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.
Alum
Posted by Thomas (Salem, Oregon) on 12/18/2014
★★★★★
Alum works to treat athlete's foot. Use cooking alum. My Vietnamese wife prepared this treatment for me. Warm up a pot of hot water and dissolve the alum in it. She might have added salt also. Soak the feet in it for an hour. However, I have found apple cider vinegar to be just as effective. Soak the feet in 100% ACV for an hour. Repeat daily for a week or so. Improvement will come after the first or second soak. Keep the feet dry and allow the feet to breathe. Avoid synthetic fabrics. Use only 100% cotton socks and 100% cotton bed linens.
Phythium Oligandrum
Posted by Sam (Miami, FL) on 06/22/2014
★★★★★
A friend of mine was unsuccessfully trying to cure some fungus on her feet for many years. She found Pythium oligandrum skin/nail fungus treatment (3 x 2 g) on shop.owndoc.com. It was a100% success.
Pythium oligandrum is a harmless fungus that eats harmful fungi, and then dies of starvation when all bad fungi have been eradicated. Pythium oligandrum is a parasite to other fungi such as Trichophyton, the dermatophyte fungus that causes various conditions knonw as Tinea - Athlete's foot, nail fungus, ringworm and jock itch
Bag Balm + Lotrimin
Posted by Mike (Mlps, Mn) on 02/11/2014
★★★★★
I have a better solution for athlete's foot, My wife used the old bag balm and "lotrimin" powder, over the counter treatment here. I had tried sprays and creams and the powder itself and it seems to rub off to easily then the fungus takes over again... I had blisters. It took weeks for the powder to work, just a few days for the bag balm and lotrimin mix and it's gone ... 8 years now and no recurrence!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil
Posted by Melynda (Seattle, Wa) on 05/09/2012
★★★★★
Soaking my feet at least once a day in ACV, full strength, for at least 10-15 minutes, followed by rubbing a little coconut oil on the affected areas has cured my athlete's foot. Also, it is helpful to know - pantyhose, are not so great for the health of your feet - they trap the moisture and create problems. Wear foot wear that allows your feet to breathe as much as possible. Trader Joe's has a great ACV that is unfiltered 'with the Mother', that is not terribly expensive. Since other posts have asked - I will note that I have re-used my ACV with no problems. I store it in a tupperware container, so that it is air tight when not being used, and replenish as needed.
Garlic
Posted by John (Encinitas, Ca) on 03/29/2012
★★★★★
I've been to doctors that have prescribed toxic, dangerous medicines affecting the liver. The best natural cure for athletes foot for me is garlic. I rub a garlic clove on the affected areas. While garlic has not irradicated my fungal infection it does seem to work better than the expensive sprays and creams that are sold over the counter.
Oil Pulling
Posted by Chloe99 (Seattle, Wa) on 11/14/2011
★★★★★
Had a bad outbreak between toes.... Very painful. I drizzled ACV from a cotton ball on the toes and it helped, but when I "Oil Pulled" it went away almost by the next morning! Was completely healed in 3 days!!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic
Posted by Hiker (Vista, Ca, Usa) on 09/05/2011
★★★★☆
I have a nasty case of Moccasin type Athlete's Foot. The entire front portion of the soles of both feet (from the top of the arches forward) exhibited a thick fungal scaling. I have had it for many months, probably over a year by now. I don't like using the OTC creams and since the itching initially was only in the evenings and only when I walked in tennis shoes for a long period I had been (to my regret) ignoring it. The arrival of summer's heat led to intense daily itching anytime my feet perspired.
I researched alternative treatments and decided to give vinegar and garlic a try. Distilled White Vinegar (4%) (DWV) was initially used because my local grocery store didn't carry any Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV).
Both feet were soaked (undiluted) for 5-15 minutes (10 minute average) twice a day and 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic were eaten twice a day. Having read that Moccasin cases are much more resistant to treatment, I thought garlic with its potent anti-fungal properties would promote faster recovery. I also started walking around in thongs only.
