Athlete’s foot is a common fungal infection that affects the soles of the feet, the toes, and the toenails. It is not pretty to look at, but fortunately there is more than one athlete’s foot home remedy for you to try.
The common treatment for Athlete’s foot is to use an antifungal cream, which can usually find over the counter in just about any retail store that sells health products. Unfortunately, many people find that these, as well as a number of prescription medications, don’t always thouroughly help get rid of it. Since athlete’s foot is a fungus, you may find that in addition to the suggestions below you may want to also try our yeast infection home remedies as well as Ringworm home remedies since they often all achieve the same thing.
It is important that in addition to treating your feet and toes that you do not neglect your socks, shoes, and anywhere you stand barefoot, such as the bath tub or shower, as this can cause recurring infections. It is recommended to wash your shoes, socks, and shower areas with vinegar to prevent reinfecting yourself. You should also wear open toed shoes or sandals while infected to help restrict fungus growth, since they like dark and moist places.
You will also want to make sure that if your symptoms do not go away that you get a proper diagnosis from a doctor – what you think is fungal could actually be bacterial, and therefore may need a completely different course of treatments since bacteria and fungus are sort of complete opposites in the germ world.
Here are some home remedies for Athlete’s Foot you can try:
Vinegar: We love apple cider vinegar, but you can also use regular plain distilled white vinegar if that is all you have. Soak your feet in the vinegar at least 20 minutes each day, and it is a good idea to also spray your feet 2-3 times a day also. Be sure that everyday you also clean out your shoes with vinegar and when doing laundry to add vinegar into the wash. (Be careful with the type of laundry soap you use – some may have a chemical reaction to the vinegar). Within 2-3 weeks you should see results.
Boudreauxs Butt Paste: A good diaper rash cream that has a very high level of zinc oxide can also be helpful in drying the area out. We like Boudreauxs because it is the highest one we have found. It is a good treatment to alternate with in between antifungal creams and to help prevent it from reoccurring.
Probiotics: Taking a probiotic supplement for 90 days or longer can often help prevent the infection from returning, since most fungal infections occur because your body does not have enough “good” bacteria to help ward them away.
Put Pennies in Your Socks: An old fashioned home remedy for any type of fungal infection is to tape pennies to the affected area. With Athlete’s Foot, you can place a few pennies in your sock. The copper in the pennies helps kill off the fungus.
Garlic: Garlic powder or fresh garlic on your feet can also sometimes help with curbing athlete’s foot. Mixing garlic powder with baking soda can sometimes be a good effective foot powder.
Do Not Use Bleach: A lot of home remedies suggest using bleach, and if you’re wondering if it is safe to use bleach for athlete’s foot the answer is NO! Many people are sensitive to the strong chemicals and it can damage the skin. Your goal is to heal your skin – not make it worse!
Now that you have some ideas for home remedies for athlete’s foot, we’d love to hear what has worked for you. Share your athletes foot home remedy in the comments section below.
