Okay, so, I’ve been dealing with this gnarly toenail thing for a while now. You know, the kind that makes you want to hide your feet in public? Yeah, that’s the one. It all started a few months back. I noticed my big toenail getting a bit discolored, kinda yellowish. Didn’t think much of it at first, figured it was just some weird thing. But then it started getting thicker and, well, kinda crumbly. Gross, I know.
I did some Googling – as one does – and all signs pointed to toenail fungus. Ugh. I’ve heard about those harsh chemical treatments, and honestly, I wasn’t thrilled about putting that stuff on my body. I’m more of a natural remedies kind of person, you know? So I went to work on doing more research and seeing if there was another way I could handle it. It appeared to me that a fungus can infiltrate any part of the body. That’s when I stumbled upon some articles about using castor oil. Sounded a bit out there, but hey, I was willing to try anything.
The info I found said that castor oil has this stuff called undecylenic acid. Apparently, it’s a fatty acid that comes from castor oil, and people say it has some solid antifungal properties. I even read that you find it in some of those antifungal creams and powders, so I was starting to feel a little more confident. I guess it’s effective against various fungi, including those that cause athlete’s foot and ringworm. I also read that tea tree oil and oregano oil can be used because they have antifungal and antiseptic properties.
Here’s what I did:
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First, I made sure my feet were clean and dry. I read somewhere that fungus loves moisture, so this seemed like a good first step. I would also do a good washing of my feet every night before going to bed. I wanted to make sure I was cleaning the surface really well, so the oil could do its thing and soak in there.
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Then, I grabbed some organic, cold-pressed castor oil. I figured the purer, the better. I didn’t want any weird additives messing with the process. I also found some tea tree oil to use. I was going to try the castor oil first, but I wanted a backup plan just in case it didn’t work out.
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I applied a few drops of the castor oil directly onto the affected toenail. I made sure to cover the whole nail and even tried to get some under the nail where the fungus was probably hiding out.
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I did this twice a day, every day. Consistency is key, right? I made it part of my morning and nighttime routine, so I wouldn’t forget. It took some time, I think it was somewhere around a month in a half or two months. I was diligent with this, though. I was not going to miss a day.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much at first. But after a few weeks, I started noticing a difference. The discoloration started to fade, and the nail didn’t seem as thick or brittle anymore. It was actually starting to look, dare I say, normal! This is why I switched to tea tree oil, because I wasn’t sure if the castor oil would have an impact or not. I think the tea tree oil is what really helped to make the difference in the end.
It’s been a couple of months now, and I’m happy to report that my toenail is looking much better. It’s not completely back to its former glory, but it’s definitely on the mend. I’m still applying the tea tree oil a couple times a week, just to make sure that nasty fungus doesn’t come back. It’s crazy how something as simple as castor oil or tea tree oil could make such a difference. I’m definitely a believer now! Who knew, right? This was a long process but it was worth it in the end.
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