Last Update May 25th, 2017
Welcome to the internets’ number #1 source for all you need to know about Thrush! If you’ve come here searching for natural remedies for thrush, you’ve come to the right place! So put down your organic dehydrated Kale chips, pull up a comfy chair, and get ready to find find out what the best natural remedy for thrush is for you!
So you have a case of vaginal thrush (it’s ok – almost ALL of us ladies get it at least once!) and are looking on how to ditch your thrush au’naturale. Well before we begin, we’ve got to give you a mandatory teeny weeny little disclaimer. The remedies listed below have not been scientifically proven to cure thrush – however they do relieve the symptoms of thrush.
One more time: The remedies below aren’t proven to cure thrush, however you may find they relieve your symptoms.
Got it? Ok, good! Onwards!
There are a couple of natural ways to treat your thrush, which vary from nutrition, hygiene, vaginal PH remedies and the like. AND you don’t have to have dreadlocks or be a hippy to use them (though totally OK if you do!).
1. Nutrition!
Now thrush as you might already know is caused by candida, the fungus responsible for your infection. The candida fungus causes a yeast infection, and just like toddlers, yeast loooooves sugar! If you’re suffering from thrush, stay away from the sugary dark side of food and drink. Yes, this means avoiding processed sugary foods such as soda, lollies, beer, dried fruits and breads with sugar in them.
Instead, replace these with healthier and more nutritious options such as vegetables, lean meat, fish etc. You can even add some fruit in there for good measure (but not too much, as fruit has natural sugars that yeast will gobble up faster than you can say “woooaah boy”).
Not only will the reduced sugar in your diet give your thrush infection less to feed on, it is also generally healthier to remove large amounts of sugar from your diet anyway. Your cravings should subside in about a week, promise!
2. Garlic!
Ok, this sounds weird, but hear us out. Garlic and yeast are NOT friends. If you have ever baked bread, you’ll know that to add garlic while the dough is rising will kill the yeast. You have to add the garlic after the dough has risen and the yeast has done its job, or it just doesn’t work.
If it garlic kills yeast in the kitchen, will it kill yeast in your vagina?
Some say yes! If you catch a yeast infection at the very early stages (when you first start feeling the tickling of a yeast infection), garlic can kill the yeast by the very next day!
Step one! Take a fresh clove of garlic (not too big!) and peel off the natural shell it resides in. A normal sized clove is fine for most women, and you can leave it intact with no slices. However, if you need a stronger dose, slice the clove partially down the middle and slip a string through the cut so you create a tampon-style garlic clove.
Step 2! At night, insert the clove into the vagina. Leave it overnight to do its thang!
Step 3! In the morning, remove the clove and discard (do NOT use it for cooking!). Not only will the garlic have worked towards killing your infection, you’ll also note that no vampires have visited you during the night. Booyah!
Though one treatment might be enough to kill the infection, you may have to continue this for 2-3 more nights until your itchiness is gone.
Note that is best to do this at night while you are asleep. For some reason, women have reported that putting garlic into their vagina gives them a garlicky taste in their mouth. Weird, but true! So if you want to avoid the bad breath associated with garlic, perform this at night when no-one is around to smell your sweet garlicky breath!
If there’s no improvement over a couple of nights, consider using over the counter treatment to treat your thrush and yeast infection. They might not be as natural as garlic, but they will do wonders for curing your thrush. Check out our comparison chart for what medicine will work best for you.
3. Probiotics!
Probiotics such as yoghurt can do wonders to relieve your thrush symptoms.
Incorporating live natural yoghurt into your daily diet will increase the amount of good bacteria in your gut, in turn strengthen your musical immune system. The good bacterial can help kill candida and other infections. Plus, yoghurt is yummy!
You know what else you can do with live natural yoghurt? Put it on your lady v! No kidding! Smearing live natural yoghurt around the external areas of your vagina can ease the itchy symptoms associated with thrush, and can assist in treating the infection. You can also insert yoghurt into the vagina by putting it on a tampon and inserting the yoghurt tampon into the vagina.
Another alternative to eating yoghurt is to take probiotic supplements such as acidophilus. These supplements give you a higher dose of good bacteria than yoghurt. Check out our recommendations for probiotic supplements here.
Another probiotic option is to use sea sponge tampons. Soaking these in tea tree oil or vinegar and inserting these into your lady cave can do you wonders. But beware: the effects of the tea tree oil or vinegar can be irritating.
Still keen? You can get some organic tea tree oil here.
4. Vaginal PH Remedies
The normal vagina has an acidity level of between PH 3.5 and 4.5, which makes it fairly acidic. The acid in your vagina helps kill infections, so if you are lacking in the acid department, your vagina is probably in a sorry state.
It’s easy enough to test your PH level – simple get a test kit online (check out the top 5 PH swab tests here) or g to your doctor to get a test done.
If you find you are lacking acidity in your vagina, there are a couple of remedies to help get your levels back on track.
- Add white vinegar to your bath (2 TBS per litre should be sufficient)
- Dip a tampon into white vinegar and leave them in overnight
The vinegar will increase the acidity in your vagina, but be careful: for some women, applying vinegar in or around the vagina can irritate your bits and can be quite uncomfortable.
If you are still keen on equalising the acidity yourself but find white vinegar is too harsh, you can use lemon juice instead.
Or, there are plenty of ready-made PH balancing products available that are less stress and potentially less messy. Check out our top recommended 3 PH balancing products here.
5. Sexual Lubricants
Sometimes a bit of hanky panky can leave you high and dry – literally. If your vagina isn’t wet enough during sexual intercourse, the friction can stimulate a new infection or irritate a current infection. Using lube can reduce the damage of friction and candida overgrowth.
Need lube but want to avoid awkward bumpins with your aunty at the chemist while you’re buying it? You can get lube online easily and discretely – just make sure the lube you choose is not going to irritate your bits with additives and perfumes. Check out our article on what to look for (or look out for!) when buying and using sexual lubricants, as well as reviews on the top lubes to use!
6. Avoid Too Much Soap
If you clean your va-jay-jay as frequently as you check your facebook, you are in for some trouble, my friend. Overcleaning your vagina (especially with scented soaps!) can alter your vagina’s PH level and cause the dreaded thrush.
Stick with soap alternatives that are simple and non scented, such as these top 5 soap alternatives for vaginal infections.
Using these top 6 tips to a healthy thrush treatment, you will definitely be on your way to a healthy vagina. Remember these healthy remedies are not the end all and be all of thrush treatment. If your symptoms persist our best advice is to take yourself off to the doctor quick smart. Don’t be embarrassed by your vaginal thrush either. It is a fact that more than 70% of women will suffer thrush at least once in their lives and it is also a fact that most doctors will have seen it all before!