ANSWER:
When you receive your box of our herb formula you will need to combine it with 4 cups of apple cider vinegar (exact directions are in the box). The herbs will steep overnight in the vinegar, then be strained out the following day. Pour the liquid into a plastic container, such as a plastic shoe storage box, with a lid (to prevent evaporation). You will need to soak daily for 3-5 minutes.

ANSWER:
There's enough in a box of Nail Fungus Soak to last about 2 months, with daily soaking. While the liquid is effective longer than that, most people, especially if using it for their feet, tend to track a bit out each day and after 2 months, the amount of liquid has diminished. The liquid is still good, it's just harder to soak your feet if the level of liquid has gone down.

ANSWER:
Most people start seeing results in about 5-6 weeks, depending on how fast your nails grow. The first thing you will notice is the nail is growing in "clear" (meaning clear of the fungus) at the base of the nail. Continue soaking for a few more weeks to make sure the fungus is gone and the nails are growing in new and clean of the fungus.

For those who've had nail fungus for a very long time, 5, 10, 15 years or more, the growth will likely be slower and take a bit longer. One customer got nail fungus while a solder in World War 2. He'd had it for more than 60 years. After 2 months of soaking he said he could begin to see improvements and was not willing to give up since he saw progress. He wound up soaking daily for 6 months, and his fungus was completely gone and his nails grew out clear of the fungus for the first time in all those years.

ANSWER:
In the grocery store you will find two primary kinds of vinegar: white distilled vinegar, and apple cider vinegar. White vinegar will work, however we've found it not as effective was plain, apple cider vinegar. We recommend you use the most inexpensive apple cider vinegar from the grocery store. The cheap grocery store brand works very well. The more expensive brands often contain extra carmel coloring, which may color your nails a bit (but it won't hurt anything if it does), so we recommend the cheapest apple cider vinegar from the grocery store.

We do not recommend the more expensive unpasturized cider vinegar from the health food store. Why? That vinegar is great if you are using it internally, or for salad dressings, etc. But for this purpose, soaking your feet, you need a cheap, pasturized apple cider vinegar from the grocery store. We've found it just works better than the unpasturized kind. Save that for internal use and for soaking your feet, get the cheap stuff from the grocery store!

ANSWER:
For most people, the Nail Fungus Soak works well by itself. But for those who see some results but want to speed it up, the Spilanthes-Usnea Tincture may help.

Our recommend for using it is this:
Once a day, soak in the Nail Fungus Soak for 3-5 minutes. At the other end of the day, opposite the time you soaked, put 1 drop of Spilanthes-Usnea on each affected nail, AND put 30 drops in a glass of apple juice or water and drink it. Using it internally and externally helps speed up the healing for the very toughest cases.

There's about 1,000 drops in a bottle of Spilanthes-Usnea, enough to last about 10 days.

While there is no warning on the label from the manufacturer about the use of Spilanthes-Usnea Tincture by pregnant or nursing mothers, our own recommendation is that it's best to be extra cautious. We don't recommend that women who are pregnant or nursing mothers use the Tincture internally during that time. The Nail Fungus Soak, however, is safe to use by pregnant or nusring mothers as it's not used internally.

ANSWER:
We usually suggest that the best container to store your Nail Fungus Soak in while using it, is a plastic shoe storage box. There are probably other plastic containers that will work, but this one is so cheap, and just the right size. You'll find a plastic shoe storage box in the Dollar Store, Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc. They cost about 99 cents. Buy the narrowest one you can find. Plastic shoe storage boxes seem to come in 2 sizes: a narrow one for ladies' shoes and a wider one for men's shoes. Buy the more narrow one as it will cause the liquid to be a bit deeper, thus, easier to soak your entire foot. Keep the lid on between uses to prevent evaporation. And it's a good idea to label the box so that the cleaning lady doesn't throw it out.

ANSWER:
There is nothing harmful in the mixture. You could probably drink it and not be harmed. However, it's a good idea to keep the liquid out of reach of pets and small children. If one were to drink the liquid, treat it the same way as you would for their ingesting apple cider vinegar. It's not harmful, but it might cause them to gag. However, there's nothing dangerous or harmful in the formula.

ANSWER:

Marilyn,

My recommendation would be this. Take the extra Spilanthes and continue using it. Take along a little bottle of the mixed up Soak, in something like a dropper bottle, so that you can continue putting the Soak on in the morning, instead of soaking, just use drops, like you do in the evening with the Spilanthes. That way you'll continue the process and not interrupt it.

Jim

ANSWER:

Two things:
1-No, applying it topically isn't as effective as soaking. The soaking part is important because it soaks under and around the nails, in areas where just applying topically won't reach. You'll speed up the results considerably if you'll soak according to the instructions, rather than applying it with a cloth. Please soak - it really does make a difference.

