Natural Home Remedies For Discolored Nails

Fingernails and toenails reveal volumes about your body. Nail discoloration can be attributed to reactions to medications, bacterial and fungal infections, age, smoking or melanoma. As cited by Dr. Robert W. Griffith in a December 2009 article from the Health and Age website, half the population over age 50 suffers from nail discoloration. While a physician's diagnosis is vital in determining the cause of the problem, several home remedies can yield significant results.

Vinegar and Lemon Juice

Try vinegar to combat green- or black-hued nails caused by bacterial infections. According to Dr. Coyle S. Connolly, as noted in "The Doctor's Book of Home Remedies," vinegar acts as a mild acid helpful in nail care. Soak your fingernails in a bowl of vinegar two to three times a day. Additionally, a lemon juice soak offers similar effects.

Medicated Vapor Rub

Medicated vapor rub, the gel-like substance mom rubbed on your chest to combat a cold, may also rub out yellow nail discoloration due to early stage fungal infections. Dr. Peter H. Gott, internist in Lakeville, Connecticut, recommended the treatment in the 2004 book "Amazing Antidotes" by Marcia Holman. Trim the affected nail as close to the cuticle as possible. Apply vapor rub twice daily to the nail and cuticle. At the same time, massage additional vapor rub into the skin of the corresponding finger or toe.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil, a natural antiseptic and fungicide found in health food stores, is a home remedy that provides significant improvement in nail discoloration, according to Dr. Andrew Weil, director of the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tuscon. Although tea tree oil may take two to three months to clear fingernail infections and up to nine months to treat toenails, applying two drops of the oil twice daily around the perimeter of the nail eventually can yield results.
A faster-acting alternative is a combination of tea tree oil and butenafine hydrochloride, a medicinal herb treatment sold in drugstores and from Internet sites. Equal parts tea tree oil and butenafine hydrochloride offers an 80 percent cure rate of nail discoloration, reports Dr. Weil.

Mouthwash

The curative powers of Listerine mouthwash work wonders on keeping fungal growth in check, according to the Natural Home Remedies website. Pour a whole bottle of Listerine mouthwash into a tub of warm water. Allow your toes to soak for 20 minutes. For a fingernail wash, add 1/4 cup of mouthwash into a small basin of warm water. Relax and soak for 20 minutes.