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Toenail Fungus Success with Tea tree oil

Submitted by Nora

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.

I have been using tea tree oil for a few months now and my nails are already much thinner and softer, no longer curl and are pink. I use a pummice stick to gently thin the nail from time to time before applying. Be gentle, you don't want to go through the nail, just make it easy for the oil to penetrate the nail as much as possible. The dead fungus or debris turn dark so, when you file the nail too thin, the top usually, it will turn dark and brittle. Apply the oil three times a day and go barefoot as much as possible.

I agree with others here: clean socks, vinegar baths, keeping all dead skin exfoliated all help. When you add tea tree oil, it works.

My nails look and feel nearly totally normal and I know they will soon be beautiful! I'm so happy.

Visitors comments

I am pleased Comments By: TipKing I am so pleased that you have had this success. Thank you for letting everyone know.   After 2 weeks, fungus looks better Comments By: Sue I have been using tea tree oil on my toe nails for only two weeks. I can see a difference already! I'd tried Sporanox and Lamisil without success. One of my nails was curled, too, and looked like a claw! After two weeks, I can see the blackish debris on one. With the "claw," my nail bed was curled up underneath, too, and I couldn't cut it very easily. Now you can't see the flesh underneath at all. So, I feel it is working. Be sure to get 36% 4-0l and in the amber bottle as it is light sensitive. I really hope it works for me, too.   Not SAFE or EFFECTIVE Comments By: No Voodo Medicine Please I read about tea tree oil for treating toenail fungus. I decided to try it instead of Lamisil. I applied the 100% pure tea tree oil twice a day on my toenails for 120 days. This treatment did NOT work at all. My problem is just as bad as before. Furthermore I develloped 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. It has NOT been proven safe or effective. I can attest that is is NOT safe or effective. I wish I had started a Lamisil treatment 120 days ago because I would be cured by now.   Who would keep applying something that... Comments By: Peter As regards to the comment about tea tree giving them a rash, why did you keep applying it for 120 days?? This sounds like a commercial for Lamisil! Get the facts - www.toenailfungus.org (non-commercial). I have also used a product with tea tree in it, and it is working to get rid of my toenail fungus. It's taken about 2 months, but the new nail growing in is normal and clear. I checked with my doctor, and he said to stay away from the ingested products. Natural cures, such as tea tree oil, do work for treating toenail fungus. Each person has to find what works for him or her. Don't keep trying something if it gives you a rash!!!   Tea tree oil has been used for years! Comments By: Sharon To the person promoting Lamisil, if it worked for you great, but to say bad things about tea tree oil is ridiculous since its been a natural remedy for eons. Its in my OTC creme I'm using now, Tine-something. Its also found in general foot scrubs and lotions. My pod also told me that ingested drugs have bad side effects, like liver issues. So thats why I'm trying the creme first. My nail is taking forever to grow so hard to say if its working but the small portion at the cuticle does seem thinner.   TTO worked for me! Comments By: Fungus Free I had a severe reaction to Lamisil, then used Penlac for a year -- no progress. I then found a 'cure' online and figured I had nothing to lose. First, put a 50-50 solution of hydrogen peroxide/white vinegar on your toe. Follow up by soaking the toe for 30 seconds in a solution of 1/4 bleach, 3/4 water. Rinse with clear water. Apply Tea Tree Oil, rub it in with a little Vaseline and cover with a band-aid. I did this for TWO days and the fungus is gone! The nail and toe are pink and healthy. Hopefully it will work for other people -- it sure worked for me!   After all these years it is going at last. Comments By: Jackie I have had toe nail fungus since 2002.I had an injury on my toe nail which left me with the infection. I went to see gp who gave me tablets and referred me to a foot specialist. I had to have most of my toe nail cut out. I went abroad for the summer so a friend of mine gave the idea of sticking a false thumb nail on my toe. It looked great and stayed on for four wks. After I removed it the nail was growing back.It still had infection and never bedded its self down,it always looked brown and had a bad smell to it. Over the years I went back to gp and got 2 lots of tablets.She said it would take years for it to look better. I waited and waited and waited!*? I went in to hospital 6 wks ago for an operation. After that I went to spend a week with my parents for a rest.One day I asked to my Dad to put my socks on. Bad mistake.He was digusted with my nail. I came home and did some research on the internet. Tea tree oil brushed on my toe nail twice a day with a toothbrush is working a treat. I am so happy.Sounds sad but I cannot wait for the day that I can wear my flip flops without having to wear dark nail polish. I will keep you up-dated   Try it you'll like it Comments By: Cheryl Both of my big toes had fungus under the nails for about 7 years due to inury and had recently began to really hurt when I wore closed-toe shoes. My nails were becoming thick and were turning upward of all things. I even began limping because of it. Penlac was first prescribed by my physician who was skeptical about giving me Lamisil or Sporanox because of the liver issues. After a couple of months of painting and trimming I thought I had made headway with both of my big toes, but it did not clear up the fungus. I researched various treatments and decided that anything was worth a try since my pharamacist said the Sporanox would cost about $600.00 and my insurance would not cover it. This is what I did: I filed my nails down to the quick on both toes and soaked them twice a day in Listerine Mouth Wash, then after I dried my feet I applied the Tea Tree Oil on top of the nail bed. Occasionally I would rub in some Vicks Vapo Rub and sometimes I would even paint on some Penlac. I left no stone unturned and as you can see I was very determined to defeat this fungus. I think I became obsessed with my toes. After a few months when my nails became visible I was very encouraged. The white spots had disappeared thank goodness. I am still working on some yellowing at the very tip end of the nail, which is probably due to the last part of that keratin junk working out. I have never read of anybody having a bad reaction to Tea Tree Oil but since the active ingredient in it is similar to Turpentine I guess it is possible. I always thought the Menthol was what was thought to be the cure. Oh well, it's taken me about 6 months to get this far but I'm happy and my toes are happy and that is what counts.   Starting to work! Comments By: Marianne I've had this bad nail for years, and im in physical therapy school now, so we have to work with each other's feet alot. I would always cover it up with nail polish..So finally when I take all this nail polish off, I find that it's spread to the other nails! I was smothering it so it grew even faster and looks worse now. I've been trying the 50/50 mix of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, then vicks at night. It's been 3 days and already I am seeing a difference. I am buying some tea tree oil tomorrow so I can use everything at once, and I am just praying that this works. From what I have read from this site and others, I think the TTO in conbination with everything else is going to work! Also, my brother is a doctor, and he says vicks works, though not with everyone. My sister also got a nail cleared up with vicks a few years ago. I'll update you!   watch out for allergic reaction Comments By: bill After using tea tree oil for a month, my feet started to develop a rash and blister, and broke out on other parts of my body. I developed water blisters which leaked through my shoes! I went to emergency fearing I had developed a foot infection. If you ever begin to develop a rash, stop using tea tree oil! I am still suffering the side effects several weeks after using it!   