The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Ameer (Barcelona, Spain) on 12/28/2008
★★★★★
Oregono oils is great, keep using it. if you like do a combination treatment. the key is do not wear socks. it will go away faster if it is aired out. fungus grows in warm damp places. the best way to get rid of atheletes foot is to buy open toed sandals and wear them until the fungus is gone. this is difficult to do in the summer time. if it is really cold in your country then make sure you take off your shoes and socks as soon as you get home. also if you are going to an event or party or will be at a place for a long period of time put on the oregono oil with foot powder and salt in between the toes to keep it as dry as possible. take a pair of sandals with you and change into them in the bathroom when you are in from the cold. if it is warm just wear sandals till they are gone. they professional looking sandals if you have to work in a professional atmosphere. it only takes a minute for this discusting parasite to grow back.
Urine
Posted by Rosy (Orlando, Fl) on 12/23/2008
★★★★★
This is going to sound nasty but it works. I got athletes foot once from a pair of combat boots I bought at and army navy surplus store. What you want to do is pee in a paper cup and then poor this over your althetes foot. Let it set for a few minutes then wash off. I used to do this in the morning and evening. It cleared up in about a week.
Bleach
Posted by Steve (Roanoke, Va, Us) on 03/15/2012
★★★★★
Bleach works! Long story short, I suffered with this condition for nearly a year thinking that I simply had a really bad case of dry winter skin that started on my finger tips and toes. To my horror skin moisturizers exacerbated this to the point where the soles of both of my feet, my legs, hands and unmentionables were covered by this "plague" (athletes foot, ringworm, jock itch are all the same thing). Once diagnosed I tried most remedies mentioned here - some suggestions here helped to some degree but nothing cured it, it simply kept coming back stronger than ever.
This is the method I used. Start by filling a spray bottle with a 1/10* (bleach/water) ratio.
*IMPORTANT: If you have cracked/peeling/inflamed skin you may need to start with a lower bleach to water ratio and work your way up otherwise you can chemically burn your skin! Once my skin fissures healed up I was able to use a higher ratio all the way to full strength. But this was me, everyones different - use common sense please.
Once a day (twice is even better) while in the shower and after having thoroughly saturated yourself with water (I felt that saturating my skin with water kept any absorption of the harsh chemicals marginalized). Once soaked, just spray the infected areas and gently rub it in, let it sit just a minute or so and then rinse VERY well with warm water. If you have peeling flaking skin, use a round (egg shaped) pumice stone and gently rub the dead skin off being careful not to hurt any live skin. Dry THOROUGHLY and then apply some virgin coconut oil to moisturize.
Note, I felt that the pumice stone was crucial, especially if you have thick calloused skin like I did. My hands were especially stubborn to clear up, the fungi sends tendrils or roots into the deeper layers of skin, these in turn usually allow the fungi to make a comeback if you let your guard down even for a day. Keep this up until your skin returns to its normal soft and supple state. If your skin toughenshardensthickensreddens whatsoever its not gone and you will need to spray and rub some more- persistence pays!
Listerine
Posted by Megan (Jacksonville, FL) on 10/24/2008
★★★★★
I tried soaking my feet in Listerine after seeing a posting about toe nail fungus. It not only works on toe nails, but will get rid of athlete's foot issues very quickly. And this is much easier than pressing onion, etc. I love this site! I found it looking for Ted's Mange Cure, which is fabulous. Thanks!
Garlic
Posted by Gnosos (Austin, Texas) on 07/08/2012
★★★★★
Taking a tip from the "Green Pharmacy" book I own.
I soak my feet in a garlic blend I make with my home blender, and add 1/2 cup ice (to lower sting), and 1 cup of strong licorice root tea (I brew it very dark). In Austin I can get the broken up licorice root from my health food co-op. Works very well 'cos the licorice root is an anti-fungal and soothing to the skin, and the allicin in the garlic is a strong anti-fungal also. I do it about every 3 weeks---soak my toes in this natural "slurry" for about 30 minutes at night, let it dry on the skin, and then wear socks all night. At the same time I eat 2 cloves raw and chase 'em with cold whole milk to get the fungus systemically. Strangely, I don't smell much like garlic and it works very well!
But be careful, blending in more than about 4 cloves with the licorice and ice could burn your skin. I used a whole bulb once and overnight lost the itching and burning--but I had mild garlic burns on all my toes. But it was still worth it to have my pink skin back!
