Natural Remedies For Athlete's Foot

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 Pete (Portland, Oregon) on 03/03/2011
★★★★★

I used raw Apple Cider Vinegar on some nasty-looking athlete's foot for two weeks, and I now have beautiful new skin on both feet and no sign of the infection. I simply soaked a cotton ball to saturation and applied liberally (to dripping point) all over the affected areas. I then let it dry in the air and didn't rinse it off. I did this twice or three times a day, changed my socks the same number of times, and saw improvement daily. I can't thank you enough for all your advice and encouragement!

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.

Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Moises (New York, Ny Usa) on 11/02/2009
★★★★★

Athlete's Foot: I mixed one part tea tree oil with 4 parts olive oil. Twice daily I washed me feet with soap and water. Then I dried them. Then I used an eyedropper to apply the tea tree oil dilution between the toes.

My athlete's foot cleared up in less than a week. This was after using Lamisil ointment for more than 3 weeks.

The first time I used Lamisil (terbinafine hydrochloride 1%), years ago, it also worked in a few days. Each successive time, it required more days to eliminate the athlete's foot. I have only tried tea tree oil one time. So, I do not know yet if its effectiveness diminishes with repeated use, the way Lamisil does.

Alum

Posted by Denise (Austin, AR) on 07/29/2009
★★★★★

I have had problems with athlete's foot since I was a teenager. Now my teenage son has become bothered by it. I was told by an old friend that if I were to sprinkle a little bit of old fashioned cooking alum into his and my shoes and a little in our socks that it would take care of the athlete's foot and actually make his feet odorless. She (the friend) said that the alum closes the pores which prevents the feet from sweating, stopping the odor, and also the athlete's foot. I was told about this probably about ten years or so ago but have been reluctant to try it because it just doesn't sound like a healthy option. I'm certainly not going to try it on my child without knowing what repercussions will be as a result. Has this ever been suggested before?

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Shaun (York, UK) on 04/04/2009

Try soaking your feet in a household ammonia solution (50/50 ammonia and water) for a while. Works a treat for me.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Linda (St. Paul, MN) on 05/15/2009

Just put some baking soda in the shoes & leave it in. I started doing this when my kids were young and it works!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Bethany (Westminster, CA) on 02/20/2009
★★★★★

My husband had a severe case of athletes foot, and his skin would crack from how think and hard it was. We tried every cream, spray and powder out there, it helped with the smell but that was it. My sister told me about raw organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar and that it would kill the fungus. I figured we would give it a shot, and after the first night there was an improvement, and when he came home from work the smell was gone! So we kept on it soaking his feet in it for 15 mins a night after he got home from work and took a shower. after 2 weeks of this no more athletes foot, he now has soft normal skin on the bottom of his feet and they dont stink!!! give it a shot it is an amazing cure for athletes foot!!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Keith Warren (Totnes, England) on 01/06/2009
★★★★★

I have suffered from the above off and on for many years and get really bad attacks of athletes foot. I have tried many remedies, non of which have proved very satisfactory until I tried Cider Vinegar and Vapour Rub. What can I say? Within a week its like having a new pair of feet, I simply cannot thank the people who posted these remedies enough, they have been the proverbial life saver as I am in the building trade and have to wear safety boots and my feet were so very painful. Thank you one and all for your suggestions.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Kira (Saratoga, NY) on 12/23/2008
★★★★★

I don't even need to soak my feet in Apple Cider vinegar (ACV), just wet a cotton ball with ACV and run over feet.

Be careful, it can really burn raw spots!

After the ACV dries, it feels so good to massage a little coconut oil on my feet (anti-fungal and moisturizing).

I find my biggest problem is I wear socks all the time and when they get moist, the intense itching begins.

My b/f did find when he wears cheap socks (like I do) his athlete's foot is worse.

Urine

Posted by Naturo (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) on 02/08/2010
★★★★★

Urine as a cure for athlete's foot is the most economical, safe, and timely remedy known to me. I tried tea tree oil, aloe, black soap, coconut oil, Burt's foot cream, all of the former offered little to no resolve. I had a serious case of athlete's foot known as "trench foot" which was a name gained from the soldiers of many wars where moisture would collect in the boot or shoe, creating the necessary conditions for bacterial growth. My condition was so bad that the epidermis was cracking and in areas of the foot - primarily the ball of the foot, there would be lesions that would bleed. The cure is simple, apply urine (fresh and warm) to the infected area allowing it a minute or so to absorb into the skin; this is best done prior to sleep. Repeat this day after day until you see desired results. Note, although the symptoms may subside i.e. itching and cracking, the actual bacterial infection may not be gone. Thus, one should continue daily treatment for at least 1 week beyond the epidermic symptoms remediation.

