Laundry soap for nail fungus: recipes, reviews

We all want to have a beautiful and healthy body without any flaws. To do this, you must carefully monitor the condition of your body and its skin. Nowadays, there are a large number of skincare products that combat any problem. But folk methods cannot be underestimated either. In our article we will tell you exactly how laundry soap helps against nail fungus.

Nail fungus is a common dermatological problem. The reason why this disease appears on the nail plates is a fungus of the genus Candida - yeast-like microorganisms that are difficult to treat. In addition, it multiplies very quickly, and therefore if treatment is not started in a timely manner, then completely undesirable and, moreover, dangerous consequences for health may soon appear.

Why does fungus occur?

It is no secret that any mushroom, including those that parasitize the body, loves moisture and grows and reproduces very well in it. Therefore, special admirers of public swimming pools and those who like to steam in baths and saunas are the first on the list of those at risk. This unpleasant disease is easily transmitted through the things of a sick person (for example, in the case of using a sick person’s towel), through slippers, or simply through wet rugs on which a person infected with the fungus has walked.

Laundry soap against fungus

Experts believe that the main causes of onychomycosis (the medical name for a fungal infection) are:

frequent injury to the nail plates as a result of playing sports or at home;
deformation of toes;
excessive nail density;
overheating;
narrow shoes made of dense synthetic materials;
endocrine disorders;
weakened immune system;
diseases such as diabetes or obesity;
phlebeurysm;
violation of carbohydrate levels;
contacts with infected people;
taking antibiotics, cyostatics or corticosteroids.

However, not only external factors are among those that influence the possibility of contracting a fungal infection. It has been proven that a person’s gender, age and even occupation also have a significant influence.

Older people and older people suffer noticeably more from fungal nail infections. This happens because with age, the rate of nail growth decreases and the functioning of blood vessels is disrupted.

It is also worth noting that men suffer from onychomycosis 1.5 to 3 times more often than women. But women start treatment earlier.

But as for professions, representatives of such fields as massage therapists, military personnel, public swimming pool workers, and athletes are more prone to the disease.

Disease Prevention

Nail fungus can easily become infected. This usually happens by contact. But it is enough to follow a few rules to protect yourself from the disease:

daily change of socks, golf, tights;
second shoes in places where human feet can come into contact with fungus (swimming pools, baths);
individual means (washcloths, towels) and compliance with personal hygiene rules;
in everyday life, each family member should have his own slippers;
wearing dry (not wet!) comfortable shoes;
use of individual pedicure accessories;
use pumice to remove old skin to prevent bacterial growth;
upon contact with an infected person, disinfect hands and wash contaminated socks.

How to understand that it is a fungus?

The fungus usually manifests itself quite actively, and it is actually very difficult not to notice it. First, itching, slight flaking and dry skin appear in the affected area. Often, however, the patient does not pay due attention to these symptoms, naively attributing everything to dust and heat in the summer or a lack of vitamins in the winter.

If therapy was not started at this stage, then a more active stage of the disease occurs. The surface of the nail becomes dull and yellowish. Small grooves and sometimes cracks may also appear. As sad as it may be, even at this stage there are often no particular concerns. The patient blames everything on a poorly executed pedicure or bad nail polish.

Often people seek help at the most dangerous stage in this case, when treatment will require a lot of time. At this stage, yellow, green or gray spots appear on the nails. Sometimes the color of the spots can reach black. By this time, the nail itself is already beginning to crumble badly, and an unpleasant rotten smell appears.

Nail fungus

The fungal infection usually attacks the nails on the big toes first, gradually moving to the neighboring ones and increasing the affected area.

The diagnosis that this is “onychomycosis” can only be made by a doctor. For this, in addition to an external examination, an analysis is carried out for the causative agent of the disease. That is why, when the first symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor who will prescribe the correct treatment. And you can make this treatment more effective and speed up its results with the help of folk home remedies, one of which is the use of laundry soap.

Tips for cutting nails

In addition to the fact that the nail plates need to be properly treated, they also need to be trimmed regularly to avoid further spread of infection.

It is important to follow a number of rules:

Carry out the procedure only after preliminary softening of the nail plates. Only in this case will they be easy to process and not cause pain;
Use small nail scissors and a nail file;
During the cutting process, it is extremely important not to damage the nail bed and skin. There is a risk of infection in these areas. If this cannot be avoided, then the wound should be treated with an antiseptic as soon as possible.