Apple Cider Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Margaret (Tallahassee, Florida) on 07/10/2008
★★★★★
Every summer I frequently get Athletes Foot and have spent numerous dollars on different medicines. They work for a while and then it returns. I decided to try a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of Hydrogen Peroxide and ACV dabbed on all areas of my feet.Within 1 day all areas started to clear up and have healed completely!!!!!!! Now as a precaution I dab on a little each day, especially going out and walking through wet grass to water my plants. No more athletes foot problems! This really works!!!!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Mike (Houston, TX) on 11/05/2007
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) really works! I was skeptical at first because I have tried just about everything for a stubborn case of athlete's foot that I've had recurring for about the last 4 years. The antifungal creams and lotions I bought from the drugstore were a huge waste of time and money. If I had only known about ACV sooner. After reading some of the testimonials on here I went to my local health food store and purchased a bottle of unfiltered, organic, apple cider vinegar. I wet a q-tip with the full-strength ACV and dabbed it on the affected areas on my foot, I reapeated this for a minute or so, as to saturate the skin. Then I let it air dry. I reapeated this once a day for 3 days. The ACV kind of stings and burns a bit, but I guess that lets you know it's working. It's been about 10 days now and the stubborn athlete's foot fungus is gone! The skin where I had the worst of the fungus is still healing, but each day that passes, the skin looks clearer and smoother. ACV has made a believer out of me. I'm so glad I found this site. By the way I am also a believer in organic, unrefined, virgin coconut oil. It is a great anti-fungal remedy. It just couldn't do the trick with the stubborn athlete's foot I had. I still apply some coconut oil as a preventative measure and it keeps the skin soft and supple also. THANK YOU!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Bluebell (Acton, MA) on 11/14/2008
cool to hear you mention the coconut oil. I have used the oregano oil, after trying the tea tree oil and the ACV. They all made a difference and finally I put coconut oil all over my feet and that made a difference, too. I have lots of foot pain, too, such as plantar fascitis/spurs and I thought the coconut oil at night made them feel a bit better in the morning. Also, a cream with calendula in it made the inflammation feel better by morning when it was applied at night.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Otto (Lakeland, FL) on 09/27/2007
★★★★★
I'm sitting here reading about your ACV cure for my sinus pressure and possible infection which I'm about to try but I thought I'd add another AMAZING use for ACV. While in the Army I used to get all kinds of funky foot problems from wet boots and smelly group showers. Once, I got a athletes foot fungus that was so bad not a single OTC remedy would work and I spent $$$ on those "cures"! Out of desperation I read about ACV and thought "Why not" I placed it on a cotton ball, rubbed it all over the fungus (which burned really bad) and just let it sit there for about 15 minutes. Within 2 days the fungus started peeling off and new skin was taking it's place. Can you say MIRACLE? And a bottle of ACV is a bunch cheaper than a $7.00 tube of Lotramin
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Stephanie (Tampa, Florida) on 09/09/2008
You're probably very sensitive to the acid in the vinager. Try aveeno oatmeal bath soak, it will help with the irritation on your skin. Or plain oatmeal you can make a paste out of it but dont mix anything else with it besides water. The salt will dry out your skin, its no good for rash's. But like any skin allergy it will probably take a week or two to clear up. Also check to see if your sister wears perfume on her feet? alot of girls do maybe its not just the shoes, Hope this helps.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Rick (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) on 04/01/2010
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and acetic acid (in all vinegars) react to form peracetic acid, which is very powerful and should never be used on the skin. However, you may use it on your nails. Since peracetic acid is relatively unstable (it breaks down and loses its power after a few hours), it is preferable to apply the reactants one after the other, rather than mixing them beforehand. For example, first apply the vinegar to the nail, then apply the H2O2 on top of the vinegar. It does not matter which one you apply first.
By the way, peracetic acid is a good alternative to chlorine bleach for sterilizing nonporous (hard) household surfaces. For this application, just use plain white vinegar, not ACV. Peractic acid is actually a more powerful oxidizing agent than chlorine, yet it is not nearly as toxic as chlorine. (In fact, the breakdown products of peractic acid are completely nontoxic.) For large surfaces, such as bathtubs and kitchen counters, you may find it easiest to apply by putting the white vinegar in one spray bottle, and the H2O2 in another spray bottle; spray one and then the other. Again, it does not matter which one you spray first.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by William (Fl) on 07/02/2016
Look at eczema of the feet. A dermatologist told me i'ts what I have. Leather soles seem to be the only thing that helps. Otherwise they will prescribe steroids but this only cures the symptoms, because its a chronic skin disorder. Hope you find a cure.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Heather (Santa Clara, CA) on 04/03/2007
★★★★★
Starting when i was very young i would get terrible athletes foot, so bad i could barely walk. I found out that all the messy creams help for short term, but it comes back. My mom heard about tea tree oil, which dries out your skin, and it cleared it up within a week. every once in a while i use it even when i don't have athletes foot just to make sure i don't get it again. it also clears up pimples you dilute about 1 drop with 2 of water, you have to dilute it if you use it on your face and a little bit really goes a long way.
