>> You're changing your mind about whether there was a solid basis for recommending a treatment in this case? Earlier in the thread when I pointed out that it was unclear where the "skin fungus" diagnosis came from, you said: "Ok - that makes sense.". No, I agree that asking if someone has been diagnosed makes sense. But we didn't get an answer - so we can assume nothing about that person ... yet you follow up on an indeterminate situation by assuming that people are making guesses as to what it is. We don't know if it was self diagnosis or a definite diagnosis. >> Your other link is on effects of herbal oils on bacterial cultures No, on the effects of essential oils on fungal cultures, as we were discussing tinea, a group of fungal diseases. Also, I suggest we keep in mind 3 other things here: location, location, and location. Trying to treat an internal infection with a substance only shown to be effective in test tube studies does require extrapolation that may be unwarranted ... some organ in the body may absorb or metabolize the treatment and keep it from reaching adequate concentrations where the infection is. On the other hand, when we are dealing with skin infections, essential oils can be applied rather directly. There are other studies that have shown that essentials oils applied to the skin of humans are effective in treating dermatophyte fungal infections - I know you've said that you can't be expected to look up any information beyond what is presented (which doesn't stop you from giving an 'expert' opinion on something that you are unfamiliar with) - so I'll leave one such link here, though it certainly isn't the only one. My bottom line - plants (and bees) have evolved to produce plenty of antifungal substances, and applying such substances to non-life-threatening skin infections appears to be a reasonably effective manner of treating such infections. Here is a link that might be useful: Broad spectrum herbal therapy against superficial fungal infections.

Duane - You make some good points and it is nice to have a male weigh in. I think you represent a lot of guys who prefer to see women looking natural. My DH's reaction to my vibrant polish was, "Whoa! You have girl toes!" From what I've gleaned from the posts on this forum, more women here would prefer a good chef's knife to an expensive designer bag and spend more time making breads and jams than fussing with elaborate beauty regimes. I think this post got so many replies because it is timely - it's summer, meaning for most of us our toes are just coming out of hiding - and it's just fun to hear about what other women do. I wrote about my DD who finds it relaxing to give herself a weekly pedicure. Fact is, other than that, sunscreen and lip gloss are the only "makeup" she wears. I think many of us perform some of these beauty routines less to impress men, but as a little indulgence.

I read the post where someone recommended using a dremel to remove rough skin on your feet. Good idea, but don't do that. A dremel focuses on only a small area at a time. Using the same theory though. Try a mini sander. Yes a sander with real sand paper. Not the really rough grade. It doesn't take much with the vibrations it produces. I tried the over the counter feet softening tools and they are terrible for thick skinned feet. A waste of time and money. If you already have nice feet then i"m sure they work fine. The sander works, try it. Then shower or soak your feet,put a good lotion on followed by shoes and socks. See how they feel after a few hours. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

I'm a licensed Master Cosmetologist of over 26 years and have seen numerous cases of hair loss for varioius reasons. Barring true medical reasons or side affects from chemo, here's what hit me. The first thing that came to mind was that she had possibly had a perm that had the band rub on the hair cuticle and it was so weak it broke off. Second thought, she used a metal barret or bobby pin in wet hair that rusted and left metal deposits (a line of rust) that had reacted with another chemical, like chlorine, causing the hair to snap and break straight across. Third thought, too tight of a hair clasp. Fourth thought, maybe she's started pulling her hair in the same spot. Don't think this doesn't happen. I've had clients that twirled their hair in their crown or other spot on their head and literally pulled their hair out bald. Fifth thought, stress. Stress will cause hair to fall out in clumps from a few hairs to the size of a quarter. I've seen this happen in men and their beards, women, and children. Sixth was ring worm, as discussed above. If her scalp is crusty, you really need to move the crust. Acetone (finger nail polish remover) is a help. Depending on how much crust there is, you could use a cotton ear swab or a soft tooth brush. Once the crust is removed, I would shampoo with Selsen Blue, then apply NP 27. You can also buy products with Tolnaftate 1% or Lamisil. Seventh thought: If it's not any of the above, then she could have alopecia areata. This can be a very serious 'disease' or virus. Doctors don't really know. I personally know of people that have had stress and lost every hair on their body. I know a gal that had four girls. One day she woke up and her hair fell out in clumps. By week's end, every hair on her body left her and has never returned. She draws her eyebrows on and wears fake eye lashes. Another teen's mother had died abruptly in a car accident. The doctors think the stress made all of her eyelashes and eyebrows fall out. Later, her hair fell out in wierd patches. Eighth thought, check her hair brush. I had a client that had cracked her plastic round hair brush causing a long crack that just lifted up a smidge. This 'crack line' was sharp enough to literally saw her hair off as she dried her hair. Ninth thought, has she been near a fire? I've lost my own hair three time by being too close to heat. 1st: stove. The oven door blasted too hot of air when I opened it and my bangs and top of my hair melted. 2nd, blow dryer in a hotel was shooting sparks and burnt my hair off in wads. 3rd, I was burning a fire-ant hill outside and it exploded causing a huge rush of fire. No bangs again. (This was so stupid of me!) There are any number of things that it could be. Knowing that loss of hair can also be the sign of numerous other diseases, you must take her to a doctor asap. Take the clumps of hair with you. Please keep us posted. Here is a link that might be useful: alopecia areata