fungal, antiviral and antimicrobial.

One of the most remarkable characteristics of medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil is their ability to kill germs and parasites. When we eat MCTs they are transformed inside our bodies into monoglycerides and medium chain fatty acids, both of which possess powerful properties capable of destroying disease-causing bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites.

p 45 – Coconut Cures by Bruce Fife N.D.

The Best Treatment For Fungal Nail Infections – Coconut Oil

If you have tried a string of other treatments with no luck then perhaps coconut oil is the next treatment you should try. Here’s how to do it:

Depending on how advanced the fungal nail infection is will depend on the length and process of the treatment. If you have recognised the signs at an early stage, chances are you will nip it in the bud in a very short time.

1. Wash and dry your feet very well. It’s important to remember that water will feed the fungus and bacteria and only spread or continue the infection.

2. Warm up some coconut oil by placing a jar of coconut oil into a bowl with very hot water and allowing the coconut oil to melt. If you are using it during the summer months then you won’t need to heat the oil much.

3. Massage the warm oil into the infected areas 3 to 6 times a day. The secret to getting the best results with coconut oil is to keep the infected areas continually covered with oil. Massaging into the nail or skin will also help the absorption rate.

4. If the infected areas are large (like the skin over the foot) or several nails are infected you can try using the bandage technique. Soak a bandage in warm coconut oil (not dripping) but the bandage should be moist with the oil at most times. Apply the bandage to the infected areas and then cover with a sock and then plastic bag to wear to bed. Replace the bandage in the morning and keep the bandage moist with oil continuously until the infection has been healed.

5. Make sure the oil penetrates the nail bed ie: under the nail. Use a cotton tip to use up under the nail.

6. If, like me, you end up losing a nail, it’s important to keep the skin and the new nail coated in coconut oil as well. Just because a new nail is coming through, doesn’t always mean that it will be free of the infection. I ended up losing a nail twice because of not sticking to this rule.

7. If the infection is on your hands, then simply apply the oil and cover with a glove to wear to bed.

8. Get some sunshine. Expose the infected area to at least 20 minutes sun each day for about 2 weeks.

You should begin to see results in as little as a week and certainly within a month. But don’t stop applying once you see improvement, you must continue to use the treatment until the infection has been eradicated.

If after about 2 weeks you see no change at all then try using oregano oil with coconut oil. Use 5 parts coconut oil to 1 part oregano oil and follow the same procedure as above.

Recurrent Fungal Nail Infections

If after treating the nail infections and then finding in 3-6 months time another one has begun, then you are most likely dealing with a candida infection. The best way to treat this problem is by consulting a practitioner or Doctor. You can also treat it by going on a coconut oil detox.

Just think by summer you could have beautiful feet again ready to show off in all their glory.