White Vinegar
Posted by Richie (Newport, NC) on 02/28/2007
★★★★★
Great way to relax and get rid of athletes foot; find comfy spot to sit for 20 min., get container feet fit in, have close to hot water ready, white vinegar, sea salt. Sit down with feet in container, pour enough vinegar to cover feet, add sea salt, marinate for 5 min. the add water, sit for ten min., last 5 min brush feet with soft bristle brush while in water. Take out, dry, repeat for 2 to 3 days. Worked great for me and was also an excellent stress reliever.
Calcium
Posted by Jess (Victoria, British Columbia) on 02/09/2007
★☆☆☆☆
I had athletes foot, I never had it before so I used different creams from the drug store. THEN I got an itch on my hand and the skin started getting very red and pealing off there! I went to the drug store and they gave me a different athlete's foot cream to apply to both the foot and the hand. I did this and it got rid of athletes foot from my toes but only helped a little bit with my hand. It didn't go away on my hand, it stayed the same size on one part of my hand and grew BIGGER on another part and was spreading up my thumb. I had tried a few home remedies from your site, none worked too well: Cider Vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, Borax etc. Over four week later it was still the same, itching and very red and getting bigger and spreading to other parts of my hand! I was about to go to the doctor when 'that little voice inside' said take Coral Calcium. I did and after taking a double and sometimes TRIPLE dose within 3 days the itchy circle began to subside. The skin one week later is still a little pink from healing and the center is normal skin color but there's NO itch or flaking skin left anymore. Will continue with the Coral Calcium for another two weeks and ingest cider vinegar on a regular daily basis for the rest of my life.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Acv Research (Berkeley, Ca) on 03/29/2011
Do you need to use "new" ACV everytime you bathe your feet, or can you use the same ACV solution more than once. Thank you
Garlic
Posted by Anonymous (USA)
★★★★★
I had athletes foot badly between two of my toes. I taped a cut piece of garlic onto the wound in the morning and looked at it the afternoon, and the skin was totally healed and looked like new. I couldn't believe it!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Micheala (West Yorkshire) on 08/29/2017
★☆☆☆☆
Been using Apple Cider Vinegar for 2 weeks for Athlete's Foot. Nothing working. Having it on my hands and feet is getting too much for me. I feel like I want to claw them both off. Had every otc plus doctors strong steroid creams. Please someone give me an end to this. Had it for 2 years and I can't cope much more.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Becky (Ca) on 10/01/2017 31 posts
to Momma to many,
Can you be specific on a Calendula tincture? Perhaps from Amazon?
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Frustrated One (Indianapolis, In) on 01/26/2017
★☆☆☆☆
Hi,
I've treated my athletes foot for roughly four weeks. It's been awful! I started out using Lotrimin and two weeks later advanced to Lotrimin Ultra. My symptoms are itching, burning needle sensations. Visually my feet have dryness on both heels, and a little redness accompanied by splotchy skin. I started using ACV roughly four days ago, I'm still experiencing symptoms. I'm trying to do everything I can, I tend to be OCD. I soak for almost an hour once a day. Please help, I've never experienced anything like this.
Thanks,
Frustrated One
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Jeanna (Birmingham) on 07/13/2017
Try Lamasil. It worked for me better than lotrimin.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by George Sydney Abugri (Ghana) on 12/30/2017
It is very effective against athlete's foot but note that the generic name of the drug is LAMISIL {Terbinafine.}
Castor Oil and Liquid Paraffin
Posted by Mandandi (Gaborone) on 05/09/2016
★★★★★
After cleaning systemic candida, I found that I had recurring athlete's foot- due to not cleaning my shoes and socks enough with other remedies.
I then used mix of castor oil (which was excellent on its own but requires deep massaging in), and liquid paraffin. The mixture works faster and is more efficiently, killing new infections before they even show up. I only see dry skin before I see the inflammation.
Borax
Posted by Vj (Manchester, Uk) on 01/10/2017
Hi Mama,
Thanks you for your post above, that is very interesting. I have a case of athletes foot now which has lingered for 2 months despite me using the usual topical creams (daktarin, lamisil, caneston). So now I am looking for alternatives. I have just ordered the Borax. I plan to put some in shoes/socks, but also to take tiny amounts with water like you suggest. Do you have any specific tips on this? For example how many weeks did you do this for with your husband? And is it safe?
Thanks in advance
VJ.