Did not work Comments By: Anon After trying Penlac (didnt work), and reading the positive comments about Tea Tree oil, I tried 100% Tea Tree oil. I religously applied it morning and night and filed the nails down. I had no skin reaction. But, after 3 months, there was no improvement. I am a MD, and I did this study very carefully out of scientific curiosity. Perhaps different strains of fungus have different sensitivity to the oil. Perhaps some of the postive postings are coming from individuals with ties to natural health care products.   Tea Tree oil worked for me Comments By: Merm I've had a fungus under my nail for longer than I can remember. Then it went to another nail and was getting so bad that half the nail had lifted away from the nail bed. A friend of mine told me that the only thing that works is a prescription medicine that she used and made her so sick that she could only take it for a short time. She also said this medicine was bad on the liver. I was sure I didn't want to take that medicine, but didn't know what else to do. I kept nail polish on those nails and hoped the fungus wouldn't completely take over. Then I read about tea tree oil. So, I bought some. I bought the straight oil, and I also bought a cream that was a mix of the oil and some other oils with Vitamin E also. I wanted to be sure the oil would work so I cut away as much as possible the part of the nail that had lifted away from the toe bed. Then every night, I would scrub the toe to get rid of any dead skin and debris. I would rub the tea tree oil into the affected area. And I would follow with the tea tree oil cream mixture for the skin around the toe, because I did notice that the straight tea tree oil caused a little bit of irritation. I have been doing this for about a month now. My nail is growing back and it's perfect. No more gross fungus! I can't believe that the best the pharmaceutical companies could do for this was a harmful drug that you had to swallow and risk hurting your liver, when all one needs is a natural oil applied right to the affected spot. So many people here are attesting to this natural, GENERIC product because IT WORKS!   tea tree oil Comments By: Ana I have nail fungus for about 1,5 year ... realized it about one year ago. Now I have tried tea tree oil for 3 months. 3 or more times per day, trying to wear flip flops as much as possible. Washing socks and towels on 90 degrees. Spraying shoes with antifungal spray. No change! My fungus even got worse. Now I removed most of the nail which was easy as it just droll off when I touch it with a nail file and started to use Mycoster I think its the same like Penlac ... just different name. Has anybody had a success with this product? I am desperate cause I hate my feet at this moment.   Allergy to Tea Tree Comments By: Lisa I love Tea Tree. It works for numerous different things BUT FOR SOME......Tea Tree oil may cause these symptoms which may mean you are allergic to it. Breathing problems or tightness in your throat or chest . Chest pain . Skin hives, rash, or itchy or swollen skin. Follow this link to learn more http://www.drug3k.com/drug/Tea_Tree_Oil-51587.htm   2 1/2 decades of dead nail Comments By: jenny I have this dead toenail for almost 2 1/2 deacades and im so imbarass to wear slippers during summer.Mine was very diffrnt from the rest,its very thin on the roots and thick at the tip and it doesnt look like nail at all. any suggestion pls email me loveremains2000@yahoo.com   Trying TTO and Lotramin Ultra Comments By: Anon There's a study online, where they took about 80 people and had half of them treat with TTO, and half with TTO and Lotramin Ultra. About 80% of the combo were cured, while none of the TTO alone worked and it's known that Lotramin Ultra alone has a dismal sucess rate. So if TTO alone doesn't work for you, and you don't have a reaction to it, try adding Lotramin Ultra to the mix. I've been trying less than a week, and my nails don't get pink and pretty quite that quickly, so I'll have to check back when I have more time to figure out what's going on. http://www.iloft.com/Tea-Tree-Oil-Plus-Fungicide-Beats-Nail-Fungus-a-5441.html Link to the study, for the curious.   Lamisil can damage your liver Comments By: Jean I read the comment about tea tree oil not being safe and how someone wished they had tried lamisil. I did take lamisil and my liver was affected. At least the tea oil is a natural thing to try first. Then if it doesn't work, try your meds but be careful.   toe nail fungas Comments By: Tina Ober I took lamisil for about 6 weeks to just recently discover that I have now lost my taste buds from this horrible drug! Literally everything tastes bitter a like im eating cardboard. It has been almost a week since I have been off of Lamisil and not to mention my toenail still looking the same, my quality of life (my taste buds) have not returned. I am now resorting to the all natural way out of tea tree oil. Not sure if its going to work, but im going to put it to the test and from now on stay away from the horrible side effects of Lamisil, which everyone swears by. They can have it.   WARNING: Bleach and Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) Comments By: Jules Somebody mentioned the following treatment, which I also tried: Soak in 50/50 vinegar/H2O2, follow with soak in 1/4 bleach/water, apply tea tree oil with vaseline and cover with bandaid. I'm glad they had success. But, H2O2 + bleach = decomposing reaction. In short, H2O2 is intrinsically unstable and bleach catalyzes its decomposition, so what you get is a very fast formation of oxygen and water, which is a kind of chemical 'boiling'. If only I'd known this sooner... I soaked by feet in vinegar/H2O2 for 30 minutes and followed with the diluted bleach. I did not rinse my feet between these two steps. So what happened was, the H2O2 impregnated my skin a couple layers, and then the bleach reacted with it, and this 'chemical boiling' occured a couple layers beneath the surface of my skin and gave me a chemical burn. I have scabs but hopefully not scars. So BEWARE. If I try using bleach again, it will be just drops on the nail itself. Further, I substituted the tea tree oil + vaseline with Vic's, and this procedure did not work for me. Before trying that I was using Vic's every day and night, with little success (it may have slowed the spread, but didn't solve anything). I'm now convinced that Vic's keeps the nailbed far too moist and promotes fungal growth but, clearly, there are too many positive testimonials to disregard it entirely. Good luck!   Unbelievable! Comments By: Anon I have had toenail fungus for years, and there are a few toes that are worse than others. For about a week now, I've been trying the vinegar & vicks, and I've noticed a slight difference. Then I used some tea tree oil mixed with other oils (vitamin e, etc) and I can not believe it. I put some on yesterday, and some this morning, and one toenail that had I swear had what looked like two racing stripes going down it has completely cleared. I'm the biggest skeptic in the world, so I am in complete disbelief. I keep looking at my toe! I will continue to use it, and I'm hoping that it will clear up the rest of my nails.   