Best Fungal Nail Treatment 2024: Antifungal Ointments for Clearing up Infections
Get your toes sandal-ready with the best fungal nail treatment to clear and prevent infections
Long runs and walks, balmy barefoot afternoons, jacuzzis, and pool decks… blissful, huh? They’re also among the main ways to catch a fungal nail infection, which the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society says affects around 20 percent of the general population and 75 percent of people over 60 at any one time. So an effective fungal nail treatment is up there with insect repellent and sunblock as a product that could save your summer.
The best fungal nail treatments work by killing the normally harmless spores that multiply in dark, swampy places such as between your toes (where they cause athlete’s foot) and in the beds of your nails. The result can be as painful as it is unsightly, but effective treatment is easy to use at home and can make a difference within weeks, leaving you free to wear those open-toed sandals with pride.
Skip down the page to see which fungal nail treatments we recommend for clearing up infections fast, or read on for more tips about choosing the right treatment for you.
Best fungal nail treatment: At a glance
| Best jack-of-all-trades | Excilor Nail Fungus Treatment (~$22) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best for disguising discolored nails | Nailner Treats & Colors (~$70) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best natural option | Imperial Feet (~$27) | Check price at Amazon |
The best fungal nail treatments you can buy in 2024
1. Excilor Nail Fungus Treatment: Best jack-of-all-trades fungal nail treatment
Price when reviewed: $22 | Check price at Amazon
Excilor’s Nail Fungus Treatment solution is the most highly praised antifungal nail treatment among verified online buyers, who hail it as the one that works when others fail. It’s very easy to use, too: brush it onto your infected nail twice a day, then forget about it. It dries very fast and penetrates into the nail without the need for filing, so it’s a quick and mess-free process that soon becomes automatic, like cleaning your teeth.
Don’t expect overnight results, or even results in two weeks (despite the claim on the box). It will support healthy regrowth of the nail, so you’ll see results when the nail starts to grow back. Meanwhile, Excilor keeps working on the micro-environment of your nail, making it hostile to fungal growth and preventing further infections.
Key specs – Size: 0.11oz; Format: Liquid; Active ingredients: Amorolfine, ciclopirox
2. Imperial Feet: Best natural fungal nail treatment
Price when reviewed: $27 | Check price at Amazon
The bottle with built-in dropper is much bigger than the likes of Excilor (which are all around 0.11oz), but that’s partly because the Imperial Feet solution itself is much milder, relying on natural antifungal ingredients including tea tree oil to clear up the infection. As much as we welcome natural ingredients, this treatment will struggle to penetrate an infected nail, so it’s best kept for clearing up milder infections and preventing recurrence.
Key specs – Size: 2.54oz; Format: Liquid; Active ingredient: Tea tree oil
3. Nailner Active Cover Nail Fungus Treatment: Best for disguising discolored nails
Price when reviewed: $70 | Check price at Amazon
Nailner’s treat-and-cover polish doesn’t contain any antifungal ingredients at all, but it uses citric acid and ethyl lactate to create a gently caustic environment for the infection. Meanwhile, on top, the thick, peelable, nude-coloured polish provides a handy disguise. It’s slow, but it will keep your toe looking presentable while it gets to work on the infection underneath.
Key specs – Size: 1.01oz; Format: Liquid; Active ingredient: Citric acid, ethyl lactate (no antifungals)
How to choose the best fungal nail treatment for you
Do I need a fungal nail treatment?
If you’ve noticed that one or more of your toenails (or, less commonly, a fingernail) has got thicker, slightly discolored, and yellow, and is perhaps getting brittle enough for bits to break off or even start separating from the nail bed, it’s pretty likely that you have a fungal nail infection (official name onychomycosis). You can treat it at home using one of the products we recommend below.
If you’re not sure, show the nail to your local pharmacist, who’ll be able to confirm that you’ve got a fungal infection and not some other less common nail problem.
What should I look for in a fungal nail treatment?
Amorolfine, ciclopirox, and pentylene glycol are among the most-used active ingredients of antifungal nail treatments. They restore pH balance, kill fungal and bacterial infections, and allow the nail to grow healthily from its base.
Urea also blitzes fungus and can be aggressive enough to kill the infected nail tissue completely. Be careful not to get a strong urea-based treatment onto healthy skin.
If the nail has grown very thick, you might want to file the surface first to help the solution penetrate it and reach the infected skin below. Some products come with files included.
Some fungal nail treatments double up as nail polishes, so they cover up the problem while also treating it. You can also get nail treatment pens, which make antifungal treatments really easy and safe to apply.
The bigger the nail, the longer it will take to grow out, so big toenails take the longest. Expect to wait between four and 12 months for your brand new nail.
If this all fascinates you, check out the detailed comparison of chemical treatments for onychomycosis on the Foot Expert Podiatric Dermatology Blog.
