Sick of yeast infections? Try some tried and true yeast infection home remedy

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Click here for my list of yeast infection home remedy IF YOU'RE A MAN suffering from yeast infections (balanitis).

Or, click here IF YOU'RE PREGNANT and want remedies for your yeast infection. My list of treatments (here) for vaginal yeast infections will work for you, but I've modified my list specifically for pregnant women with products that are safe for use during pregnancy.

Or, click here if you're looking for remedies FOR YOUR CHILD'S yeast infections such as thrush or diaper rash, etc.

OR, click here if you're looking for remedies for OTHER FORMS OF YEAST INFECTIONS such as nail yeast infections, or skin yeast infections and more.

Now back to vaginal yeast infections ... before I start with my list, I would like to advise you to see your doctor if you suspect a yeast infection (even if not for the first time, and especially if you do not frequently get a yeast infection). Sometimes self-diagnosis can lead you down the wrong path and you could end up treating yourself with a yeast infection home remedy when you really do not have a candida overgrowth. What's wrong with that, you say? Well, for one, if you use an OTC antifungal cream to treat the supposed yeast infection, you could end up creating a more resistant strain of candida albicans with repeated use. Another more serious issue is if you actually have a something more serious than a yeast infection (such as a STD - sexually transmitted disease -- or diabetes) and end up ignoring it because you thought you have a yeast infection.

With all that said, let's go on to The List ...

Top 3 Yeast Infection Home Remedy

# 1 Garlic
Garlic Capsules
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being excellent, I give this yeast infection home remedy a big, whopping 10.

It took me almost 5 years to finally find this as a awesome solution, but I'm still glad I found it! Garlic supposedly has powerful antifungal and antibacterial properties, the most potent of which is allicin which is supposed to "asphyxiate" the candida cells so that they can't respirate. How did I come to discover using garlic as a yeast infection home remedy? Well, my husband and I had been taking these garlic supplements. One day during a particularly bad bout with yeast, my husband suggested I try using the garlic supplements as suppositories. My initial reaction? -- "yeah right!" I thought there was NO WAY I would stick them "down under" and end up smelling like garlic the entire day! But you know what? While I didn't do it that time, I eventually got desperate enough to try them as a yeast infection home remedy ... and I've never looked back since. And no ... people can't smell me from a mile away <:-o .

Here's what you'll need ...

Garlic supplements in capsule form
This is the brand I like. I don't know how the other brands stack up as I've been extremely satisfied with this particular brand. So why mess with a good thing, right? Click here for my more detailed discussion on why I like this brand. If you find another brand that works just as well or better, send me an email and let me know!



Reusable antifungal cream applicator



Water-based lubricant or just use the antifungal cream (check out the Safeway Miconazole with Reusable applicator) that comes with the applicator.



Panty liner. I like to use Always as I find it works better at keeping the moisture away from my skin.

Here's what you do ...

Insert 1-3 garlic capsules into the applicator, leaving the top 1/4 of the last capsule peeping from the top of the applicator.



Smear a tiny bit of the water-based lubricant or antifungal cream on the applicator. Make sure you also apply a bit of the lubricant / cream on the tip of the top garlic capsule.



Lying down, insert the applicator and "inject" the capsules into your vagina (duh!) before you go to sleep. Don't insert it too deep or it will take the whole day for the capsules to work themselves out. I find that inserting them about half way works best but you can experiment and see what works best for you.



For the most part, the garlic capsules would've been dissolved by the moisture and heat in the vagina. When you wake up the next day and start to move about, the dissolved capsules and contents would work themselves out throughout the day. You may want to change the panty liner a few times a day to keep the moisture level low and the garlic odor down. For the most part, I found the odor not very noticeable unless I'm sitting "on the pot". Also, while the capsules and their contents will get flushed out by vaginal fluids, I prefer to insert a finger and "help the process" (while in the shower) as often times I find little clumps of of gelatin (from the capsules) still in there. Don't worry ... if you don't, the stuff will still get flushed out in due time.

Continue this treatment for the duration of the yeast infection. I found that the yeast is typically gone within 3 days (5 days tops) with 3 capsules each night. To be on the safe side, you may want to continue this treatment for another few days with a lower dosage. Here's the link again for the garlic supplement I use.

Raw Garlic
I've never tried using raw garlic as a yeast infection home remedy since I'm perfectly happy with my garlic supplements. But various yeast infection forums have recommended this, so I don't see why this wouldn't work. The only thing is that some say the raw garlic method is less potent since it's just 1 clove at-a-time compared to the concentration involved in a single garlic capsule. So the relief using raw garlic may take may be less immediate if you have a stubborn or severe yeast infection.

Here's what you'll need ...

1. A clove of peeled, raw garlic
   
2. Unwaxed dental floss
   
3. Large gauge sewing needle
   
4. Gauze

Here's what you do ...

Wrap a bit of gauze around the garlic. The gauze is to help the garlic adhere to the vaginal wall.



Thread the dental floss through the needle. Run the needle through the gauzed garlic (1/3 towards the end is a good spot), and make a knot / secure the floss around the gauze and garlic so the floss doesn't pull loose from the clove. Be sure to leave a string dangling to pull the garlic out.



Insert the garlic (gauze, floss, the whole bit) into the vagina and you're good to go!



Leave the garlic overnight for maximum benefit. If your yeast infection is more severe, you can try inserting it twice a day -- once in the morning and once at night. Repeat the treatment every night until the yeast infection clears. To be on the safe side, you may want to continue the treatment a couple of days after the infection clears.

If you find the gauze too dry or painful to insert, you can try adding a tiny bit of water-based lubricant to the gauze or simply inserting the garlic (with the floss) without the gauze attached. Also, be sure you don't cut the garlic as the juice from the garlic may sting the skin, especially if you have any lesions or sores from the infection.

So if you want to try this garlic yeast infection home remedy, here's the list again of what you'll need --

1. Garlic supplements in capsule form
   This is the brand I like for this yeast infection home remedy
   
   
2. Reusable antifungal cream (check out the Safeway Miconazole with Reusable applicator) applicator
   
   
3. Water-based lubricant or just use the antifungal cream that comes with the applicator.
   
   
4. Panty liner. I like to use Always as I find it works better at keeping the moisture away from my skin.

And if you rather try the raw garlic version of this yeast infection home remedy, here's again is what you'll need --

1. A clove of peeled, raw garlic
   
2. Unwaxed dental floss
   
3. Large gauge sewing needle
   
4. Gauze

Click here to continue with my Top 3 yeast infection home remedy as well as other forms of yeast infection home remedy.



* Photo courtesy of Vinícius Zimmer/www.obraprima-id.com.br
** Photo courtesy of Grzegorz Niewiadomski, Lodz, Lodzkie, Poland