Dealing with nail fungus whether it is on your fingernails or toenails is a frustrating as well as an unpleasant issue. The medical term for this problem is onychomycosis. A dark moisture-laden area is a perfect environment for fungal growth. Hence if your nails stay in a dark and warm place for a prolonged time, then the moisture trapped in that place causes nail fungus. This situation is common in the case of toenails because of shoes.

To recognize nail fungus, the first thing you need to do is getting to know the basic and common symptoms of this problem.

Symptoms of nail fungus:

Usually, such an infection begins with a small yellow or white spot on your nail’s tip.
With each passing day, the infection starts spreading, which results in the thickening of nails.
In some cases, nails may also become ragged, brittle and crumbly.
The infected nails start changing its shape and may become dull and darker than before.
If the infection occurs in your toenails, then besides all the symptoms mentioned above, your nails may pain too.
Infected nails tend to break easily.

Your nails might start to loosen from the nail bed. If such a situation arises, then it is termed as onycholysis and is truly very uncomfortable.
You need to remember one fact that even if you go through nail fungus cure, there is no guarantee that the infection will not recur in future. If you leave it in an untreated condition, then it might spread to other nails, skin, etc.

Simple remedies for nail fungus cure:

• Orange oil or tea tree rub
  Tea tree oil possesses anti-bacterial and fungicidal properties. Thus it is very popular for healing toenail fungus. Besides this natural disinfectant, orange oil also expressed positive results in this matter of treating nail fungus. All you need is one teaspoon of tea tree oil, half spoon of olive oil or grapeseed oil and cotton balls. You may add half teaspoon orange oil, but it is not mandatory. After mixing all the ingredients in the right proportion, soak some cotton ball in it and then apply the mixture to the infected nails. Press the cotton balls gently on the affected part. Then, let it dry naturally.
• Vinegar and baking soda
  Although it is true that baking soda is not at all a fungicidal, which means it cannot kill the fungus, it is fungistatic. This implies that baking soda has the potential to prevent fungus from growing further and spreading. Vinegar is a weak acid, helps in killing fungus from your nails and is not harmful. For this nail fungus cure, you need a cup of apple cider or white vinegar, around five tablespoons of baking soda, water, and paper towels. Mix vinegar in water and soak your feet for 15 minutes. Pat dry your nails with paper towels. Then add baking soda into water and again soak your feet for the same time period. Use paper towels for drying your feet. You may practice this twice each day for better result.
• Oregano oil
  For treating toenail fungus, you may use oregano oil with cotton swabs twice daily. You may also apply oregano and tea tree oil together. Thymol is present in oregano oil, and it possesses antibacterial and antifungal properties. This is a very efficient nail fungus cure.
• Garlic
  Due to specific antimicrobial and antifungal capabilities, crushed or chopped garlic cloves can be applied to the affected nails. You need to practice this daily for 30 minutes to get better results.
• Listerine
  It is very popular in dealing with toenail fungus because of its ingredients like thymol, menthol, and eucalyptus. Experts suggest soaking the affected nails in a container of Listerine for about 30 minutes regularly.
• Olive leaf extract
  Olive leaf extract contains a substance called oleuropein, which has antimicrobial, antifungal and also immune-boosting properties. So you may put it directly on the infected area or consume in the form of a capsule. To get better results, you need to ingest 1-3 capsules twice with meals regularly. It is recommended that you drink lots of water during this treatment. This is a very effective nail fungus cure.

These simple yet effective nail fungus cures will surely assist you in getting rid of this unpleasant infection. But still, it is your responsibility to take proper care of your nails from the very beginning. Maintaining proper hygiene is the preventive measure in this case, which helps you to stay away from any kind of nail fungal infection in the future.