Tea tree oil is not "voodoo" Comments By: Hopeful Tea tree oil is a proven anti-fungal agent. Most "modern" drugs have been derived from natural sources. The Native Americans ingested a certain type of tree bark, which has evolved into what is now called aspirin. I'm sure if "No Voodoo Medicine" was told to eat tree bark, they would think it was kooky, but that's where many medicines came from, natural sources. We've just found ways to distill them and put them into pill form. I used Tea Tree Oil for a fungal skin infection and it was the ONLY thing that cured it. I then wondered if it would help my toenails, which have been bad for many years. I am excited to try this. Not everyone has a bad reaction to Tea Tree Oil so if you do, by all means stop using it, but don't say it's bad for everyone just because you had a bad experience.   Prescription drugs for 12 months....no change Comments By: Eva I have been taking anti fungal drugs for 12 months and cannot get rid of my nail infection....the nail has actually dropped off and regrown with the infection again! I have just started trying tea tree oil...it really feels like it is doing something - I get a buring sensation and I feel confident that it will work, so watch this space. Great to read so many success stories on line.   My approach Comments By: Chris Lately I have been using a few things. As I speak my toe is soaking in Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide 50/50 (15 minutes daily). I started applying Tea Tree Oil on the nail with a band aid over it. I did the same thing with Taheebo and a band aid. Before I applied anything I trimmed the nail back as far as I could. Orally, I am taking something called Acidophilus. It's good against fungus. I am seeing more color to my nail. When I shower I lightly take a brush over it to clean it and exfoliate whatever is dead or loose. So, Taheebo, White or Apple Cider Vinegar, Tea Tree Oil, Acidophilus. Seems to be working thus far.   Tea Tree Oil for toenail fungas Comments By: Anon During a routine appointment I asked my internist if she could recommend anything for toenail fungas and she suggested that I "could try" Tea Tree Oil -- I didn't get the impression she was convinced -- and didn't try it or anything else. Then about 2 weeks ago a chair that someone was helping me move accidentally landed on my toe (only momentary pain) and it caused the big toenail with the fungus to detach -- like a hinged lid. Because I could now get to most of the skin under the nail, I stated using tea tree oil and it does seem to help. Already,the nail is not as thick and that alone is a major improvement. I use a cotton swab to apply the tea tree oil to the area around the top of the nail and lift the nail and pour a small amount underneath. It's only been 2 weeks but I'm feeling very positive about the results so far.   Tea Tree Oil / Vinegar / Listerine Comments By: Anon This sounds crazy, but I used a small paint brush to treat my toenail fungus infected nail. I applied Listerine in the morning, vinegar (18%) in the afternoon, and tea tree oil before bed. In about 2-3 months, I noticed a big improvement, but after that I made a big mistake by stopping the treatment, as I thought the rest would clear up. It returned in about a month. After that, I began again and continued until the entire nail was free of sign of the fungus and an extra month to be sure. It worked like a charm. This solution is inexpensive, but does require a fair amount of dedication. It is very important to continue the treatment for an entire month to ensure that you have killed all of the fungus. I also tried to expose my feet to the air and sunlight as much as possible.   Be patient Comments By: Anon My big toenail was badly infected with fungus and the side of it was painful when any pressure was put on it. I didn't like the idea of taking antibiotics for a year, as I was told would be the only way to get rid of the onfection, so decided to try applying TTO and rubbing it in with Vaseline as another contributor suggested. The fungus stopped spreading immediately but for nearly a year the existing infection seemed to remain the same. I continued applying the TTO intermittently but eventually realised that a new healthy nail was growing underneath. The old nail is still partly attached as it isn't totally infected but I can see that soon it will detach itself. So my advice would be that if you are not suffering any adverse reaction, be patient, as it may take a long time to see results.   Tea Tree Oil cured my toenail fungus in 8 months! Comments By: George I had a severe fungus infection of both big toes, and I am an athletic sort of guy who used to run daily and walk a lot. The nail was probably infected in locker rooms and perhaps showers. Wearing gym socks and keeping them on after a workout is probably not a good idea. But I started applying tea tree oil on the affected toes (the big toe and the next three, as well as the baby toe. Within only 3 months, all other toes were cured. I had to make sure to clip away the old toenail as the clear, pink new nails grew out. They are still normal as I write this. The big toe is the hardest. I had to clip it down and expose the affected areas by filing the surface of the nail, and digging out as much of the soft fungus affected nailbed as possible while showering. After showring, I applied 100% pure Tea Tree Oil on all the nails with a Q-Tip, and within 9 months, my left big toe is 100% cured. The right nail has been cured as well, but I can still see thr last of the fungus nail at the end of the nail as it grows out. After I have clipped that away, my toes will be as clear as they were 20 years ago!   tea tree oil allergy Comments By: Yvonne Ioannou I have been using tea tree oil for around two month. I cant tell yet if it is actually working as a new nail takes about 12 months to grow. I started with dermatitis on my hands and on my neck and now realize it is the tea tree oil that has caused it. I read on the net that is harmfull and I agree. I have never had a allergies before.   Fungus + Nail Polish and Tea Tree oil Comments By: ZEN Ive had onychomycosis (nail fungus) for as long as I can remeber, my dad has the same issue, ive tried topical treatments in the past and had no luck, due to my young age and lack of consistiency of application YOU must Apply Every Day People, Dont complain about not seeing results if your not Committing, toenail fungus it a curse which take literally a battle to overcome and prevent. Now that I'm 18 its starting to effect me more social (i.e. Swimming, beach, embarassment) so I recently started painting my toenails for about 1-2 months, I started to notice a non affected nail beginning to become infected, i dont know if this is due to the nail polish but i forwarn people due to my expirences, throughout my years with nail fungues nails have cleared up on thier own and discouragingly came back, I am now trying tea tree oil as highly recommended by everyone on this form and by my physician, Goodluck to everyone on here, and wish me luck This truly is a difficult to treat and embarassing problem.   Nail Polish + Toe Nail Fungus Comments By: ZEN Ok, i previously left a comment about my expirence with covering my affected nails with toenail polish to hide the blemishes, with a forwarning about an unaffected nail becoming infected, Along with reading some information from www.toenailfungus.org i quote "Wearing nail polish is considered to be not a good idea as the polish may encourage fungal growth. The fungus is sealed beneath the toe nails in a dark, moist, warm environment that it loves to grow in. We have heard of a report that a woman couldn't get cured until after she removed her polish." Sorry everyone, i know it is not very encouraging and some may be mad as this is the only way to cover up this embarassing ailment, but it can be causing the problem everyone wants so badly to get rid of, EDUCATE YOURSELF, BE CONSISTENT AND DONT GIVE UP, Best of luck!   