Natural Remedies For Athlete's Foot

Steam Your Floors

Posted by Rosie (United States) on 02/08/2017
★★★★☆

Athlete's fungus lives on surfaces virtually forever, so walking around barefoot in the house means you're spreading it on the floor surfaces in your home, resulting in you reinfecting yourself, & anyone else who is walking around barefoot in your house.

When you come home from work, wearing sandals is a much better option, or if it's colder a clean pair of sox & slippers.

Most fungi, including AF fungus, can be killed with 140* hot water, so if you've been running around barefoot in your home all your floors are infected, & you need to get a floor steamer (steam is created at 212*) & run it over every square inch of your floors to kill the AF fungus, so you're not reinfecting yourself, or anyone else.

Just wish it was this easy to kill the AF fungus on my feet.

Baking Soda

Posted by Macswelly (California) on 01/26/2017 3 posts
★★★★★

Re: Apple Cider Vinegar Soak Not Helping Athlete's Foot Pain

Soak your feet for an hour in about a cup of baking soda only. Also in between soakings you need something to help kill the fungus as well. I would recommend making a dry mixture (basically a foot powder) of one part baking soda and three parts corn starch. Mix these two dry items in a mixing bowl and thoroughly combine. Afterwards find yourself a shaker container and pour the dry mixture into the shaker container. Apply this foot powder morning and night, wearing socks to help keep the mixture on while you sleep.

Urine

Posted by Vsherry9 (Detroit, Mi) on 07/01/2016
★★★★★

I used my own urine to stop athlete's foot fungus, I also had a variety of fungus on the bottom & sides of my feet. I used my own urine in a bucket while sitting on the toilet every morning for about 5 days. I started using the urine in the morning, then at night used vapor rub at night with socks, then next day I used the urine in the morning, and the vapor rub at night without the socks (I have a hard time wearing socks at night). Each time I took a shower in the morning after soaking with urine, I would dry off & rub Peroxide all over my feet with a cotton ball until they dried naturally. I did this for a week & all gone. I've had this problem since 1998 & I am a real person from the Detroit area. Don't let anyone tell you this doesn't work, especially a doctor - because it does & I am proof. I've tried everything imaginable & was never able to get rid of it, until just recently. Doctors will tell you there is not enough Urea in the pee to cure it, but that is just down right false. What is it going to hurt to just try it & see for yourself. Good luck!!!

Coconut Oil

Posted by Anne (London) on 02/10/2016
★★★★★

I agree! I used to develop athletes foot after a pedicure, it was terrible. But when I started moisturising my feet with coconut oil, it would disappear in days. Now, every time I have a pedicure, I immediately use coconut oil - twice a day. After a week, I only have to apply once a week for maintenance. It's been years now without an outbreak.

Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Travis (Austin, Tx) on 11/02/2013
★★★★★

When I was a teenager I had a bad case of Athelete's Foot. I remember trying everything available at the store and nothing worked. I had heard that Tea Tree Oil cures it since it is antifungal and gave it a try by rubbing the oil (undiluted) on the foot on and around the infected area with a cotton ball. Then put on a sock so that the Tea Tree Oil does not rub off. It cured the problem in a couple of days.

Coconut Oil

Posted by Pbird (Everett, Wa, Usa) on 06/27/2013
★★★★★

Yes, coconut oil cures athlete's foot. It stops it for me in one application to the itchy spot. It also works for my husband who tends to get an occasional very bad case of it.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Gs (New Braunfels, Tx) on 01/10/2013
★★★★★

^^^^ To this guy with the moccasin type AF. The problem is probably that the skin is so thick that the ACV cannot penetrate. Go buy one of those girly foot scrubby things. After your soak, don't dry your feet. Keep one foot in the ACV and start scrubbing the thick skin with the tool. After about 30 seconds, the extra skin will start to roll off in clumps (do this over a towell or something). Put the foot back in for a bit while you scrub the other one, then put the other foot back in the ACV. Repeat nightly.

In about a week, the skin will be thinner and you will kill the fungus as you slough off the old thick crusty skin.

In the morning, put some powder in your shoes to help keep feet dry.

I was in the same boat at many other here (Military/Combat boots) and this is the only thing that helped.

Cream (even prescription) can't penetrate the thick skin.