The DWV soaks alleviated the itching immediately. No significant improvement in appearance was seen until the morning of the 8th day. I switched to ACV (5%) soaks (undiluted) that evening to see how it would work. The ACV was less harsh than the DWV and left my skin feeling very soft. A little improvement was seen nearly every day thereafter.
The garlic seemed to help. While continuing soaking I discontinued the garlic for two days and my feet didn't show any improvement. I resumed the garlic and the next day my feet looked much better. It may not be necessary for everyone but in my resistant Moccasin case it seemed a benefit.
A little tip: Garlic is very harsh -- don't take it on an empty stomach! On two occasions I did and immediately threw it up. When taken with a good sized meal it wasn't a problem. To make it easier on my stomach in the second week I reduced my garlic to 1-2 cloves per day, which seemed adequate. Luckily I wasn't one of those people that develop an odor problem while consuming garlic.
Another tip: -- make sure during your soaks that you don't rest your feet on the bottom of the container. Doing so can press the toes together and keep the vinegar from contacting the recesses between the toes and the soles of the feet. The same vinegar was used for several soaks in a row, which didn't seem to hamper its effectiveness.
I think long soaks are unnecessary. Beyond 10-15 minutes they often just irritated the skin and didn't seem to hasten recovery. Shorter multiple daily soaks seemed more effective than longer less frequent ones. Yesterday I soaked my feet about 5 times and upped my garlic to 2 cloves twice a day. Today my feet appeared much better. It has been 15 days and my feet are about 90% improved. Most of the scaling on the soles and under the toes is gone.
I have a fungal infection in the toenail of one toe. Unfortunately, I have to report that there has been little improvement in appearance. I don't know if the nail has to grow out before the toenail looks better or if it is not working. Will have to wait and see.
If you elect to treat your Athlete's Foot with ACV and garlic be patient. Long standing and/or Moccasin cases may take weeks to completely heal. I will post again later to update my progress.
Vetericyn
Posted by John (CA) on 11/09/2021
★★★★★
I would like to add my voice in endorsing Vetericyn for athlete's foot. I bought the Vetericyn that is formulated as a hydrogel. I have been dealing with athlete's foot for well over a decade; most likely much longer. Recently it flared up causing the usual lesions between toes becoming swollen and somewhat painful to walk around on. The fungus had, over the years, affected my left foot and the skin was dry and cracking to the point of bleeding. I read the post I am replying to and decided to try this product since I had worked with about everything else with mixed results. In using this product for only about two weeks it has been a most remarkable result. The athlete's foot lesions between my toes are, at this point, healed and the entire foot looks to be healing with the skin becoming more normal and soft. The hydrogel form allows for easy spray and then massaging into the tissues. I sprayed at least three times a day in the beginning massaging it in between the toes and all over the foot and part way up the calf (I did not know how far the fungus has progressed by this time. I want to say I noticed a change after only 24 hours of use but I was not sure it was just wishful thinking on my a part. All I can say is give this product a try. All of the testimonials indicate it really works and apparently is quite benign for healing of all sorts of problems. I hope this works for others living with problems such as this.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Francisca (Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France) on 07/18/2011
Bonnie, for problems with cracked feet, especially heel, I would advise you try calendula cream. I don't have as many problems as you have but any time my heals are a bit cracked I use this cream and in a day or so my feet feel like a baby's bottom! Also good for the elbows and for the skin generally, even your face!