Tea Tree Oil, Olive Oil and a Tad of Bleach Comments By: Catahoula I take a small bottle of Tea Tree Oil that you can pick up at your local pharmacy in the vitimin section. I then pour out a small amount (one quarter of the bottle) and reserve. Then i take 1 dropper full of regular laundry bleach and add to the tea tree oil. Finish Filling the bottle to full with olive oil and shake before each use. I got results in 24 hours and after 3 months have clear pink toe nails. Which i never thought i would ever have again by the way. I did notice that the fungus/yeast wanted to surface (or break out like acne)around the toe nail and on the toes. I assume it wanted to run from the area i treated. I simply put a drop where the red spots surfaced and after a few days they began to clear up as well. I will note that i do not have sensitive skin; So some may not get the same results that i got and therefore they may need to dilute further to prevent a chemical burn. As an example, i would suggest for sensitive skin to do 30% tea tree oil, 1 dropper of bleach and the balance % with olive oil. This would mean that more then 50% of the bottle would be olive oil. Oilve oil seems to condition and heal skin as can be seen throughout ancient history. In hot dry climates it was applied just as modern day lotions are today. Hopefully my story will help another in a simular situation in need of healing. The OTC remedies simply do not work long term and often the side effects just are not worth it. My liver problems today may very well be from me using OTC fungal products for decades just to keep foot ungus at bay. Thanks, Catahoula   bewildered Comments By: jadzea firstly isnt the internet wonderful? after reading most of the posts on tea tree oil for nail fungus, I am going to give it a try. I have had this nail problem before years ago, took lamacil orally but then totally unaware of its dangers.I must say though it did work. damaged my big toe nail last year growing out great and then the other week saw this dreaded fungus i am gutted ,anyway thanks for the advice i am off to buy some tea tree watch this space.   Tea Tree oil WORKS!!! Comments By: Didnt spend alot of money and satisfied I began using Tea tree oil on my toe because it had fungus. Within a week the whole toe nail fungus broke off. Now im waiting for it to grow back. Tea tree really works. I applied it twice a day with a q-tip. You can immediately see the tea tree working. I began on a Saturday and my nail fell off by the following friday...   Tea Tree oil Comments By: Joe I have been trying the tto for about a week and a half and now have blisters on the skin where the nail starts. Be careful.   tea tree oil danger Comments By: Joe A week after my blisters started from using tea tree oil, I now have two purple toes from popped blisters and blisters on the top of my foot. My toes feel almost asleep, but like I am walking on cactus needles. I have been to my family doctor, a podiatrist, and the emergency room and am on 2 antibiotics to try to clear the blisters. Beware of using something when you don't know how your body will respond. Does anybody have a similar story and if so, how did you stop the blisters from spreading? It just started on a third toe. Thanks   Nail fungus may just be a symptom... Comments By: Lindsay I wish I had stumbled across this site sooner, perhaps I would've given the tea tree oil a longer chance. I hadn't heard of any real success stories associated, just aware the it is a commonly used natural antifungal. I guess years of listening to everyone tell me that the only way to cure it was with oral (poisons)meds. I took Lamisil as a teen with no success. Since then I have learned a lot of the dangers and misinformation within Western Medicine (not saying it is taboo, it definitely has its place and has saved many lives!). I only tried to tea tree oil for one month, but didn't see a difference even on my tiny little toe nail, which had a chance to grow out, but the fungus persisted. It seems to be spreading and though I have always had it on 2 nails, their state has remained unchanged for 15 years, and now in the past few months it has spread to 5 more. Has anyone that suffers from nail fungus given any thought to possible Candidiasis? I am suffering from Candidiasis, which I believe may have been from using various antibiotics in the past, as well as putting me body "through the ringer" as a young 'un. It causes everything from toenail fungus, depression, psoriasis, schizophrenia, autism, vaginal infections, ear infections, fatigue, etc. The list goes on. The yeast apparently produces over 70 different toxins in to your body, so it can manifest itself in many ways, which may vary from person to person. It impairs your entire function, so if that is not addressed, treating the symptoms will be ineffective... even if it seems resolved for a short term. Joe, Why did they prescribe antibiotics? Are the blisters becoming infected? Blisters themselves do not have the ablility to spread, unless they are being caused by a virus. If it were an allergic reaction, it should subside on its own, with discontinuation of the allergen. It definitely should not persist if you have stopped using it.   help Comments By: anon hi everyone, ive had this for nearly 2 years now, after reading all yr coments am of 2 buy tto, wish me luck, i will keep u posted.   hi Comments By: mary can someone give me a bit of advice please, ive read a lot of comments and no one has mentioned their infected toes being painfull, ive had fungel a while now and my toes r very painfull, ive just started using tto today do i apply it 2 the nail only? r the whole toe? please help   hi everyone Comments By: lili75 I have the toenail fungus and it is so embarrasing ,because summer is comming soon ,thats why I decide to start a treatment I soaked my feet on 50/50 white vinegar and water,for 30 minutes and then I put some tto on my nails ,I do this twice a day ,and I think it is gonna work! oohhh yeaa!TTO battle to the fungus ja,ja I have to wear flip flops sooonnn   TTO Initial Assesment Comments By: Sammyg I have been using tea tree oil for about one week, and have had no adverse reactions. I apply TTO once in the morning after showering, and then once at night before bed. I file my infected big toenails at night before the evening application. Firstly, my shoes and socks don't stink anymore. Secondly, my infected toenails are much easier to file now. When I am filing them down, it's a much faster process which in turn exposes more of the infected nail bed. This is good progress from my view, as it seems that getting rid of the infected nail is a good thing to do. It's only the first week, but my big toes already look somewhat presentable, and I am confident that I won't have to escalate to using prescription medications. If I do plateau in progress, I am thinking about adding vinegar to my regimen. So far so good, though.   Trying Tea Tree Oil with great hopes! Comments By: Isis I've been infected for about three years on my big toe. My other toes on the same foot have a small infection. I've tried soaking it in Listerine alone, didn't work, I tried soaking it in a water/bleach solution, didn't work, and I tried the vics and bandage...little results. I must inform that I was not persistent with all, only the vics. I would put vics at night and cover it with a bandage. Then I would put minced garlic in the day and cover that with a bandage. The garlic irritated the skin around my nail, but seemed to be doing the nail good. My husbands sister had an infection years ago, but I was too embarrassed to ask her for advice...but I saw tea tree oil in her room. I was told a long time ago that I can use it, but was recommended using grape seed extract. I used the grape seed extract but no improvement. I do file the nail down, it is yellow, half of it is missing, and if I don't treat it with anything, it hurts. I am female and as summer is fastly approaching, I would love to feel confident about showing my toes again. I'm using now the vinegar/peroxide solution followed by bleach, followed by tto and petroleum jelly. I do not soak my foot in the solution for more than a minute-see the other recommendations to get exact treatment. Just started today. Will update shortly.   