Among all the known recipes of traditional medicine, the safest and most effective are those in which laundry soap is one of the main components. But this remedy alone will not be enough for complete therapy. It must be combined with the use of external antifungal agents prescribed by a doctor.

What is the effectiveness of laundry soap?

Our grandmothers also knew this method of treating fungus using ordinary laundry soap. After all, there were times when pharmacies did not sell a single drug without a prescription, and in general there were no truly 100% effective drugs. But soap was sold in any hardware store, and craftsmen quickly found alternative uses for it. Even in treatment.

In addition to its main antibacterial effect, laundry soap also has anti-inflammatory, softening and antiallergic properties.

If you follow the basic rules for treating the skin of your hands and feet with this product, you can not only remove the unpleasant odor, but also reduce itching. The main thing is to correctly observe the proportions and duration of the course of treatment, and in no case shorten it. Laundry soap can be used as a separate product or together with salt and iodine. It is very common to use soap with various special preparations, which allows you to treat fairly large areas. In this case, the results are better.

As already mentioned, the earlier treatment begins, the less negative consequences and financial costs there will be. It is also very important to begin treatment under the supervision of a doctor competent in this matter.

As for laundry soap, which is the subject of this article, this product is effective for the following reasons:

it is not capable of causing allergies, which is why it has been used in the process of washing clothes for babies for many years and is recommended for use by allergy sufferers;
it contains a large percentage of alkali, which is a harmful environment for most microorganisms;
does not contain dyes or chemical additives, and therefore is not dangerous for pregnant women and children;
recognized even in traditional medicine due to the fact that it effectively fights microbes and has an anti-inflammatory effect.

But it is worth emphasizing once again that laundry soap itself does not have an antifungal effect. If you start using it in the initial stages, then it will certainly be effective, but if the stage is already later or the disease is still progressing, then it should only be used in combination with drug treatment prescribed by a doctor (this can be gels, ointments , sprays or other antifungal agents). Soap can significantly speed up such treatment and achieve the desired recovery faster.

The household product is best used for baths. The results will not be long in coming if you use it together with birch tar or vinegar. We will discuss these and other methods of treating fungus with ordinary laundry soap below.

Contraindications and side effects

Laundry soap is not recommended for use if you are hypersensitive to it. The product has no other contraindications.

Regarding side effects, it can be emphasized that soap, creating a strong alkaline environment, seriously dries out the skin. This is fraught with local irritation and discomfort. To prevent such a reaction, it is recommended to use ointments and creams with antiseptic and antifungal effects after procedures using laundry soap.

Laundry soap in combination with birch tar

NormaFit oil will get rid of fungus in just 20 days and will not allow re-infection thanks to a complex of natural oils and medicinal plants • destroys fungal bacteria • relieves itching and dryness • eliminates unpleasant odor • prevents re-infection NormaFit is a natural oil that in 20 days will get rid of the fungus and will not allow it to return Contains 30 active natural components that completely eliminate spores of pathogenic fungi, as well as pathogenic microorganisms and viruses • Cypress extract - neutralizes fungal spores, stopping the spread of infection • Frankincense extract - eliminates and prevents skin rashes, has a antiseptic effect • Lemongrass extract - softens the skin, eliminates flaking and itching • Tea tree oil - eliminates and prevents skin rashes, destroying germs and bacteria • Geranium oil - softens corns and calluses, has a tonic effect • Pine oil - heals cracks in the interdigital folds and on the heels

Thanks to the dark glass of the bottle, all useful substances are maximally protected from the decomposing effects of light. order the original NormaFit only on our website

For this method, you will need a washcloth that you would normally use in the bathroom. It needs to be thoroughly rubbed with laundry soap, and then actively treated with it on the nails for 15 – 20 minutes. At the end of this procedure, the nail plate is carefully trimmed. The edges are treated with a nail file and lubricated with an antifungal agent prescribed by the doctor. This procedure is done at night. In the morning, your feet should be rinsed with cold water, wiped dry and smeared with tar. Wait for it to absorb. This procedure should be repeated with a break of 2 days for no more than two weeks.