Fresh Aloe Vera
Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 03/09/2014
Lady Mars, I've tried Aloe from my plant for a good many things and it never worked for anything, from burns to eczema etc. Do I have the wrong plant? It's Aloe Vera with green-grey spikey leaves. I've seen the same plant with speckled leaves, are they better?
Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic
Posted by Hiker (Vista, Ca/usa) on 09/05/2011
Thanks for the tip Debbie. I thought that might be the case that the nail needed to grow out before improvement would be seen.
Vetericyn
Posted by Kim (Santa Fe, Nm) on 03/17/2013
★☆☆☆☆
I tried this and it did not help my athlete's foot. It is pricey so I might just give the product to someone with a dog so it doesn't go to complete waste.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Barb (Julian, Pa, Usa) on 01/04/2011
★★★★☆
I have been using this for weeks and have begun to see an improvement. I believe mine is the moccasin type, as I had large blisters on the bottom of my feet and along the sides of my feet. Unfortunately it has spread to my leg, and I now have crusty scales on that leg. No matter what I do, they just keep coming back and it is not improving at all on my leg. My foot and leg are so swollen, that it is difficult to wear shoes. Nothing my doctor gave me has helped, and I don't see a dermatologist for another month. Any suggestions as to how I can get some of the swelling down in my foot and leg?
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kenny (Alfred, New York, Usa) on 08/31/2010
Is there truly a positive difference between Apple Cider Vinegar and white vinegar? I've been suffering from the moccasin type for 8 months.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Matt (Santo Domingo, Costa Rica) on 07/31/2010
Since moving to Costa Rica 4 years ago, I have had severe athletes foot. I don't know why, but only my left foot has it(never my right foot). It is present in between the toes and along the sides of my toes. OTC solutions have not worked and are kind of expensive. My big toe and little toe nails have turned a dirty looking yellow(the 3 center toes are normal). The nails are brittle and distorted and twice as thick as normal nails. The quick underneath seems to be eaten up and now there is a space between my nail and toes. Today I am starting the Apple Cider Vinegar treatment(40% water/60% APC), 25 minutes/twice a day. I am also going to use baking soda in my shoes and maybe try cayenne pepper in my socks. Should I leave the Apple Cider Vinegar on my feet without rinsing, and then put my socks and shoes on, or should I rinse my feet off with water after each Apple Cider Vinegar treatment?
Vicks
Posted by Tina (Toledo, Ohio, Usa) on 06/24/2010
★☆☆☆☆
Vicks didn't work for me. Tried it for weeks. It did seem to slow down the fungus and moisten my feet but not get rid of it.
Vicks
Posted by Jb (Central, Maryland) on 09/16/2011
★★★★★
Worked for me! I tried ACV first and got some relief, but it still hung around. Then I tried Listerine with the same results as the ACV. But the Vicks nailed it.
First I did a swab of Listerine, patted it dry, then applied Vicks. I wore socks at night (even though it was summer) and did the same routine in the morning with sneakers for running/working out, and then again after showering.
After a few days, I saw how improved it was so I just did the Vicks. After 7 days it was all gone. I now put the Vicks on two or three nights a week before bed as a preventative and for softness. That's it. And my feet are soft and smooth-- just lovely. Thanks for all the info on this site!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by No Lie (Atl, Ga) on 08/21/2011
try vick vapor rub it should do the trick
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by John (Winnipeg, Manitoba) on 12/09/2012
hello, you say you mix 50% water with 50% hydrogen peroxide but what grade of hydrogen peroxide? there is 35% food grade, there is 3% over the counter grade?
john
Urine
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 06/09/2009 489 posts
Kin, the answer is yes it can be. Urine can be used external on the face and hands, also can be taken internally. For more details on this go find yourself a copy of a book titled "Your Own Perfect Medicine", which is written on urine therapy. Very interesting reading. Seems it is effective against lots of things.
White Vinegar, Salt, Ginger Soak
Posted by Jason (Newport, Washington) on 04/17/2009
★★★★★
I recently had quite a case of athletes foot, that was spreading from my toes, to other parts of my foot, it was quite uncomfortable, and amazingly itchy to say the least.
I started doing research in to what might naturally treat it and came across a few options, here's what I did and it worked in less that 4 days.
Create a foot bath with 40 percent white vinegar, 60 percent hot water, then add around a table spoon of salt and a tea spoon of ginger powder. Soak your foot for 15 minutes or so giving it a break every so often. (you can use the same batch through out the day to save ingredients) Soak your foot a few times a day for a few days and your athletes foot will completely clear up, it is quite the amazing cure.
Thats it, I know this will work as well for you as it did for me! :)
