Apple Cider Vinegar and Toenail Fungus

I'm sure many of use (Exspeashly if you are reading this entry) have notices that their toenails have started to change color, thicken, or maybe even crack. If this is so you may have toenail fungus. If so it is ok, do not freak out because in your kitchen you may have one of the best and cheapest ways to heal your poor toes. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a great remedy for toenail fungus, foot smell, and it will also soften the skin of your feet (and any other body part you use it on). so let's talk about why this is.

(Disclaimer: before we go any further I do want to note that I am not a dr. and with some of these claims I have not found any credible study proving that they help, only my own personal use, research, and old wives tales that have been passed down from my community. So I suggest you talk to your health care provider before trying this, or if you do not get the desired results)

Why It Works

So let's talk about ACV and how it helps with foot fungus and smell. The idea behind why it is said to work is simple, Vinegar is an acid, which gives it antifungal and antibacterial properties. This in theory should slow down the growth of fungus and bacteria. (So you could even use it as a deodorant in a pinch since armpit smell is caused by bacteria mixed with sweat)  Not only that but it will also affect the pH levels of the skin making it harder for the fungus to grow and spread. 

As I said earlier it will also soften the skin. (So yes you can use this on your face as well I do it all the time). ACV considered an alpha hydroxy acid which will help chemically exfoliate your skin by removing dead skin buildup. So don't be scared to use it on other parts of your body (after doing a little research of course) that way you can show off that nice new soft healthy skin.   

Organic ACV vs Non-organic ACV

So the big difference between the two types of ACV is non-organic is pasteurized, filtered, and has had man-made pesticides used on the products that are used to make it. (I use the word man-made pesticides because many people believe organic has no pesticides use when that is not always the case, some organic farmers do use natural pesticides) while the organic one is not. Since organic ACV is unfiltered and unpasteurized it still has the live bacteria and yeast used to ferment the apples in it. Now when it comes to foot soaks I do not really think it matters if the ACV is organic or not (Some people will tell you otherwise though) since the main thing we want it for is the acidic property. Now I do use organic in my household but in the case of foot soak it just because of personal health beliefs not because I think one kills foot fungus better than the other. 

How to Use it to Kill Foot Fungus

So ACV is pretty easy to use to get rid of foot fungus. All you have to do is just get a foot tub of warm water (I use one of the plastic sponge bathtubs you get from the hospital) Then I add a splash of ACV to it and just soak my feet for 15 to 20 min at least once a day. ( you should really do it twice a day for foot and toenail fungus but let's face it when you have kids, you don't always get the time to do something twice a day). 

Like always thanks for reading and please help support my family and me by following our Instagram Retro Girl Worksheets or finding one of your online shops. You can get cool clipart by clicking here to go to my teacher pay teacher shop. You can also check out my ETSY shop by clicking here.

Home Grown Mushrooms

First off I want to say, sorry for no post last week and the late post this week. For some reason, I had been in a bit of a funk and needed to take a bit of time to myself to work on other projects. I also wanted to take time away from my blog because it was starting to turn into a job and not something fun anymore.

I know that sounds odd since this is a new blog but as a homeschool mom, I am actually really busy this time of year. Though it isn't really the homeschool that has made me busy since we are wrapping up our normal curriculum and getting ready to switch over to our summer curriculum. (Which is a little easier and more just reviewing what we learned so we don't forget stuff). But with summer comes a lot of extra tasks. Making my blog seem more like a job that I needed to make time for then something fun.

So with that being said, now it is time to talk about a really cool project we have been working on the past few weeks. That project is growing mushrooms. Mushrooms are one of the few healthy foods I do not have to fight my 6-year-old to eat. So what way could we make her favorite food even better? We let her grow her own!

( My oldest with her mushrooms)

I found this kit by mistake at Lowe's when I was looking for seeds for our garden adventurous (which if anyone read my post about that it is not going well). It was tucked in the back behind a lot of newer looking guarding stuff which made me wonder if it was worth spending money on. However, it was on sale and I have a bad habit of justifying my purchases if they are marked down 50% or more. So I got it. 

So these kits I normally stay away from because they are overpriced, a lot of the time they don't work for me, and my kids normally start them but then quite halfway threw due to a number of reasons them making them my projects. (Thanks to this anytime my kids start something they are now made to finish it but do not have to get any more of that project and the project must be age-appropriate). However, this was was pretty easy so my 6-year-old had no problem doing most of the project by herself.

So to begin with we opened the box and soaked the compacted dirt in water overnight according to the instructions. Then after that, it was as simple as putting it in the box and just remind my 6-year-old to spry the dirt twice a day. (For younger kids I would suggest getting a spray bottle with a trigger. The one the kit has is a push top spray bottle and was a little hard for my 6-year-olds little hands to use but she smaller than most kids her age). Then in about two weeks, we had fully grown mushrooms that we could eat!

(our fully grown mushrooms)

One of the things I really liked about this kit is it comes with a flyer that teaches you about mushrooms. So we were able to use the whole thing as our science for a bit. We learned how to observe changes in things, we learned about different mushrooms, and we also learned how to take responsibility for something. Which are all things I can get behind. Another good thing about this kit is if you go to their web site and share your picture with the fully grown mushrooms the company donates a kit to different things. (Places that grow food for others, and looked like schools as well according to the comment from the company). 

The only down side I found to the kit is it did cost a bit. On the Back to Roots website the kit is 25.00 (that does not include shipping or taxes) when it seemed like many local stores like Lowe's, and Ace Hardware had the kits for a lot less. So if this is something you are interested in I would check your local stores to see if they have the kit in stock first before getting it from Back to the Roots if you are wanting to save some money.

So I hope this is something many other homeschool family can find a way to add into their home school. If you have any other ideas you would like to share please do so in the comments. Don't forget to find us on Instagram at Retro Girl Worksheets. Also check out my TPT shop Retro Girl Worksheets for some cool clip art, coloring pages, and supplemental worksheets. We also have a podcast on podbean called Retro Girl's Treehouse but it is not as family friendly as my blog. (Just warning anyone before the go out and find it!)