There is another method using tar that cures fungus. For it you will need laundry soap, a liter of water for steaming your feet and birch tar. This method is applied as follows:

Before going to bed, steam your feet for 15–20 minutes in a warm soapy solution. Then the feet are thoroughly washed and rubbed with a washcloth.
After steaming and cleaning, all rough areas of the skin are scraped off with a pumice stone, and the affected nails are trimmed as much as possible.
Next, the feet should be wiped dry and spread with cream, after which all areas that are affected by the fungus, especially the areas between the toes and nails, are well and thoroughly treated with tar.
The smeared limbs are placed on a newspaper or a thin piece of cloth and the product is kept for an hour and a half. After this, all the tar is removed with a piece of cotton wool.
After the procedure, you must wear clean cotton socks and do not disturb your feet for two days. If you need to go outside during this time, change your socks to clean ones after returning home.
On the third day, upon waking up, you need to wash your feet with moderate cold water and laundry soap.
Repeat the procedure with a break of one week until complete recovery.

Laundry soap in combination with birch
tar Soap with tar as a therapeutic agent improves blood circulation, accelerates the regeneration of the skin of the nails, kills germs, and also has absorbent and pain-relieving properties. This is what makes the product effective in the treatment of fungal diseases. It is also ideal for treating children. However, the baby should not be allowed to come into contact with the medicine. It must be applied by an adult.

The most common method of treatment with soap and soda is baths. You need to use baking soda, not soda ash.

Laundry soap plus soda

To prepare the baths, you need to dissolve 1 - 2 tablespoons of coarsely grated laundry soap in sufficiently hot water and add 1 tablespoon of soda. In such a bath, steam your feet for 20 minutes. Then, using a pumice stone, the dead skin is removed and the nails are trimmed, after which you can apply the antifungal agent prescribed by the doctor. This course of therapy continues until the symptoms disappear. It is also recommended to treat bathtubs and manicure tools with this solution.

Soap and salt ointment

Salt is also great for antifungal therapy. To prepare a special medicinal ointment, you will need:

2 tablespoons of laundry soap 72%;
1 teaspoon salt;
2 tablespoons of soda;
warm water.

To prepare the ointment, you need to grate the laundry soap on a coarse grater and mix it with the dry ingredients, adding a little warm water to make a mushy mixture. The resulting mixture is applied to the affected areas of the skin and left for about two hours. During this time, the rough skin and nails affected by the fungus become limp and soften. After this they are removed. This course of treatment is continued for at least two weeks until results are achieved.

Sea salt bath

To prepare a bath with sea salt, you will need grated soap (67% or 75%) - 3 tablespoons, soda - 3 tablespoons, salt - 1 tablespoon. All ingredients need to be poured into a bowl of warm water and keep your feet there for about 15 - 20 minutes. After this, we wipe our feet with a dry cloth or towel and treat them with an antifungal drug prescribed by a doctor. Such baths must be done every day until the infection is cured.

Sea salt bath

Reviews

Valentina, 34 years old. “My husband became infected. Splitting of the nail, cracks and peeling of the skin on the fingers brought a lot of discomfort to his everyday life. An ordinary bar of laundry soap came to the rescue - I made baths from it and generously rubbed the foam on the feet of all family members to avoid the spread of infection. In just a month, my husband got rid of the disease, now we use detergent for preventive purposes.”

Anna, 46 years old. “No matter what we had to do to treat the nail fungus, neither medications nor medicinal plants helped. I read in the newspaper about the possibility of getting rid of onychomycosis using folk remedies such as laundry soap, iodine and vinegar. Every evening I generously rubbed my feet with soap suds and left it until completely dry, then, after washing my feet, I completed the treatment with antiseptics. Relief came quite quickly - after the first procedures, the unpleasant symptoms disappeared, and after 2 months I forgot about my disease.”

Irma, 36 years old. “Due to my professional activity (children's pool coach), I had to become closely acquainted with nail fungus. At times, after another outbreak of infection, it seemed that the floor and walls surrounding me at work were completely contaminated with onychomycosis spores. Fortunately, a colleague suggested that instead of expensive pharmaceutical preparations, ordinary laundry soap kills nail fungus, which should be used to treat the feet for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. From that moment on, my problems with this infection were left behind.”

