Occasionally, small white spots or lines may appear on your fingernails and toenails, which is medically known as leukonychia. These white spots are usually benign and may be caused by injury, allergies, or a certain vitamin deficiency. Most of the time, you can treat them yourself at home with a variety of natural methods. If the white spots don’t go away, you may want to seek medical attention. In rare cases, white spots on nails may be a symptom of some underlying disease.

Use Home Remedies

Every time you apply moisturizer to your hands, don’t neglect your nails. Apply a nourishing hand oil or vitamin E oil to your nails every night before going to bed. This helps your nails stay strong, and healthy and may reduce the appearance of white spots.

Essential oils can treat white spots caused by nail injuries or fungal infections. Tea tree oil and orange oil work best. Mix a few drops of essential oil with a carrier oil and apply to your nails. You can use olive oil as a carrier oil. Let your nails soak in orange oil for 45 minutes or tea tree oil for 15-20 minutes.

• Be sure to wash your nails afterward.

Soak your nails in white vinegar and water. Pour equal parts white vinegar and water into a bowl. Soak your nails in the bowl. Wash your nails after 10 minutes and dry them. Soak 4 times a week and you should start to see a reduction in white spots.

• If you have sensitive skin, dilute the vinegar with more water.

Rub your nails with lemon slices. Sometimes, white spots on nails may be due to a lack of vitamin C, which lemons are rich in. Cut the lemon and mix it, then rub it into your nails. Soak your nails in the juice for 20-30 minutes before rinsing and drying them.

Soak your nails in sugar-free yogurt. Natural yogurt, without added sugar or other flavorings, can promote healthy nails and reduce the appearance of white spots. Put 3 tablespoons of yogurt into a bowl and soak your nails in it for 10-15 minutes. After the time is up, rinse your nails with warm water.

• You can also add a few drops of lemon juice or vitamin E oil to the yogurt.

Use alka seltzer effervescent tablets. Alka seltzer effervescent tablets can help some people reduce white spots. Put 2 effervescent tablets into warm water and soak your nails for 5 minutes.

Cut off the white spots after your nails grow out. Most of the time, getting rid of white spots on nails requires patience. The white spots usually fade over time or move upward as the nail grows, and you can just cut it off at this time. There are steps you can take to speed up the process, but sometimes patience is enough.

Change Your Lifestyle

Sometimes, a lack of zinc, vitamin C, calcium, and protein can cause white spots on nails. Increasing your intake of these vitamins and minerals can help reduce white spots.

• Eat fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and apples to get more vitamin C.
• Broccoli, cabbage, kale, turnips, poultry, fish, and nuts also provide nutrients needed to promote healthy nails.
• You can also take a multivitamin that you can buy at a grocery store or pharmacy. If you are allergic to certain foods and cannot get nutrients directly from food, a multivitamin can help.

Don’t bite or pick at your nails. These bad habits can damage your nails. If you like playing with your nails, stop that habit. You may find that the white spots decrease after you stop biting or picking at your nails.

• If you can’t kick these bad habits, try putting a Band-Aid on your nails. Nail polish may also help, as beautiful nails are something you won’t want to ruin.

If you keep getting white spots on your toenails, consider changing the shoes you wear. Shoes that are too tight or uncomfortable can damage your toenails and cause white spots to form. Switch to shoes that are looser and more comfortable and see if the white spots reduce.

• This is especially important if you engage in running, jogging or other strenuous activities. Comfortable sneakers are essential for healthy toenails.

Don’t wash dishes, dust, or do other household chores with bare hands. Although this type of activity is effortless, it can actually damage your nails and dry them out. Wear gloves when cleaning to keep your nails healthy.

Don’t wear nail polish too often. If you wear nail polish regularly, try not to wear it two days in a row. Nail polish can damage nails, dry them out, and cause problems like white spots. You should also pay attention to how your nails react to nail polish. If you tend to develop white spots after applying a certain nail polish, it may be an allergic reaction. Stop using the nail polish in question immediately.

• You also need to reduce the number of manicures. If your nails are prone to white spots, only get professional manicures for special occasions.

Seek Medical Treatment

If the white spots do not disappear, it is recommended to see a doctor. If home treatments fail to eliminate white spots, it is recommended to see a doctor. White spots on nails are usually harmless, but sometimes they can indicate a medical problem, such as anemia or liver problems. Also, if you have a fungal nail infection, you may need to get prescription medication.

Take oral antifungal medications prescribed by your doctor. If your doctor diagnoses the white spots as being caused by a fungal infection, they may prescribe oral antifungal medications. These medications are usually taken for 6-12 weeks and should slowly reduce the white spots caused by fungal infections.

• Before taking antifungal medications, be sure to discuss any existing health conditions you have with your doctor. Antifungal drugs can cause rashes or damage the liver.

Use medicated nail polish or ointment. Your doctor may prescribe antifungal ointment or nail polish to apply to your nails. You usually need to leave them on your nails for a period, which could be a few weeks or up to a year.