Garlic

Posted by Lyle (Gaborone, Botswana) on 01/01/2013
★★★★★

I've had persistent jock itch and occassional athlete's foot outbreak for 24 years. I stumbled upon this site last month and read thru every post on it.

I liked the post on how one lady from England used garlic on her toes overnight to deal with athlete's foot. I went a step further. I grated several cloves of garlic and applied generous amounts of the garlic paste between my toes and around my gonads. Then quickly put on socks and tight undies. Man, this stuff burns like crazy; thot my gonads were gonna fall off altogether!! After two hours of this burning hell I took off all clothes and reduced the paste to a bare minimum. only then could I sleep.

By morning I was burnt good and proper where the garlic paste had contact with the skin. However close inspection revealed that the fungus was dead on the 3 places it had infected my right foot. It was a bit hard, unlike other areas which were tender, painful and swollen. Within 48 hrs patches of skin was coming off both around the gonads and toes.

Just over a month later, I've not had another outbreak, skin's still peeling off on both my feet with no pain. No skin is peeling off from my gonads.

In the meantime, I've been drinking copious amounts of ACV each morning and evening for the past month - at least two tablespoons each time. Also, I've made it a habit to bath both morning and evening.

Some Saturdays, I sunbathe compeletely naked for 20 minutes since the fungus likes damp, dark places.

I also apply a drop or two of tea tree oil | camomile oil | lavender oil or a mixture of all three with Jojoba oil as the carrier oil mix every morning and evening. So far so good.

I am convinced garlic kills the fungus, but my approach could kill somebody. I suggest applying the garlic paste on just the affected foot patches; unless you're very brave. I was very stupid. LOL.

Perhaps try putting garlic cut into strips onto the gonads kept in place under tight undies. It might still burn, but it'll reduce the extent of the burnt area. By the way, the burns left no scars around my gonads. My feet are not scarred either; there are blotches of light skin, but no scarring. So normal colour is coming back gradually.

Now I intend to ingest half a cup of garlic everyday for a month to rid myself of the fungus streaming up and down my veins. Its days are definitely numbered in my body now. Garlic smell is not a problem - celery takes care of all internal body odours very well, as does parsely. I usually blend fresh celery - about 3 stalks - with other fruits and vegetables (a new raw alkaline diet I just started just over a month ago). Celery also has about two dozen different chemical compounds that kill fungi. Garlic kills lots of fungi too. The two make a perfectly potent fungi killing couple!

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Suetee (Union City, Georgia, United States) on 06/03/2012
★★★★★

A definite YAY here. I have had moccasin type athlete's foot for than a decade. My feet were extremely thick and darkly callused and my toenails were thick, dull and cracking. Nothing I tried worked: bleach, vinegar, OTC drugs but the hydrogen peroxide has been a miracle! I soak my feet in a 3% HP twice a day (undiluted) for the last 2 weeks and used my dremel and pumice stone to remove any dead skin. The dark moccasin pattern is 80% gone, my nails are a healthy white and the nail beds look healthy and my feet feel softer than I can remember. I will continue the twice daily soaks until they are completely clear. I might be able to wear sandals this summer. I hope this helps others out there with the same problem.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Hbbrazil (Vancouver, Washington, United States) on 11/28/2011
★★★★★

I just want to thank everyone here for recommending ACV for Athelete's foot. After MANY years of using Lotrimin and other types of of over the counter remedies, this technique worked hands down.

I thought I had a severe case, but from looking at images on line, I'd say mine was low. I did have cracked and open skin, always moist, nothing seemed to work. I did the full ACV (straight no dilution) for three days straight and the symptoms went away within two days. I also, soaked my flip flops in ACV for 45 minues and soaked some socks, just in case, then washed them normally. The shoes I'm wearing don't have good ventilation, however, using ACV in the morning works. Now that I did the treatment for 3 straight days, I do a spot check every day, use a cotton ball to get in between the toes. I can say that Athelete's foot is gone.

Thank you to all and for sharing your experiences. I'm a true believer in ACV.

Alcohol

Posted by Jay (Orlando, Fl) on 09/17/2011
★★★★★

I FINALLY, after years of searching, found a cure for tinea pedis(Athletes foot). It is Isopropyl Alcohol 91% strength. I found it in the Pharmacy Section.

The 70% alcohol was ineffective and did nothing to kill the fungus.