tea tree oil for nail fungus Comments By: kate hi! i developed fungus under both of my big toe nails over the last month, and it seems to be progressing worse pretty quickly. they've also been hurting me a lot and have light and dark stripes across them and kinda yellow near to top. however the surface is still somewhat smooth. i started using tea tree oil a couple of days ago, but i wanna know if u still have to file the surface of the nail if it is smooth. and there's only one other person that has mentioned about pain so far which worries me too. is anyone else in pain also?   pain under a fungal toenail Comments By: Jean M. I have just started using tto so cannot comment on a cure. I can however say that I too have pain under the nail. Have been using Fungi Cure for several months with not even a glimmer of success. Glad for the info on not getting pedicures and will stop(even tho I hate to). Will be back to comment on any success as soon as I see any signs.   Fingernails? Comments By: Mike Does this treatment also work on fingernails? TipKing says: Worth a try!   Tea Tree Oil Comments By: Richard Some posting are suggesting that Tea Tree Oil is like some VooDoo medicine. It is actually scientifically proven to fight bacterial infection and in used in many types of modern medicine. I am using it for toenail fungus for 3 months now and have noticed a huge difference, I think you just have to have some patience as toenails grow very slowly   Been trying TTO for about 10 days now Comments By: Stacey Glad I found this page, many people seem to be getting results from tea tree oil. I have had fungus for over a year now on both big toes, kept it at bay w a generic Rx creme (cilcopirox .5%), well dont waste ur money on that for a toe fungus, its not strong enough. Then my dad (who also has toe fungus) gave me a Rx to try of Penlac,ciclopirox 8%) and was using that for about 1-2 weeks. Well last week I decided to get some TTO, and begin to use that in addition to the other, and its kinda too soon to say for sure but I think my toes are looking better after only 10 days of use! The color of the nail seems to look whiter and not so yucky yellowish, also the fungal areas seem to be getting lighter in color. So far I have had no skin reactions to TTO, I apply it twice a day w a qtip over the entire nail and some skin around it. I really think the nails are looking better, I truly have high hopes for TTO and will keep you posted, and remember, you cannot wear nail polish, it is occlusive. :(   please dilute tea tree oil Comments By: Robert Kelly If you are going to use tea tree oil on your skin and toenails then it has to be diluted. A 20% tea tree solution in water and then mix as you need the solution (the oil remains on the surface of the water). Tea tree is a natural form of turpentine and has proven anti-fungal/anti-bacterial/anti-viral properties. But it MUST be diluted otherwise your skin may react. It's powerful stuff! and yes - it really does work on toenail fungus and athletes foot. If you persevere you will see the results in time and NO side effects. THe diluted form can also be used to help treat menieres and ear infections with a couple of drops in the infected ear canal.   Not sure anymore about Tea tree oil Comments By: Shawn Hi, I was about to try Tea tree oil for my toe nail but after some research found this article which has rather put me off. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/feb/18/medicineandhealth.health I know that today you can find any opposing views on any subject so I was wondering if anyone had views on this? Thanks, Shawn   It Works, Just Wait a Few Months to a Year Comments By: An Expert I think it's funny that people fantasize they have a small sign of improvement after a week of treatment. Get real. I gave it a try with 100% pure TTO. I applied occasionally on a daily basis for 2-3 weeks before misplacing vial of TTO. 2 months later I noticed a huge improvement with no discoloration and a lesser thickness on edge of nail. The nail fungus is nearly gone, but has stayed that way for over a month so will need to continue to apply TTO until last bit is gone. This is powerful stuff, no need to apply it 3x a day. You want to occasionally apply it as nail grows out. This takes time so be patient. I am confident from trying other treatments prior to TTO that it can be used alone and successfully work.   itchy Comments By: anon iv bin using tto for 4 weeks now and am seeing an improvement on my infected big toes, but i now seem to be suffering a reaction - tiny spots and very, very itchy toes, now wot do i do - help   Tea tree oil Comments By: Chris I have used TTO for many years for various sore bits, always about 20 drops in a carrier oil small brown bottle approx 20 ml size. It is great for the cracks between toes and almost anything similar. Read recently about toenail fungus and thought "that is what is wrong with that toenail" assumed that if one had the fungus it would be all the nails. So have been using it undiluted one drop twice a day for about 3 weeks and am sure it looks much better, pinker have pared of dry skin and nail debris every so often. So I think it works for me and whatever type of infection I have. Like everything works for some and not for all.   TTO Comments By: Luisa After reading all you guys reviews i decided to use TTO, i have only been using it for about 3 days now!! I am very excited i will keep you guys posted on the results.   More effective and much cheaper than Tea Tree Oil Comments By: MalcH After several years of using expensive commercial treatments and home remedies (including Tea tree Oil) without any real success I noticed after swimming in a salt water pool for several days while on holiday the nail appeared to improve. Once home I made up a strong solution of salty water and poured this on and under the nail and applied this three times per day - after 2 weeks there was a noticable improvement and after 4 weeks the extensive infection disappeared and the original damage to the nail is now disappearing as the nail grows.   excited to try tto! Comments By: tired of ugly toes.... hi there i have been fighting fungus on my fingernails for almost 2 years now,from getting the gel nail tips put on only twice(i guess the place that i had them done were not to careful on cleaning there tools) but they are looking better now! i used listerine mouthwash every morning and night. Now i have it on my two big toes,after reading your reveiws i bought some tto and i am going to start it tonight,i will keep you all posted...   this stuff is great! Comments By: lisa i've been researching tea tree oil for the last couple of weeks and bought a bottle of 100% pure tto in dark bottle. i started last monday after seeing my podiatrist who swiftly gave me script for a drug. it is now one week later and the yellow part of the name just detached with no pain. the nail bed is partially exposed but is no longer hurting. i use twice a day after showering. it works yall!   Tea Tree has cured my toenail fungus Comments By: FSHK Started using this as I have had fungus under about 1/4 of both big toe nails for about 2 years, but kept it covered up with nail polish! I happened to read the tea tree bottle which I had with me on holiday for insect bites - it said it was good against fungus. So, I clipped away as much as I could of the dead nail and started dabbing with tea tree. Then when I got home and looked at the net I found this webpage with positive comments, so have quite religiously kept it up 2x a day, since August. Big toe nails take a loooong time to grow but mine have nearly grown out and the fungus has gone - hurrah. Still keeping up the treatment until the nail has totally grown out. I had used Loceryl (spelling?) before, without success.   