Iodine
Posted by Chuckbrt (Alden, Mn) on 07/13/2011
★★★★★
Athlete's foot is a fungus, surface applications give temporary relief. To kill the fungus from within a person needs to take an anti-fungal. I had cracked and stinky feet, started taking Iodine and two days later the stink was gone. A week after I started Iodine, the cracks were healing.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Chuck (Ventura, Ca) on 06/05/2011
★★★★★
ACV is healing my atheletes foot. I had it on the bottom of both feet and on my leg. I used OTC spray, cream, and powder to no avail. The doctor gave me anti-fungal cream, still no help. After reading these posts I soak my feet in ACV for 30 minutes each night and has done more in two months than the others did in 5 months. It is gone on one foot, and only one little spot left on the other. I get the generic ACV from Smart & Final for a little over 3 bucks a gallon. I warm it up so it is more comfortable and it seems to work better when warm.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Happyfeet (Mayberry, USA) on 05/27/2011
★★★★☆
First -- Thanks to ALL the members who have contributed to this thread!
SECOND: My Moccasin Heel Athletes feet have shown MORE improvement in one week using ACV than all the other endless professional treatments in the last three years.
Lavender Oil
Posted by Amy (Atlanta, Georgia) on 04/17/2011
★★★★★
Also, essential oil of lavendar, used undiluted has worked wonders for me. I "contracted" athletes's foot while vacationing at a hot springs resort. Much like a public swimming pool, it would be ahrd to avoid. I have never had it before and when it started to develop I had no idea what it was. By the time I realized it was athlete's foot, it was well underway on my two outside toes. I tried tea tree, acv, oil of oregano. none of it seemed to worked and the Apple Cider Vinegar and oregano stung.
I am not sure how I heard of lavendar oil, but I used it undiluted (just drizzle some over the affected area) and in 2 days the skin was smooth and healed. I plan to use lavendar oil as a preventative when I think I could have come in to contact with the athlete foot fungus. I have learned since that lavendar is a great antifungal. Additonally, wiping out your shoes and washing socks in lavendar oil probably wouldn't hurt as it would likely help break the fungal cycle. Lastly, I also dosed myself pretty heavily (internally) with colloidal silver solution a few days after the athlete's foot started to clear up. I thought I was getting a cold and cs works wonders. I bet spraying cs on the foot would also be very helpful.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Mary (Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom) on 04/06/2011
★★★★☆
After reading the comments on this site, I tried apple cider vinegar (with the mother in it) as a soak to cure my moccasin athlete's foot. Basically, after 4 months of use, it was better but definitely not cured. I had the moccasin athlete's foot on both feet and one hand and had been unable to shift it, (in spite of frequent trips to the doctor), for 5 years.
In its favour, the apple cider vinegar did a lot more for me than the steroid creams my doctor prescribed and was also better than the OTC anti-fungal drugs. It did make my skin softer and helped heal some of the painful cracking. However, it could not kill the fungus. I suspect that this is because moccasin athlete's foot is extremely difficult to deal with once it gets hold and perhaps if I had used ACV years ago, before the moccasin athlete's foot became chronic, it might have worked.
For anyone wondering whether I managed to cure it some other way, the answer is yes, but not at home. In the end I was so desperate that I went to a traditional chinese herbalist who gave me a pile of herbs (many of which looked like fungus, bark and mushrooms) to boil up every night as a foot/hand soak. I was pretty skeptical but amazingly it worked within a week and I'm so happy! It wasn't as cheap as ACV, two consultations plus the herbs cost me around £80 (GBP), but for me it was worth it.