Laundry soap for nail fungus is often used in folk medicine. The method is really effective if you combine it with similar antifungal agents that are found in every home - soda, salt, vinegar, etc. If there is no effect from the treatment, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

Therapeutic baths with natural herbal ingredients in addition to soap therapy

Along with the main treatment, it is recommended to take foot baths with herbal ingredients. We offer several effective recipes.

Baths with aspen bark

Aspen bark has excellent regenerating and healing properties, and also enhances the effect of drug treatment. That is why it is recommended to use it in the treatment of nail fungus. In order to prepare a decoction for baths with aspen bark, you will need:

100 grams of crushed aspen bark;
500 milliliters of boiling water.

Pour boiling water over the bark and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, after which the broth is added to water for steaming feet in a 1:1 ratio. After steaming your feet, apply a compress of a teaspoon of soda and a tablespoon of grated laundry soap to the areas of skin affected by the fungus. It is necessary to withstand such a compress for at least an hour.

Baths with aspen bark

Which one to choose?

The main criterion for choosing a suitable bar of soap is the percentage number on its wide side. This can be 40, 60, 72%, which means the proportion of fatty acids in the composition. Soap with a 72% concentration, which GOST classifies as category 1, has the necessary medicinal properties against fungus. In addition, you can focus on:

color, which should be as dark as possible;
smell without admixture of flavorings;
composition without preservatives, dyes or other additives.

When soap with the desired composition has been selected, you need to take care of the recipe for the future anti-fungal remedy and the timing of its use.

Healing celandine

Celandine can be seen in selected medications. The plant is poisonous; proper use will help get rid of foot fungus. Here is an example of a couple of options for medicinal mixtures based on celandine:

Celandine

For the first recipe you will need a recently picked plant. The whole celandine is crushed in a blender or through a meat grinder, the resulting mixture is placed in multi-layer gauze and the juice is carefully squeezed out (use gloves). The resulting juice is combined with alcohol in a 1:1 ratio. The medicine is allowed to brew for 24 hours. The affected areas are lubricated several times a day, after cleansing the skin of the feet.
To prepare a bath against fungal infection, you will need an infusion based on celandine. Pour 100 g of dried plant with a liter of boiled water, let it brew for 30 minutes. When the infusion is ready, strain through cheesecloth. Pour boiled water and infusion in equal quantities into the prepared basin. Baths should be taken no more than 25 minutes a day.
To treat the skin of the feet from fungus, it is suggested to make an ointment. To prepare the medicinal cream, you will need 4 large spoons of boiled cold water, 5 drops of celandine juice, two drops each of oregano and calendula tincture. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Rub the resulting mixture into fungus-affected areas 3 times a day.
A tincture of alcohol will help you get rid of a fungal skin disease; you need to use the product in reasonable quantities so as not to further injure the skin.
To prepare a healing infusion, take alcohol and celandine herb in an amount of 2:1. Pour alcohol over the herb and leave the medicine in a dark, warm place for 15 days. When the tincture is prepared, start treatment with 6 drops, gradually increasing the dosage to 20 drops. Treatment for foot fungus
It is possible to treat foot fungus with celandine-based oil; it is easy to purchase the drug at the pharmacy or make it yourself. To prepare the oil, take dried celandine, place it in a jar and fill it with sunflower oil. Leave the prepared mixture for 1 hour in a warm room, then place the celandine oil in a dark and cool place, leave to brew for a week. Then add an equal part of oil to the mixture and mix well. Before using the oil, steam your feet and remove dead skin cells. The product is used until the fungal infection disappears completely.

Important Tips

Laundry soap is used as a preventative against foot fungus. This can be a combined composition of 200 g. soap shavings, the same amount of soda and a liter of hot water. The solution can be used to disinfect individual nail treatment tools and containers in which baths are carried out. With the same solution you can:

wash socks and tights;
disinfect shoes;
wash your hands, feet, especially your nails and interdigital spaces;
use for cleaning the bathroom, shower;
processing household items.

To avoid creating a favorable environment for fungus on your feet, it is advisable to wear cotton socks that provide air flow to the skin. In addition to the above, if you are prone to fungus and after recovery, you must follow all the requirements that prevent relapse of onychomycosis.