Tested and true.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Larry (Dumaguete, Philippines) on 10/08/2008
★☆☆☆☆

I had chronic athletes foot for years, i could never get rid of it. Over the counter creams such as lamisil controlled the problem but did not get rid of it. I then tried not using the creams and only apple cider vinegar instead. The result was disaster, rampant athletes foot, so this is a definite NAY, but amazingly I did find something that finally worked after many years! And it involves Cayenne pepper and salt, see my additional comment below under Cayenne.

Nu-Stock

Posted by Jean (Franklin, WI) on 07/06/2008
★★★★★

A number of years ago, we acquired a German Shepherd with a severe case of mange, covering about 1/3 of his body. The vet's expensive prescription products hardly touched it. After a lot of study, I found a product generally used for horses to heal wounds and rashes. It's called Nu-Stock. It cleared the mange up after only 2 applications and it has never returned. His hair grew back very quickly, and although he wasn't too thrilled with the first application, he WANTED the second one very much. The itching stopped immediately.

A couple years later, my daughter had a rash that no doctor seemed able to get rid of. We tried the Nu-Stock and it cleared right up and hasn't returned.

I've had a problem with athlete's foot for years. I tried all the other remedies and it got rid of "most" of it, but there was a spot on the ball of one foot, including two toes where it just wouldn't go away. One day it occurred to me to try Nu-Stock. After just a couple of applications, the skin was back to normal, all itching gone, and it appears to be healing permanently. I think this is going to finally kill it!!!

Doing a little studying, I've found that Nu-Stock is 73% sulphur, 25% mineral oil, and 2% pine oil.

I've also discovered that there are other health products made for pets that aren't available for people. For instance, in the local Farm & Fleet, you can buy a cheap package of electrolytes for your pet's water. 16 oz. of DMSO was only $5. And there were other things as well, most of them in the section for horses! Isn't it amazing that you can buy products for your pets, cheaply, and you can't get prescription products that work for yourself???

EC: Yes, agreed! Years ago we bought a 5 lb container of glucosamine at a tack shop in Burbank, CA for about $45 to give to our dog for his arthritis. The tack shop also sold chondroitin in large containers too.

Nu-Stock

Posted by Teresa (Dallas, Tx) on 03/06/2024
★★★★★

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I tried it on my different parts of my neck and it was so strong it dried those parts of my neck it left my skin very wrinkly. I was afraid I'd damaged my skin. I did try it on some areas of my feet and only two areas seem like I have to be more aggressive with the treatment whichever it is I decide to do. Nustock is great so far on the feet but not on tender skin areas it cracks and dries up the skin really bad. Also it does have a high sulfur content and I read somewhere on here on the ringworm thread that a homeopath mentioned not to take sulfur (internally as pellets) because one could end up with high levels of sulfur. I'm not sure how much sulfur our bodies absorb from the cream. So I'll just say try at your own risk. I did develop dark spots on my arm and chest but I'm unsure if sulfur had anything to do with it.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Teresa (Minnesota, USA) on 05/01/2008
★★★★★

Yes, ACV does cure dundruff but do you know it can cure athlete foot too... Just put acv on your affected foot 2x a day, do not rinse- let it dry.. yes it will sting but it will cure the athlete foot.you will see improvement on the first try by 2nd to 3rd day it will all be gone.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Doris (Santa Ana, CA USA) on 04/28/2008
★★★★★

Equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water in foot-bath bowl. Set feet in, and gently scrub with sponge. Good time to do it is after shower or bath and before bed. For worst cases, cotton swab damply all over affected foot skin. Immediately cleaned, no more co$$$tly stores remedies in very tiny tubes and bottles. Then, keep clean your barefoot walking or standing areas (shower, tub, etc). The immediate clean look and clean feel will be dramatic.

White Vinegar

Posted by Kathleen (San Antonio, Tx) on 02/06/2008
★★★★★

Apple Cider Vinegar is wonderful to clean out my German Shepherd's ears, when his ears are bothering him. He will shake his head, and I just put an apple cider and water solution on a cotton ball, and clean out his ears, and in ten minutes he stops fussing and lays down and finally can rest. My husband takes white vinegar and soaks his feet in it, and no more athelets foot! It is wonderful for killing any kind of fungus or bacterial infections. Thanks so much for the advice!

Coconut Oil

Posted by Klaus-Christian (Osaka, Japan) on 05/03/2007
★★★★★

Coconut oil cured my 20! years long athlete's foot problem plus a lot of epidermic fungus, [j-itch, behind the ears, chin] constipation and digestive problems. 3 times a teaspoonful per os and external. see: health-science-spirit.com/candida.html

White Vinegar

Posted by Barbara (Wellington, New Zealand) on 09/26/2011
★★★★★

I started getting athletes foot years ago, just a bit between my pinky toe and the next toe. I ignored it and now it's spread inbetween all my toes on both feet. I just started soaking in white vinegar (undiluted, no water added). Found a container that fit both feet, added white vinegar just to cover my toes and sat for 30 minutes. I already see improvement after only 1 soak! Am planning on doing once a day for a week and maybe once a week thereafter.