Success with Tea Tree Oil Comments By: selftreatingsuccess I had toenail fungus years ago, and took lamisil to clear it up. I'm not opposed to drugs. When I recently saw those tell-tale signs it was back again, I promptly made an appointment to see my doctor for more lamisil. I couldn't get a non-urgent appointment for a month! The fungus wasn't too bad yet, and I was worried it would get much worse in the month wait. So, I tried tea tree oil (thirty percent, bought at Whole Foods) applied twice a day. I filed the thick parts twice a week with an emery board. I started with half of both my big toes discolored brownish-yellow. It has been almost a month and most of the formerly infect nails have grown out. The parts that still show signs of the old infection have pink under them and are almost gone. I'm impressed that it worked not just to inhibit the spread of the fungus, but seems to have cleared it right up! That was cheaper than lamisil. I'll see what my doctor says at my appointment, but I'm guessing she'll say to just keep doing what I'm doing. Tea tree oil is really worth trying, especially if you can't handle the side effects of lamisil or just can't afford it.   TTO is absolutely working Comments By: Mark I've had obnoxious looking nails on my big toes for years and it seemed to "run in the fanmily" for the males. Occasionally over the years I would soak my feet and try a round of whatever the snake oil of the day was but never had results. I never gave a second thought to using an oral prescription that might damage my liver (thank God) A few years a go it spread to my other toes. Thick ugly disfigured yellow and black nails. I started using teatree oil a couple of months ago and religiously keeping my nails trimmed as much as I could. Every morning after showering I would dip a q-tip into a bottle of tee tree oil and spread it all over my nails and between my toes. I pull bak the nail on my big toes and let it seep in. It burns a bit but nothing so intense that I can't grin and bear it for half a minute. I could tell it was working after a couple of weeks and now after only 2 months the nails are healing, pink and thinner half way up with no sign of the mess going on on the other half. Sold. Haven't done or used anything else. Sold. During this time I also educated myself about pharmaceuticals-over the counter and prescribed. Just follow the money on that worthless bunch. All they want is repeat customers for their products and repeat customers for the products you have to use to remedy what their other products did to you. They aren't interested in cures. I'm sorry for the people TTO hasnt worked for. Healthy eating surely compliments natural treatments too. Im no doctor, but common sense sure does go a long way.   Allergic Reaction - Be Careful, Did not Work Comments By: Dancer After coming home from a very wonderful Cruise Vacation I developed a fungus in my big toe nail. I have never had anything like this before. After reading about different remedies online I tried the Tea Tree Oil. After a week of applying the oil I developed a painful rash on my big toe. The toe became swollen and developed a rash with red bumps/blisters. I have discontinued the use of the oil and will try something else to help the nail fungus once the rash has healed. I did not notice any change in my nail fungus during the use of the Tea Tree Oil.   toes, Comments By: charming gal. hia, i have been using tea tree oil for three months and the toenails cuticles are now showing at last!!dont worry about the brown colour,thats the fungi growing out.its best applied after a footsoak,as the nail is softer and the oil penetrates better,i think once the years out,i will have proper nails again,yipeeee.   toes, Comments By: charming gal. hia, i have been using tea tree oil for three months and the toenails cuticles are now showing at last!!dont worry about the brown colour,thats the fungi growing out.its best applied after a footsoak,as the nail is softer and the oil penetrates better,i think once the years out,i will have proper nails again,yipeeee.   Shawn, Re: "Not sure anymore..." Comments By: Beach Man The article you refer to is a classic example of bad science or lack of science. First note that the study is now almost 3 years old and there are no subsequent studies that substantiate its claim. Were there such validating studies, Tea Tree Oil products would have been pulled from the market by now or would now be available by prescription only! For a more balanced viewpoint read the following article and explore some of its Links. Note in particular the statements, "The researchers said it is possible that the boys' breast growth may have stemmed from other causes. ... Several hormone experts have advised parents to consider the possible risk, but emphasized that it appears to occur infrequently and return to normal when the oils are discontinued." http://altmedicine.about.com/od/productalertsandrecalls/a/lavenderteatree.htm For the other side of the story read: http://www.teatree.org.au/teatree_uses_personal.php For an in depth analysis of the poor science or lack of science involved, hit the active underlined Link, "totally refutes" in the above article, or go to: http://www.attia.org.au/get_library.php?id=186 and open up the window to download the article.   Fungal Facts (& evidence based practive) Comments By: Gareth Lloyd-Hughes I am HPC registered podiatrist - practicing full time for 17 years, with no initerests in any drug manufacturers or sales, purely NHS ... and would like to make the following points: 1.many 'fungal infections' we see are infact misdiagnosed and are simply detatchement through trauma, bruising, or simply dmaged nails - sometimes also psoriosis (there are other more rare causes)- many of these can self resolve over time and any treatment used will then get the credit. 2. Fungal infections are notoriously hard to diagnose correctly, unless you see an awful lot of them. 3.Current evidence based, unbiassed research on best (most effective)treatments do not recommend tea tree oil in any way as successful in treating fungal nail (CKS). However Terbinafine (lamisil)does work in trials - though not 100% by any means. 4. Most drugs will need to be broken dowen by the liver to then be excreted by the kidneys - this is not unusual and so tests to make sure this will happen (liver function) are not unusual. 5. if a treatment does work, you will not see instant improvements - if you do it was not a fungal inifection. nails grow slowly and for a big toenail you can expect a non active infection to take up to 18 months to grow out. If you also have damage to the nail casued seperately , then this may be a permanent feature -I have seenmany dissapointed patient wh were expecting a damaged nail to be perfect agin post fungal. Often not the case. 7. Surgery is in the vast majority of case not the answer, unless you need / want rid of a damaged nail for other reasons. removin it and then letting it (the nail) grow back is not the answer .. more likley to grow back with a permanent deformity. 6. Fungal infectons in nail are born survivors and very tough to treat, some will just persist I am afraid.   terrfic comments Comments By: Anon maybe the BRAND of tea tree oil yo use is the difference - it is affected by harvesting and above all by storage as it is oxygen, heat and light sensitive. those who don't know what they are doing might also have bought diluted oil not the pure oil. So in your tips please mention the brand and the strength and check that expiry date.   tea tree oil IMPORTANT Comments By: Jaque Tea tree oil is AMAZING stuff and really does works, HOWEVER Tea tree oil also has a natural drying affect on skin and nails so make sure you are mostrising your feet regually. Also if your concrened with any presciption anit-fungal drugs then you could try taking High strength Oderless garlic tables which is brillant stuff its: .anit-fungal .anit-bactiral .anit inflammitary .and immunty boosting ginger is also anit fungal Hope that helps :-D   Tea Tree Oil did work for me. Comments By: E. Clark It took a long time, like, 10 months before the fungus was totally cleared and my toenails looked normal, but I kept at it. You do see a difference after about 60 days. It takes patience but is absolutely effective.   