Verrucas or plantar warts can be very hard to get rid of and unfortunately some verruca treatments can make warts worse and make them spread!!
But there are simple natural verruca treatments - suitable for kids - that get rid of warts effectively fast.
These natural wart treatments can also help stop verrucas returning.
In this guide I'll take you through :
- Problems with wart treatments
- 3 quick natural verruca remedies
- PLUS super simple lifestyle changes to keep warts at bay.
WARNING : I am not a doctor and have no medical qualifications. This post is not medical advice.
Problems With Plantar Wart Treatments
Many treatments for verrucas or plantar warts remove layers of skin built up in the wart with :
- Salicylic acid
- Nail file or pumice stone.
The salicylic acid - also used to treat acne - may initially get rid of the verrucas only for them to return.
There's no clear research on why this happens but it is possible the acid and filing damages surrounding skin cells reducing their ability to fight the HPV virus that causes warts.
Repeated use may create a vicious chronic cycle of success followed by more painful verrucas. It can be a similar cycle to chronic acne.
Natural Home Treatments For Plantar Warts
Luckily there are gentler natural home remedies that seem to have an antiviral effect on verrucas and plantar warts without triggering repeat spreading infections.
Tea Tree Oil
I am not a big fan of essential oils in general but find good quality tea tree oil very helpful as it can be used as a natural remedy for verrucas PLUS :
To treat warts with tea tree oil :
- Dilute 3-4 drops of tea tree oil in a little aloe vera gel or carrier oil.
- Apply a small amount to one verruca on a cotton wool ball.
- Tape the cotton wool in place with sticking plaster tape.
- Leave on over night.
- Remove in the morning, rinse foot.
- Repeat for 2 weeks.
If you have never used tea tree oil before, apply diluted to one verruca initially to check for sensitivity.
Within 2 weeks the head of the verruca should come away naturally without filing or yanking.
Thuja Tincture
We had most success getting rid of verrucas by alternating tea tree oil with thuja tincture, applying tea tree at night and thuja in the morning.
Thuja oil is from the leaves of the white cedar tree and is an old treatment for skin tags and verrucas.
To treat warts with thuja :
- Test for sensitivity with 1 drop.
- Apply 2-3 drops to verruca.
- Repeat for 2 weeks.
Pregnant women should take medical advice before using.
As with tea tree, the head of the verruca should fall away naturally.
Thuja Cream
You can also buy thuja in creams that can be used for warts, skin tags and fungal infections e.g. ringworm.
We had great success with this British made thuja cream brand which combines thuja with witch hazel, marigold and St John's Wort.
How To Get Rid Of Verrucas & Plantar Warts For Good
A repeated chronic cycle of verrucas and warts is actually a red flag for poor nutritional health.
The immunity functions of the skin cells in our feet should be able to fight off the HPV virus. They may struggle to do this if we have :
- High blood sugar
- Nutrient deficiency
Blood Sugar And Warts
We are significantly more likely to suffer warts on our feet if we have high blood sugar and insulin issues.
Slashing sugar in our diet can help to break the cycle of chronic verrucas PLUS a whole host of other skin issues including :
If you've got chronic plantar warts try ditching all added sugar PLUS fruit juice & smoothies for 6 weeks whilst applying the natural remedies.
Nutrient Deficiency
Our skin cells have all sorts of immune defences to fight the HPV virus but these are weakened if we are short on key vitamins.
Most of us know vitamin C from fruit & veg is key for fighting viruses but to control HPV our skin cells also need :
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin B9 (Folate)
- Iron
- Zinc
If you keep getting verrucas on your feet it is worth getting tested for these 4 nutrients.
The quickest simplest way to boost levels if you are short is :
- 2 hours outdoors everyday with some skin i.e. arms exposed
- Leafy green vegetables
- Red meat
- Oily fish
- Eggs.
Tackling these nutritional shortfalls whilst slashing sugar can have transformative results for verrucas and other skin problems.
I do hope these natural remedies for verrucas clear plantar warts for you or your kids and stop them returning.
For more simple home remedies follow me on Pinterest ...
Original image sources : sloely.com & rawpixel.com
Matthew says
Hi, I am 20 years old and have had verrucas for about 7 years so that may be a reason for seeming sceptical about this. Going to try it anyways do because have had cryotherapy (Liquid nitrogen) for at least 14-15 times and have always grown back larger and more of them in the same place. Right now I have about 20 of them on one foot. So as a summery you are suggesting:
Dilute the tea tree oil slightly in some aloe vera gel. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Republic-Soothing-Moisture-10-56/dp/B0080EEMCA/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1529051291&sr=8-5&keywords=aloe%2Bvera%2Bgel&dpID=51GHbI2BdDL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/Tree-100-Therapeutic-Grade-Essential/dp/B00QJCFWSI/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1529050948&sr=1-4&keywords=tea%2Btree%2Boil&dpID=412dHXFp-gL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1
Apply to the verruca on a cotton wool ball
Tape the cotton wool in place with sticking plaster tape
Leave on over night
Remove in the morning and rinse foot
Applied the cream to the verrucas every morning and covered with a plaster.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Farm-Yard-Remedies-Thuja-Cream/dp/B0057YIBYG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1507029571&sr=8-1&keywords=thuja+cream&linkCode=sl1&tag=health-verrucas-21&linkId=dd4c6fea2d00d3caa06d9403cbd6f889
Just making sure I got everything so I can buy everything when i receive a confirmation. Thanks for your help!