I am so happy that I found something that actually works! For the disabled, one can purchase a spray nozzle and spray the alcohol on the feet from a distance without having to bend over.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Bonnie (Campton, Ky) on 07/17/2011
★★★★★

My feet had been giving me a great deal of pain for a long time. I used the ACV for about 2 months and my feet are no longer itching, cracking, bleeding and no more blisters. I have had it for about 20 years. I threw all of my old shoes away. I soak them for 30 min. a day in ACV that you can buy at the dollar store by the gallon. Also I use vaseline on my feet at night to keep them from being dry. I am so thankful for this site!!!!

Hair Dryer

Posted by Vi (Saskatoon, Sk) on 01/15/2010
★★★★☆

Itchy Toes

I just thought I would share what finally worked to get rid of this stubborn infection - a hair dryer! I thought as one person suggested, something might be in my shoes, so I "blow-dried" the insides of my shoes on high for two periods of 30 seconds each. Push the hair dryer right in there so the inside gets good and hot. The first time I did this I melted the rim of the hair dryer so be sure to let it cool down in between! I was amazed when the infection on my toes went away without any further treatment of the skin itself. I now do this every month or so for all my shoes and slippers - sometimes I feel a tingling sensation that implies the infection is still around but with this approach it doesn't seem to ever develop. AND this also gets rid of odor in the shoes as it kills the bacteria that cause that too!

EC: Thanks, Vi. Sounds like a great idea for those treating toenail fungus too!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Marian (Tasmania, Australia) on 10/28/2009
★★★★★

Hi all, I read on your site (I think) that bathing feet in cider vinegar for a minimum of 6 weeks would cure athletes foot. I have had this condition since a teenager, I'm now 58. Usually didn't notice it too much in winter when I was wearing shoes but each summer my heels would crack and give me grief. So I was constantly putting healing cream on with band-aids and this went on all summer. This year it started in the winter, and I noticed that my feet were peeling also. So I quite religiously rubbed organic cider vinegar on my feet each night, and dried them off in front of the fire, an evening ritual before bed. My feet are now completely clear of peeling and splitting and feel so good. I have yet to go through the summer so am hopeful that it continues, if not I will just keep on with the bathing each night. Also started oil pulling about the same time, seseme, sunflower and coconut, it really cleared my sinus problems and I am continuing every second day. Thanks for your great site, I love the empowering vibe, its so hopeful and comforting to see us reclaiming our health from the "sickness industry".
love marian

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Melissa (Orlando, Fl) on 09/17/2009
★★★★★

Hydrogen Peroxide to Combat Athlete's Foot

I have seen countless doctors and dermatologists for my dry, red, peeling, cracked heels that I have had on and off since probably the age of 10. I have been (incorrectly) diagnosed with eczema, allergic skin, and even psoriasis. I have taken oral medications and have been prescribed compounded skin lotions in hopes of "maintaining" my condition at a tolerable level.

This year, I took matters into my own hands. Living in Florida, people walk around in sandals and flip-flops more than half of the year. My feet were so embarrassing. I researched and researched and found that it was highly probable that I had the moccassin-type of athlete's foot. All the symptoms fit - even my mother and grandmother have struggled with similar feet issues. I went for a final opinion from my primary doctor and she agreed - perhaps it was misdiagnosed after all.

I finally decided to try soaking my feet in 50% water and 50% unfiltered, raw, organic apple cider vinegar every night. It produced almost immediate results with my feet feeling soft and peeling less. Nonetheless, after almost two weeks of soaking my feet, I just could not stand the odor anymore - neither could my husband. I stopped and of course the athlete's foot came back with a vengeance.

I finally decided to try 50% water and 50% hydrogen peroxide foot soaks for 20 minutes every night or every other night. I follow through with an "as seen on tv" foot file to take off the dead skin. Finally, I moisturize with organic coconut-based lotion. After almost three weeks, my feet feel and look amazing. I make sure to sterilize the basin I use to soak my feet, the towels, the foot file, and any other instruments with alcohol to ensure that the fungus is killed. Also, I have been more careful to spray my feet with anti-fugal sprays and foot powder before working out or if I wear partially or closed toed shoes.

As a precaution, I will keep maintaining these soaks as long as I can - considering I've had this athlete's foot condition for more than 15 years. I hope some of you have success with this inexpensive and definitely less smelly solution!