Five natural ways to get rid of smelly feet

Smelly feet or feet odour is always an embarrassment. You are always struck with the fear of others being caught up in that unpleasant smell. Sweaty feet, known as palmoplantar hyperhidrosis which causes excessive sweating while bacteria on the skin breaks down the sweat releasing a cheesy smell as the sweat decomposes. 

Sometimes smelly feet also happen because of everyday daily-stress or an injury due to some structural issue in the foot area. Standing on your feet all day, wearing the same shoes daily without allowing them to dry, poor personal hygiene, hormonal changes in the body particularly among teens and pregnant women.

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Although smelly feet might not be a raising health concern, it can prove an unpleasant situation to your everyday life. These are the natural ways to get rid of smelly feet:

1. Soak your feet: To soak your feet, you can use numerous home remedies such as salt baths tea soaks and apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar contains antifungal effects, use one-part vinegar and two parts water for temporary relief. You can also use four or five tea bags to a quart of water to curb the smell. Make the tea as you normally would, then allow it to cool and soak the feet for about 20 minutes each day. In all cases, make sure to dry your feet thoroughly.
2. Use a DIY feet powder: For avoiding smelly feet, keeping your feet dry is a must! After you have cleaned your feet and dried them, apply powders like baking soda, corn-starch or arrowroot to absorb extra moisture. Adding essential oils like tea tree oil which is antifungal also works great.
3. Change your socks regularly: Wearing socks is a definite yes! Wearing socks of wool or cotton is essential to absorb moisture. Some sports socks also have airing holes to keep the feet dry.
4. Change your shoes too! As much as you change your socks, changing your shoes is also a must. Not wearing the same footwear every day can really help avoid shoe odour in addition to the stinky feet. This will help provide the shoes enough time to dry.Choose well-fitted leather shoes over cloth shoes which can allow your feet to breathe and typically do not soak up as much sweat. Going barefoot occasionally is also good for the feet to breathe.
5. Cut back on refined carbs: Refined carbs like white bread, white pasta, white rice create a favorable environment for bacteria and fungus to thrive and cause all sorts of unpleasant odour issues. Focus instead on eating a more balanced diet that features protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs.

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Foot odour, however, can also be caused by infections, so if you have any redness or swelling around your feet or toes, or if there is a particularly foul odour, you should see a doctor as soon as possible.