2-The reason we say "2 months" is because you track a bit out of the container each time you soak, and so, the level of liquid goes down. But it's effective longer than 2 months, it's just that most people (who soak according to instructions....hint...hint...) track a bit out each time.

I'm glad it's working, but truly, use it like I wrote the instructions, it really works a whole lot better, and faster, too.
Buy a $1 plastic shoe storage box at the Dollar Store. Mix up a new batch and soak each day for 2-3 minutes. That's enough, longer doesn't help. But actually soak and I think you will be even more pleased with my formula.

Thanks,
Jim Long

ANSWER:

Dear Sue,

No, nail polish won't have any effect on the Nail Soak's effectiveness. By soaking, the liquid gets around the nail and under the edges, where the fungus is hiding. Go ahead and use nail polish like you normally do.

Sincerely,
Jim

ANSWER:

The slight darkening of the nails is from the carmel coloring in the apple cider vinegar. Some brands have almost no coloring, while others, like Heinz, have a lot. The darkening isn't harmful.

ANSWER:

Often construction workers and farmers, those who wear heavy work boots, have the problem of their feet staying damp. This almost insures they will have nail fungus, athlete's foot, etc.

We recommend 4 things that will help.

1. Have an extra pair of boots or shoes and trade off every day so that the other pair has a chance to dry out.
2. Soak every day, 3 minutes (twice daily would be even better, but at the least, once daily) with Nail Fungus Soak.
3. Every morning, after soaking and patting dry, dust your feet with any kind of medicated power, such as Gold Bond or similar, to help keep the feet dry.
4. Go barefoot at every opportunity. At night, after you get home, at lunch time, whenever it is possible, get your feet out of the hot, humid boots.

ANSWER:

Yes. It is, however, a bit harder to apply, but you will see results in about 10 days to 2 weeks. To use it for this purpose, mix Nail Soak according to directions in the box. Then daily (twice each day is even better), soak a washcloth in the Nail Soak liquid, wring it partially out and apply the very wet washcloth to the affected area. Leave it in place for 5 minutes. Pat dry afterward but don't wash off the area for at least an hour if possible. Keep the area dry by applying something like Gold Bond medicated powder or similar drying power during the day.

ANSWER:

Yes! Nail Soak will work on those conditions much faster than on nail fungus. You will often see results in about 10 days of daily soaking on cracking heel or athlete's foot.

ANSWER:

Nail fungus can be blackened nails, or yellow, thick nails that slowly detach from the nail bed. It is often accompanied by athlete's foot, or cracking heel, or by peeling and cracking between the fingers or toes. Nail Soak treats all of those fungal problems when you soak daily and you should begin to see results on the skin fungus problems within about 2 weeks.

ANSWER:

Our formula contains carefully balanced amounts of shavegrass (Equisteum sp.), along with Mentha spicata, Eucalyptus and Lavendula sp. There is no tea tree herb or oil, no fillers and no chemicals or preservatives. The herbs work in combination with the vinegar solution.

ANSWER:

No. Tea tree herb isn't very effective in treating fungal problems and we do not use it in our formula. Additionally, many people are allergic to tea tree oil or herb.

ANSWER:

We've had questions from customers who have asked about adding bleach to the vinegar-formula mixture, or other ingredients. We strongly recommend you never add anything else to the Nail Soak and vinegar mixture. Let the formula do its work.

If you were to add things to the mixture beyond the vinegar and Nail Soak herbs, it negates your guarantee completely. We guarantee our formula to work, provided you use only our ingredients and follow our proven directions.

ANSWER:

Spilanthes-Usnea Tincture (pronounced "sp- lan- thus use-nee-a") is an herbal tincture manufactured by the Herbpharm in Oregon. They list the tincture as beneficial in cases of blood-borne and internal fungal problems, including warts, nail fungus, vaginal yeast infection and others. It is made of two antifungal herbs: spilanthes and usnea, and is taken internally.

Our recommendation, if you choose to use this tincture, is that you soak once daily (morning or evening) in Nail Fungus Soak. At the other end of the day, put one drop of Spilanthes-Usnea Tincture on each affected nail, AND drink 30 drops of the Spilanthes-Usnea Tincture in a glass of water or apple juice. (The instructions on the bottle suggest a larger daily dose, but our experience has been that 30 drops once a day is sufficient). There is enough in a bottle for a 10 day supply, used this way. Complete directions come with the Tincture.

ANSWER:

Yes. Even for people with compromised immune systems, Nail Soak will work, although it may work more slowly. Twice daily soaking is recommended if possible, rather than the once daily soak for people with stronger immune systems.

ANSWER:

Yes, because you are using this topically, we know of no harmful effects. If you have an open wound, the vinegar may sting, so use your judgement about whether to use it or not. Often people with advanced diabetes heal more slowly, so it may take longer to heal up nail fungus, but it does work for those with this illness.

