Can you really stop sweaty and smelly feet?
Our feet are one of the most important parts of our body, but it’s unfortunate how we tend to take little care of them.
Smelly feet, also known as Bromodosis is a medical condition in which the feet produce an unbearable odour caused by the breakdown of sweat in the presence of bacteria. Smelling feet can be embarrassing, especially if you have to take off your shoes in public. Despite the annoying and embarrassing nature of the condition, the good thing is that it is very much curable.
Here are some things you can do right at home that may correct the problem and bring you much relief.
Ensure Good Hygiene
Getting rid of foot odor may be as simple as following a daily foot hygiene routine. This may include washing your feet with an antibacterial soap. (2)
It’s important to wash your feet every day and dry them thoroughly, especially between the toes. When you dry your feet with a towel after a shower or bath, dab between your toes with cotton wool dipped in witch hazel or apple cider vinegar. Sweaty feet can be treated with an antibacterial foot scrub, but avoid using a scrubs if you have broken skin or eczema.
Keep your toenails trimmed and clean, which also helps prevent toenail fungus. Gently remove any hard skin with a foot file. When hard, skin can become soggy from the dampness, which provides an ideal home for bacteria.
Use a DIY Foot Powder or Foot Scrub
Once you have cleaned your feet and dried them, you can apply powders, such as baking soda, corn starch or arrowroot powder because they can absorb extra moisture. Antifungal foot powders are great and can be made right at home with just a few ingredients.
Soak Your Feet
You can try numerous home remedies, such as salt baths, tea soaks and apple cider vinegar. With proper hygiene and the rotation of shoes, these practices may help eliminate foot odor.
For temporary relief, consider an apple cider vinegar bath using one part vinegar and two parts water to help reduce the level of bacteria that can cause odor. Apple cider vinegar’s antifungal effects can combat foot odor. Tea soaks are one of the most effective home remedies. Simply use four or five tea bags to a quart of water. You can use regular tea bags or even mint tea bags! Make the tea as you normally would, then allow it to cool and soak the feet for about 20 minutes each day.
Salt wash, to do this, pour a half cup kosher salt or a quarter cup of epsom salt into four cups water and soak for 10–15 minutes. Salt baths are shown to improve skin health and kill fungi, which is why it can help prevent skin disease and bad odor.
Rotate Your Shoes
Not wearing the same footwear every day can really help avoid shoe odor in addition to the stinky feet. Rotate two or three pairs of shoes so you can give them a chance to dry out before wearing them again. This can help prevent pitted keratosis, “a skin disorder characterized by crater form pitting that primarily affects the pressure-bearing aspects of the plantar surface of the feet and, occasionally, the palms of the hand as collarets of scale.
Consider well-fitting shoes made of leather, which can allow your feet to breathe and typically do not soak up as much sweat as cloth shoes. Wear open-toed sandals or flip flops when possible as well.
Go barefoot at home so air can allow your feet to breathe. Detachable insoles can help too. Just make sure to remove them as frequently as possible allowing them to dry.
Wear cotton Socks and Change Them Frequently
Wearing socks is also considered essential, especially those that absorb moisture like wool, cotton or a wool/cotton mixture. Cotton or wool socks are much better than nylon. Some sports socks have ventilating holes to help keep feet dry.
Change Your Diet
Dr. Robert founder of the Institute for Integrative Podiatric Medicine, tell us that “for those patients who are willing to be more proactive, changes in lifestyle and diet can be very helpful in controlling foot odor. Diets high in refined carbohydrates will often serve as food for bacteria and fungus in the body, giving rise to discharge phenomenon. One such discharge is to expel these bacteria and fungus into the skin to slough off with dying skin cells.
Dr. Robert explains that when this bacteria collects in the skin of the foot through perspiration and is then enclosed in a shoe, the odor can become extreme. But there are many things that can be done through our diet to reduce inflammation such as eliminating refined carbohydrates and balancing protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates by eating anti-inflammatory foods. Reducing alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking will also go a long way to relieve the perspiration and odor of stinky feet.