Nails grow faster Comments By: Biotingirl Hi everyone! Just stumbled across this page and saw that everyone is helping each other out, so I wanted to join the fun! :) I'm not sure if this works for everyone, but it sure works for me. There's a vitamin out there called Biotin, and it helps with hair skin and nails. It should help your hair and nails grow faster. Like I said, I don't know if it will work for everyone but it sure works for me. Give it a shot! Btw- I bought mine at costco. And you only have to take it once a day. Hope this also helps! And again, thank you everyone!   candidiasis Comments By: disgusted Someone commented earlier that candida can cause a myriad of ailments including autism and schizophrenia. I am a physician, and this statement has no factual basis, and in fact is completely wrong. People, please beware what you read.   worked for me too! Comments By: jeff After applying for 2+ weeks the thickened portion of my nail just broke off and the fresh pink good nail emerged!   Complete Success Comments By: anon I had a nail infection for two years and my toenail had fallen off.. I was taking terbinafine (lamisil) for about 6 months and experienced unpleasant side affects and no results. I started putting tea tree oil on my toenail around september and by febuary my toenail had grown back.I continued to use the tea tree untill a couple weeks ago to be on the safe side, i would like to note that the nail may not appear shiny and nice untill a week or two after you stop treatment because the oil dries the nail out. I would recommend it to anyone, In my opinion very effective.   trying TTO for 1st time Comments By: Millie I just started to apply the TTO, so let's see what happens. I've had this nail fungus on my big toe for a couple of years now. Thank God it hasn't spread. I will update in about a month.   Sadly Not Working Comments By: Jed I have been applying tea tree oil twice daily for over three months now on an effected nail. I do not see any result. What next?   Used TTO to clear up bad fungal rash too Comments By: Anon I am not enamoured with the smell, but TTO is good. I had a bad fungal rash under my breasts, bad bad, and while I was waiting to see a derm, I started to use TTO. By the time my derm appt came, it was almost completely cleared up. She gave me prescriptions, a complicated mess, but I never used them, and still don't. I just apply TTO when I see the redness and raised bumps and it goes away in a couple of days, and it stops the itching immediately. On to the toes - I have tried Penlac for a year, and while it seemed to help a bit, but the 7 month point, any progress stopped. I had been using TTO straight before I started Penlac and I used to see my nail turn black and only the nails with the fungus turned black, and the nail seemed to look better. While I used Penlac, I did not use TTO. Now, the derm gave me a combo of Urea cream 40% to thin out the nail and Econazole Nitrate Cream 1% to treat the fungus. I use the Urea cream in the morning, the fungus cream in the evening. I did that for a while, and while the Urea cream thinned, I also had painful nails! I think the Econazole Cream kind of worked, but I have no patience for putting a bandaid on my nails. So back to Tea Tree Oil. When I use it, the nail with the fungal infection turns black in spots. I was worried, but I think it's OK, something is working. If it worked to clear up a rash that I have always used a prescription mess for, and it feels clean and is cheap and easy to apply and it stops the itching immediately, why would it not work for the nails? I think it's great to use as regular maintenance once in a while as well. I just drip a bunch straight from the bottle. I used to use Vick's, didn't work but didn't hurt mind you, I did not use bleach and won't, hydrogen, vinegar, none of that worked, and iodine didn't work either - I tried that for months. Only TTO and this econazole and Urea combo seem to work. I think I will alternate these treatments and see how it goes.   TTO vs Lamisil Pill Comments By: TTO Purchaser Hello everyone, fantastic forum and thanks to all that have written. I filled a prescription of the lamisil pill (whatever the generic name is...terpetine or something). I decided to wait on trying it and see if tea tree oil works. I bought a mixture of 75% tea tree oil and 25% vitamin E oil because I have some broken skin on the tip of my toe. I am turned off by the smell of the tea tree oil and applying it seems to spill everywhere (I am now just dipping a q-tip into the bottle...hopefully that is just as effective to apply the oil to the skin). I am a little confused as doctors say fungus' thrive on moist enviroments, so why would oil be a good thing?? Anyhow, I am on day 2 of trying it and so far I am not seeing a change in my nail (wasn't discolored to begin with), but I am seeing a slight change in the skin at the tip of my toe which had a rash/broken skin. So far I am quite pleased w/ the results, but my apartment smells awful. It will hopefully be worth it!   Anyone try TTO from the Body Shop? Comments By: Rita Bought TTO from the Body Shop but the label says there's only 15% TTO. I was wondering if that's too low a concentration.   trying TTO Comments By: diamonds117 I have had nail fungus/athletes foot for almost 5 years. As a young woman I always keep my nails painted to hide it and never let my boyfriend touch my feet, its embarrassing! All the nails on my right foot are effected, with my big toe's nail almost completely separated from the nail bed. I've started using Tenactin cream and powder for the athletes foot and TTO for the nail infection, I've been putting the TTO on all sides of the nails and even under the part that has separated. Has anyone else applied it this way, or just on top?   WANT TO WEAR FLIP FLOPS AGAIN!! Comments By: ANON I have a fungal infection to my toes for almost 5 years now. I use to wear flip flops all the time, i miss my flops. I Never really done anything about my infection until it started to look worst. I heard of the oral medication and was interested in taking but i heard of the side effects on the liver so opted out of that.. The podiatrist also told me that oral meds don't work and that i would have to have each of my infected toenail removed by laser to keep infection from spreading... and just paint over it my skin with nail polish and it would look like a nail.. I didnt want each nail removed to where it wouldnt grow back!! i then asked a classmate although it was embarrassing and she recommended tea tree oil.. so been applying tea tree oil about a week now.. see lil improvements nails are getting thinner and dont look as scarey as before...up date more later   Will buy Tee Tree Oil tomorrow morning! Comments By: Divachelle I have been searching the internet for ideas on how to treat the embarrassing situation of nail fungus and I came upon this website. I had an ingrown toenail about 7 years ago. Once the nail grew out, the fungus set in. It looks so awful. After reading the previous comments on Tee Tree Oil, I will be running out tomorrow morning to buy the Tee Tree Oil Good luck out there to all of the nail fungus sufferers! I will let you know of my progress in the upcoming weeks.   TTO works, takes TIME Comments By: Gerry My father has had the toe fungus for years and does not want to take a drug. He has been using TTO for about 6 months and all but his big and little toe are normal now because he needs to keep them trimmed more and they were the worst. We use with a q-tip after shower. I use as a preventative and I spray 50/50 vinegar/water IN shower stall, shoes and lightly on feet. Good luck. Pharmaceutical grade from Osco. If it SMELLS, its working, don't worry about exp date.   