Alice says
Hi there - sorry to hear you have been really struggling with the verrucas. Do hope the Tea Tree Oil and Thuja cream work for you. The method you summarised did work for us. If you can you might want to increase the frequency you apply the cream and oil but I would test at just once a day of each first. Seriously hope it helps
Tori says
Hello. I'm 17 and last month I developed a 'verruca' on the ball of my foot. I suspect it appeared because I've started swimming, but i it's a very small thing. I've showed my mum and she diagnosed it as a verruca but it seems awfully tiny, more like a mole on my foot (sizewise only) than anything comparable to a wart! Do you suspect this is because i'ts in the early stages (and if so, is it safe to apply treatment yet) or maybe I'm dealing with something else entirely? What I can say is that the surrounding area is hard and it's a bit of a pain to walk on, especially after swimming when it's tender.
Diana says
Hi, Daughter has been suffering with varrucas for the last few months and we were treating it with a salicylic acid which I hated because it’s very strong, burns the skin and must be full of chemicals. It wasn’t really making a difference either so I ditched it and a week or so later decided to just try pure teatree oil dabbed straight on the varrucas. I forgot to treat for a couple of days and then my daughter reminded me (bad Mum) so I got the oil out and tried to find the varrucas but they had almost disappeared! The black bits had gone and the skin was smooth . You could just see where there was something and the skin was mending itself.
I decided to research further and found your article and will definitely be refering to it when I write an article on the benefits of Tea tree oil (I use it for loads of things)
I’m also interested in reading your other articles too 🙂
Diana
X
Alice says
The tea tree oil is fantastic isn't it?
Helen says
Hi, my daughter had loads of verrucas on both feet. We’ve tried various things to get rid of them. They’ve shrunk before but never completely disappeared. And have come back pretty big. I read your article and last night put some tea tree oil on them. Put plasters on over night. This morning the ones by her big toe are so sore, she feels she can’t walk properly. It’s agony she said. I don’t know what to do now. She keeps getting sharp pains in it aswell. Please any advice welcome.
Helen
Alice says
Hi Helen I'm really, really sorry to hear that. I'm obviously not a doctor but for the immediate pain would suggest pain relief. Can I ask how you diluted the tea tree oil? Aloe vera will usually give topical relief to the skin. Oat milk can also be very soothing, just blend some oats in water and add to a foot bath. For the verrucas themselves you could try Thuja cream. I'm not sure where you're based but in the UK I use the Farm & Yard brand which is gentle enough to use on fungal infections on the face. I do hope this helps. Please do let me know best wishes Alice
rosemary says
Hi Helen, Don't forget the 'worse before better' syndrome that applies when treating with natural remedies, it can often be a sign that you are getting the treatment right. Then just hold off the next dose until the symptoms die down. Hope you find something that works, anyway:)
Ashka says
Hi I have had two verrucas for few years and now they are getting bigger and spread to the other foot.
I tried churopodist and bazuks at home. Nothing worked. You said not to file the verrucas but mine creates thick and hard layer of skin over it over time and it becomes very painful to walk on, the only way is to file it. Any advice on it?
Thanks
Ashka
K Jordan says
Hi Sheryl,
How did the treatment go with your clients? Was it successful?
Thanks,
KJ
Ciara Denvir says
Hi, my son is suffering from mosaic verrucas all over the ball of his foot and toes. Whilst I'm eager to try this treatment, I'm not sure how to bandage? If I place a cotton ball on and try to fix with a plaster, this isn't possible as there are so many there would be nowhere for the plaster to go. Any advice?? Thank you
Alice says
Hi Ciara - thanks for the message. I'm not a podiatrist or doctor so can only share this as a fellow parent but initially I would test out on a single verruca with just a very small amount of tea tree oil or thuja cream and then build up. It should be possible to tape the cotton wool on with plaster dressing tape. I do hope this helps.
Lucy says
Hi there,
I have Superdrug’s Blended Tea Tree Oil and it’s
formulated with 1% pure Tea Tree Essential Oil.
Is this good to use on verruca’s or does it need to be stronger/ 100% pure oil?
Alice says
Hi there Lucy - I would try with what you've got but suspect you will need a stronger dilution. Remember oils will always need to be diluted as per instructions for that specific brand. Do let me know how you get on. Best wishes Alice
Bren Langston says
What is the plaster you are talking about?
Alice says
Hi there - it's just an ordinary sticking plaster or band aid or sticking plaster tape you can fix a dressing on with. Hope that helps, cheers Alice