Content

• Steps
• Advice

Small white streaks sometimes appear as spots or stripes on the fingernails and toenails with the medical term leukonychia. These white spots are usually benign, resulting from damage, allergies, or vitamin deficiency. Often you can self-treat white spots on nails at home with a variety of natural remedies. If the white spots do not go away, see your doctor to have them checked. In rare cases, white spots on the nail can be a sign of an underlying medical condition.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Use home remedies

1. 

   Moisturize your nails daily. In addition to moisturizing your hands, you also need to moisturize your nails. Rub hand balm or vitamin E oil onto your nails every night before bed to maintain nail strength and help fade white spots.

2. 

   
   
   Try essential oils. The essential oil is known to treat white spots caused by damage to nails or onychomycosis. Tea tree oil and orange oil are often the most effective. Mix a few drops of essential oil with a carrier oil like olive oil and apply it to your nails. Orange oil should be soaked for about 45 minutes, while tea tree oil only needs to soak for about 15 - 20 minutes.
   • Always wash your nails after applying oil.

3. 

   
   
   Soak your nails in white vinegar and water. Mix 1 part white vinegar with 1 part water in a bowl to soak your nails. Soak for 10 minutes, then rinse and dry the nails. Do this 4 times a week and you should start to see the white spots decrease.
   • If you have sensitive skin, you should mix the solution with a higher ratio of water than vinegar.

4. 

   
   
   Rub slices of lemon on the nail. Sometimes a vitamin C deficiency also causes white spots on the nail, and lemons are high in vitamin C. Simply cut the lemon in half and rub it on your nails. Leave lemon juice on your nails for 20-30 minutes, then rinse and dry your nails.

5. 

   Soak your nails in sugar-free yogurt. Natural, unsweetened, unsweetened yogurt will help boost nail health and may reduce the appearance of white spots. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of yogurt in a bowl and soak the nails in the yogurt for 10-15 minutes, then rinse your nails with warm water.
   • You can also add a few drops of lemon juice or vitamin E oil to your yogurt.

6. 

   Use alka seltzer tablets. Alka seltzer tablets are known to reduce white spots. Drop a few pills in warm water and soak your nails for about 5 minutes.

7. 

   Wait for the nail to grow. In the majority of cases, patience is essential to remove white spots on nails. The white spots will usually fade or push out as the nail grows. While there are steps to speed up the process, sometimes you just need to wait. advertisement

Method 2 of 3: Lifestyle adjustment

1. 

   Change your diet. Deficiencies of zinc, vitamin C, calcium and protein sometimes cause white spots to form on nails. You can reduce white spots on nails by taking in missing vitamins and minerals.
   • Eat fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and apples for vitamin C.
   • Broccoli, cabbage, kale, turnip, poultry, fish and nuts also provide essential nutrients for nail health.
   • You can also try taking multivitamins that can be found at drug stores. This is helpful if you are sensitive to foods, making it difficult to absorb nutrients directly from the food.

2. 

   Avoid biting and pricking your nails. Bad habits like biting or pricking your nails can actually damage your nails. If you play with your nails a lot, stop immediately. As you bite your nails less or pry your nails less, you may notice that white spots decrease.
   • If you find it difficult to resist the habit of nail biting, try applying band-aid to your nails. Nail polish can also help, as you won't want to ruin your freshly painted nail polish.

3. 

   Footwear adjustment. If your toenails also often have white spots, change the footwear you're wearing. Tight and uncomfortable shoes can damage the toenails, leading to the formation of white spots. You should swap out regular shoes for a wider, more comfortable pair to see if the white spots decrease.
   • This is especially important if you practice subjects like running or other vigorous exercise. Comfortable tennis shoes are essential for nail health.

4. 

   Wear gloves when cleaning. Never use bare hands when washing dishes, cleaning or doing other household chores. While it may not seem like a lot of work, these housework can damage and dry out your nails. To maintain optimal nail health, it is recommended to use gloves when doing chores.

5. 

   Don't paint your nails too often. If you like nail polish, try not to paint your nails for 2 days in a row. Nail polish can dry out and damage nails, leading to problems like white spots. You should also pay attention to how your nails react to nail polish. If white spots usually appear after using a particular paint, then you are probably allergic. Stop using that paint immediately.
   • In addition, you should also limit your manicure. Try to get a manicure only on special occasions if you are prone to white spots on your nails.
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Method 3 of 3: Seek medical attention

1. 

   See a doctor if the white spots do not go away. If the white spots still don't go away with home remedies, make an appointment with your doctor for a checkup. Although usually harmless, white spots on nails are sometimes a sign of underlying problems, such as anemia or liver disease. In addition, you may need prescription medication for onychomycosis.

2. 

   Take an antifungal if your doctor prescribes it. If you are diagnosed with a fungal nail infection, your doctor may prescribe an oral antifungal. It is usually used for 6-12 weeks and will help treat the symptoms of onychomycosis that cause white spots.
   • Be sure to let your doctor know about any current health problems before taking any antifungal medication. Antifungal medications can cause a rash or damage the liver.

3. 

   Try medicated nail creams or polishes. Your doctor may also prescribe an antifungal nail cream or polish to apply on your nails. Usually you will apply it for a period of time, possibly from a few weeks to a year. advertisement

Advice

• You can also use neutral nail polish to hide white spots if you want.