Essential oils are the extracted and distilled oils of different plants. These oils contain the chemical compounds that characterize and support the plant’s life cycle.

Essential oils are natural substances with powerful properties. Many essential oils are antifungal or antimicrobial, meaning they can fight the growth of certain pathogens that could harm your health.

Since essential oils don’t trigger the same side effects as some synthetic ingredients that fight bacteria and fungus, they are becoming more and more popular for use for that purpose.

Fungus is the cause of health conditions like ringworm and athlete’s foot, among others.

The essential oils of herbs and spices are some of the most powerful antimicrobial essential oils. Examples include:

These oils specifically work against fungi and are found to be effective antimicrobials for that purpose. Tea tree oil is another essential oil that demonstrates antifungal capabilities.

Essential oils have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, and fungicidal properties. Some can even stimulate new cell growth. These properties work together to form a potent treatment for fungal infections on your skin. These conditions include:

  • Ringworm: Ringworm is a contagious, itchy skin condition that can stem from several kinds of fungus. Ringworm can sometimes be on the scalp.
  • Athlete’s foot: Athlete’s foot is a type of ringworm that is found on the feet. Athlete’s foot earns its name because it’s common in people who spend a lot of time in damp, warm socks after athletic activity.
  • Tinea versicolor: Tinea versicolor is a fungal infection causes small, discolored patches to appear on your skin. The fungus can be on anyone’s skin, and discoloration only happens when the fungus overgrows. Oily skin or hormonal changes can be risk factors for tinea versicolor.
  • Toenail fungus: Also known as onychomycosis, toenail fungus affects up to 12 percent of the population. This type of fungus can be stubborn and hard to eliminate. Toenail fungus causes nails to become yellowed or otherwise discolored, with streaks or spots appearing in the nail.
  • Jock itch: Jock itch stems from fungus that can spread from person to person. The fungus grows in warm areas of the body where sweat collects, such as the genitals and buttocks.

You can use antifungal essential oils topically to treat overgrowths of fungi on your skin. Choosing a mixture of two or three oils, along with a carrier oil such as coconut oil, provides the best chance for optimal results.

Don’t apply powerful essential oils directly to your skin without diluting with a carrier oil.

Mix 2 to 3 drops of each oil with 20 drops of your carrier oil before using a clean and disposable item, such as a sterile cotton gauze pad, to coat the affected area of your skin.

Make sure that you are only touching the area of your skin that’s affected by the fungus so that you don’t spread the fungus over healthy skin. You may need to apply the oils two to three times per day over a period of several weeks to see results.

Not every kind of essential oil can work against every kind of fungi. Fungi differ in behavior, sometimes according to their host.

There’s a potential that even after treating the fungus with essential oil, symptoms from the fungus will remain. In this case, seek medical advice before complications develop.

There’s also the chance of an allergic reaction. Before using any essential oil as a home remedy on your skin, perform a patch test with a small amount of the diluted essential oil on a small, unaffected area of your skin.

Monitor that area of your skin for at least 24 hours to ensure you can tolerate using the essential oil topically.

Essential oils are not for ingestion. Cases of essential oil toxicity occur when people consume essential oils. This holds true when you dilute essential oils with carrier oils — don’t use diluted essential oils internally.

A 2024 review states that cinnamon oil has the strong antifungal properties.

The best oils for fungal infections include:

  • thyme
  • cinnamon
  • oregano
  • tea tree oil
  • citronella
  • lemongrass
  • eucalyptus
  • peppermint

Over-the-counter antifungal creams can help cure a fungal infection.

Using essential oils to treat fungal skin infections is a promising home remedy. However, it may take several applications, as well as some time, to determine if the symptoms of your infection subside.

If you detect that your condition is getting worse, or if you have tried this remedy for over a week without any success, speak to your doctor. There are other treatments available to treat fungal skin infections on prescription.