In conclusion, if you've got a really bad case of moccasin type athlete's foot, my experience has been that apple cider vinegar will soothe it - maybe even halt its development - but it won't give you a complete cure.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Jeannine (Denver, Co, Usa) on 11/18/2010
★★★★★
I had a bad case of athlete's foot on my left foot that plagued me for well over a year. I wanted to try a natural remedy, and I found this site and used a combination of ACV (swabbed on with a cotton ball) followed by tea tree oil. This worked somewhat, but did not cure it. What finally got rid of it once and for all was soaking my foot in straight ACV for 10-20 minutes. The trick for me, I think, was that I needed to leave it soaking in the vinegar until it started to burn and itch. That's when I knew that it was working, it felt like the fungus was being killed off. After I did this, the next day I saw a big improvement, plus I found small white blisters. I did this once a day for about a week, and it completely went away. It has been about 6 months now, and it is still gone. I hope this testimony helps someone else out!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Michell (Oregon) on 12/31/2015
ACV is without a doubt the only way to deal with the foot fungus. At first if it burns deal with it just think the next day you will be a new person, don't forget to trash the shoe pads away and take newspaper spray some disinfectant on the paper and stuff the shoes with the paper every day and rotate your shoes! Believe me, this takes care of your feet and your hands and you'll be a happy camper!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Stephen (Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan) on 08/18/2010
★★★★★
Remedy: Apple Cider Vinegar
Usage: 1Day/1Time/2Weeks for 30Minutes before bed
Cured: Yes
Ok this my sound a little harsh to some, but sometime the truth hurts. 99. 9 percent of all athletes foot can be prevented by one simple step. WASH YOUR FEET EVERYDAY!! I myself sometimes neglected my feet (and don't say you haven't) during quick showers not to mention military days when there were no "Hollywood showers" allowed. Well I don't want to place all the blame on the military, but I was in boots more than out of them during my tour. I didn't even have athletes foot til I got out of the military. WTF. ;o;
Well it was worst on my left foot between my little (weewee)piggy and my starved piggy. Cracking, itching, peeling, etc. Never spread though. Thank God. I tried it all. Bought all the fix it quicks online, the crap from the doctors office, and online healing BS. Then I found this site and read each and everyone of your reviews. I thought what the hell. Let me give it a try. I went to Costco and bought boxes of ACV. The first week I used the stuff straight outta the bottle covering both feet 20 minutes a night. The first treatment was already mind blowing. The next morning I looked at my feet and the redness was almost gone. After the first week I could see not signs of the fungus. I then started diluting the ACV into water at a 2 to 1 ration. The smaller being water. Continued for another week and I think I am cured. I am washing my feet like crazy everyday just to be extra safe. I can tell you I now am not embarrassed when the ladies come over and can take of my socks without worrying about my feet. Damn!! I got beautiful feet again. The only downside to the ACV (and I think this was already said) but it does dry the hell out of your feet. Better dry than moist I guess. THANK YOU EARTHCLINIC for putting up this site and allowing me to find a cure for the devils fungus. If you have not experienced athletes foot then good for you, but you best never neglect your feet or Mr. Fungi might come a knocking. Use the Apple Cider Vinegar!! I am telling it works. Just don't half ass the remedy though. Stick to it every day until you kill those little critters eating away at your feet.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic
Posted by Hiker (Vista, Ca, USA) on 09/09/2012
I wanted to post an update to my original post. The Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) soaks completely cured my feet. They had rough spots and I thought they may have been residual fungus but I was wrong. My feet stayed the same for months. After about a year when it started getting warm again the fungus returned. I hadn't used the ACV soaks since my initial treatment and I ignored it until it started itching on the archs of both feet. It has been two treatments and my feet look and feel better already. This time I didn't take any garlic internally. I used full strength soaks for 30 minutes and have had no adverse reactions to them at all. ACV rocks!!!!!!!!
Iodine
Posted by Superslide (Las Vegas, Nv, Usa ) on 05/07/2010
★★★★☆
My friend had a minor case of athletes foot and small blisters on his feet almost every day. We have been taking an iodine supplement that has greatly improved our over all health and got rid of his athetes foot. But the blisters still kept popping up. Mind you, he has had them forever. Every day after work, he would be popping them. So since the iodine has helped his athletes foot, maybe the body needs a little more help with the blisters. It has been amazing!!!
Recipe::
Take a bath to soften the skin.
Cotton ball with regular iodine disinfectant from pharmacy.
Coat foot with iodine.
Let dry or put on a nylon sock.
Results::
soft feet for first time ever.
In 3 days, only one blister appeared.
Much more comfort when walking around.