I'm having success with bleach and tea tree oil! Comments By: divachelle It's divachelle again, I wrote in last week that I was going to run out and buy TTO the next morning--and I did!! And I'm so glad it's working! This is what I do: 1. apply straight bleach with qtip to nail and let dry 2. apply TTO with qtip to nail and let dry. Do this twice a day. Of course, keep nails trimmed and file the top of the infected nail to help with the absorbtion of the chemicals.   Tea tree oil has worked for me for years Comments By: Anon I've been using tea tree oil for the successful treatment of fungal nail infections for years. I always dry my toes with a hairdryer after showering. I apply the oil twice a day. It has never failed to work. Lamisil also worked but made me feel rotten.   It's working!!! Comments By: RN1949 I have had toe fungus since I had an ingrown toenail and a podiatrist cut out half of my big toenail. When it grew back it was infected. This was back in the early 90's. Since then it has spread to my other big toe. Several years ago I took Sporanox and it was working. My original toe was almost clear, when I heard that a good friend of my sister had taken it and was in liver failure. She has since died from that. I quit taking the medication. I have used the paint-on products, but they never worked. My new primary care doctor told me to try TTO. That was about 6 weeks ago. It is definitely improved. My nail at the bed is pink. The nail has a long way to go, but this is the first time that the nail where it starts to grow has looked normal. I've been putting it on in the morning after my shower with a q-tip under the nail and where the nail meets the skin all the way around. Since reading some of the posts on this site and after realizing that it is working, I am going to use it twice a day. It smells bad, but I guess it is worth it. I never expected it to work. What do you know!!!   Is diluting Tea Tree Oil neccessary for toe fungus Comments By: Sandra Jean I just purchased 100% organic tree tea oil and I would like to know if it has to be diluted before applying to fungus infected toe nails or do you put drops in water to soak your feet and if so, how many drops. Thanks   To the doctor that wrote-People are promoting natural health care products. Comments By: Alex Please doctor, get a grip. I have tried Lamisil and have been to three dermatologist and that is when I learned that doctors are like car mechanics, some are better than others and some have more experience than others. Choose carefully. I have tried lamisal and had no results. I tried brushing with a major brand antibacterial soap and had very little results. The strange thing with my toe nail fungus is that my center toes are not infected. Anyway, I purchased tea tree oil from a very large multi-product discount store which has stores worldwide. Now how did the people promoting natural cures benefit from me? I also believe in natural foods and cures but realize some work for others and the some natural product may not work for everyone. I drink sour cherry juice and swear that it helps me sleep better and is great on my sore muscles after playing tennis. It works for me and I tell others but care less if they try it or they don’t try it. Now, on my use of tea tree oil; I am in the second week of placing the liquid on my toe nails and it appears to be working. My smallest nails have turned a healthy white and my large toes are improving, especially at the base. I also use Vicks about three times simply because I heard others have good results. I will wait a few weeks and give everyone an update.   I have used TTO for other things, now for nails... Comments By: I want pretty toes! Tea tree oil is very useful for lots of things, but yes, some people have a reaction to it as it is very drying and can cause some inflammation. I have been using it undiluted on my toenails for 3 weeks now, and I follow by massaging olive oil in to my feet especially around the toenails to combat the dryness. Some people claim that they notice a difference in their nails after a week, but toenails can take a full year to completely grow out. Here's hoping that by next summer I will have clear, healthy nails again. And no more polish! It's so bad, it just traps all the moisture in the nail and that's why it's so hard to get rid of.   Tea-Tree Oil Success! Comments By: Anon Hey everyone. I got a mild fungal infection at the beginning of 2009. I wanted to get Lamisil but it was waaaay too expensive. So I started treating my toenails with tea-tree oil a couple of times a day, but it didn't really seem to make much of a difference. It wasn't getting any worse, but it wasn't getting any better either. Towards the end of the year I really filed back the infected toenails. Obviously I didn't file them all the way back to the skin or anything, but they were considerably thinner than they had been. Then I continued dousing them in tea-tree oil every day. It worked. Very, very slowly I could see the healthy nail growing back. But it took almost a year (it's only just gone now) for it to fully go back to normal. I'd recommend maybe doing it at the end of summer, so you can keep your toes hidden most of winter, because the problem for me was that my toe-nails looked all scratched and gross. Putting toe-nail polish on was a temporary solution, but when I took it off there would be some nail polish left in the scratches. Pretty gross. But all of that aside, it completely worked and now I have fungus-free toenails ready for sandal-wearing in summer! In future I'm going to be really careful about what shoes I wear (eg no sweaty ballet flats in summer anymore)...hope all of you can get rid of it, it's such a nuisance! Persist with tea-tree oil :)   Ive Tried Everything Comments By: Jenni Hi i am an 11 year old girl who has 2 toenail fungus for about 3 years now. Ive used everything! Ive tried a percripted cream from my foot doctor (NOTHING!)Then my mother suggested thaat i soak my feet in paroxied for an hour everyday. Still nothing! Now im trying tea tree oil. I wouldnt say it was the best product but its working. an 11 year old shouldnt have to deal with this.   Ongoing success TTO Comments By: Ken I feel your pain guys! I've had complete fungal nail destruction on nine toes for the last 8 years. I've tried Lamisil etc to no avail, don't bother. I've been using TTO for the last month, only once a day in the morning after a bath and have seen really positive results on one of my big toes and two others - loving it. Just a quick tip - I know that showers in the morning are quick and easy but when you take a bath your toenails grow a little faster hence speeding up the rate the nails grow out. It works for me, might not for you but worth a try. I use 100% TTO that I literally pour on my nails after the bath, filing and cutting back as much as possible. Feeling positive about this process now and at last happy. If you stop the routine you might as well forget it, you must use it at least once a day. Good luck partners!   Smell? Comments By: Sue Why have so many people mentioned that they don't like the smell of TTO? I love it. I first found that something was wrong with my toenails when I removed some nail varnish last summer, and it wouldn't come off! My big toenails looked as if the pearl coloured varnish had sunk into the nails and remover would not take it off. I then filed my nails to remove it, only to find that the nail was soft where it looked white. I removed as much of the 'dead' nail as I could and filed both nails as thin as possible. I have tried two different 'paint on' products suggested by my chemist, but neither have worked. Now I have just put some TTO in a small container and have begun to paint it on my nails with a paint brush. I hope this works, and thank you to all who have written in and I wish you well, it gives me hope.