If your sweaty soles are making you reluctant to show off your tipsy toes, then it might be time to address your malodorous problem. Sweating is the body’s normal response for cooling down. While it’s normal to have sweat through our feet, some people suffer from excessive sweating all the time. This condition is called hyperhidrosis, specifically plantar hyperhidrosis as it affects the feet. This happens when the sweat glands are overstimulated and call for more sweat than what is needed.
Hyperhidrosis may be triggered by exercise or physical activity and emotional stress, though experts believe that genetics may play a role in its incidence as people with sweaty feet seem to share this with their families.
No matter what the cause or how often you experience sweaty feet, there are natural remedies that you can use to manage this problem and avoid foot odor and other complications that it brings.
1. Wash your feet
Wash your feet every day with an anti-bacterial soap to keep odor away. Make sure to dry between your toes. Bacteria and fungi can grow between your toes if they’re not dried off completely.
2. Apply antiperspirant
Spray on antiperspirant on your feet before you wear your socks. Antiperspirant doesn’t just work on your underarms to control perspiration, they also work in controlling the perspiration on your feet.
3. Sprinkle alum powder
Alum has antiseptic and astringent properties which helps hinder the growth of bacteria. Dust your feet with alum powder after the antiperspirant to help absorb excess moisture and reduce odor.
4. Use cotton socks
Wear socks made out of cotton or natural fibers. These fabrics wick moisture from your feet and more porous, thus allowing more air to reach your feet.
5. Keep spare socks
Change your socks once you feel that they’re dampened with sweat. Wash your feet or use baby wipes to clean them off before putting on a new pair.
6. Change your shoes
Don’t use the same pair of shoes consecutively. Moisture may be trapped in the insoles and if you wear them before it has dried, this may worsen your problem.
7. Soak in black tea
Black tea contains tannic acid that helps kill bacteria. It also helps diminish the opening of your pores, thus reducing the amount of sweat which the bacteria feed on.
Steep 2 bags of black tea in 3 cups of water. Add a bucket of cool water to temper it then soak your feet for 15-20 minutes. Do this for a week to reduce foot odor.
8. Vinegar soak
Vinegar helps reduce foot odor caused by sweaty feet by creating an acidic environment wherein bacteria can’t survive. To do this, mix ½ cup vinegar with 8 cups of hot water. Soak your feet in it for 10-15 minutes. Then wash your feet with soap and rinse your feet thoroughly to get rid of the smell of vinegar.