ANSWER:

We recommend you use the Nail Fungus Soak first, simply because most people's fungal problems respond to the Nail Soak by itself. However, for people who may have a variety of fungal problems, or an especially tough case, the addition of the Spilanthes-Usnea tincture can be helpful.

ANSWER:

You will get the best results by soaking every day for 3-5 minutes. It's not critical if you miss a day now and then, but if possible, use the Nail Soak every day.

ANSWER:

Actually we recommend you soak your entire foot in the liquid. Often, nail fungus is accompanied by athlet's foot or similar fungal problems on the hands or feet. By soaking your foot, not just the affected nail, you are eliminating all of the fungus on the area.

Additionally, nail fungus can be in the beginning stages on other nails, even though you don't see evidence yet. Soaking all of the nails insures you are heading off future fungal problems on the nails that appear clear of the fungus.

ANSWER:

No, it doesn't accomplish anything to soak longer than that. The important thing is that you do this every day, for at least 3 minutes.

ANSWER:

Soaking morning and evening is probably better than just once a day, but most people find that one daily soak is all they have time for. If you want to soak twice daily, 3 minutes each time is enough. And yes, twice daily is a little bit better than only once.

ANSWER:

Virtually everyone who uses Herbal Nail Soak sees good results on their nails. We seldom have people it doesn't work for, but when we do have someone who fails, they fall into one of the following categories:

1. Giving up too soon. Sometimes the person expects to see results in 2 or 3 weeks, which is just not possible. It took years to develop your nail fungus problem, so it may take 2-4 months of daily soaking for 3 minutes a day to heal. Give it time to work.
2. Using the wrong vinegar. Some people stubbornly ignore our plea to use only the cheap store brand of apple cider vinegar and instead choose the tasty, organic vinegar, which isn't pasturized, and won't work with our product. Use the vinegar we recommend and our formula will most likely work for you.
3. People whose bodies are "friendly" to fungus. This includes people who have a diet high in soft drinks, candy, potato chips and fast food. It includes people who are on medications such as chemotherapy drugs, or who have advanced diabetes or heart disease. Often people in this category also have athlete's foot, or other skin fungal problems.

ANSWER:

The really good quality, apple cider vinegar from the health food store is great for salad dressings, or for internal use. However, it is not pasturized, and does not work with our Herbal Nail Fungus Soak. The cheap apple cider vinegar from the grocery store IS pasturized, and will work with our product. Save the good quality, tasty organic vinegar for other purposes, but use the cheap, pasturized apple cider vinegar from the grocery store for your nails and you will be pleased with the results.

ANSWER:

The Nail Soak instructions call for mixing the formula and vinegar in a non-corrosive or other non-aluminum pan. Occasionally we'll have someone think that it's all right to mix it in cast iron and after they do, complain that the mixture turned their feet or hands dark.

Cast iron reacts with vinegar and turns the vinegar dark, and in turn, turns skin dark, as well. Please do not use aluminum nor cast iron to mix the vinegar + formula in. Use stainless steel, glass or non-stick coated pans for mixing and heating the vinegar solution. Mixing it in cast iron won't hurt you, but it will definitely turn your skin much darker on the area that's being soaked.

ANSWER:

The fungus that causes cracking heel and related athlete's foot, is easily remedied by Nail Soak. In fact, that's how I happen to create the formula more than 16 years ago, to cure my own cracking heel problem.

You will ususally see results with cracking heel in 2-3 weeks. My cracking heel problem never came back. Here's what one of our customers said, volunteering her testimonial:

"I have had cracking, dry and crusty heels for years and years and have tried almost all the fungus treatments and creams and moisturizers and you name it on the market to no avail - and not even knowing if I had a fungus or not. My doctor said "excessively dry, just calluses, use Dr. Scholl's callous file after soaking and moisturize." Didn't work.

I was surfing the web and ran across your Nail Fungus Soak and thought "what can it hurt to try it? I've tried everything else." In one month's time, it is like the calluses on my heels have "melted away," and the cracks are almost gone -- and I had cracks that were bleeding (the vinegar did sting a little). It is amazing!! I have never had anything work on my calluses like this.

I didn't see any testimonials about dry, cracked heels and decided I needed to tell you about my experience in case there is someone else out there who has had the same problem.

Thanks for a great product" .... Sue F., Ohio

ANSWER:

One of the ways you can reverse the progress you've made with Nail Soak, is by digging under the nail. Sometimes people get impatient after a few weeks of soaking every day and think that if they just dug out the gunk from underneath the nail, it would allow more Nail Soak to get under it.

Don't do it. The new tissue underneath the nail, where the fungus has receded, is very fragile. When you dig, you loosen the nail a bit, pulling the tissue loose. That allows the fungus to go back downward into that soft tissue.

Be patient, don't trim your nails back too close, and don't dig under the nails. When you are seeing results and the fungus is going away and your nails are growing out clear of fungus, don't be tempted to "speed it up" by digging.