Let’s face it. We all have been there or have seen one person in our life with smelly feet. It doesn’t matter how clean we are, how hygienic we are. There’s a whole phenomenon behind our stinky feet, especially in winters.
Hygiene has not always to do with stinky feet. We do know some people who clear out the room every time they walk in. Even if they have OCD and clean their feet 10 times a day, the feet would still smell if they run half a mile.
Does the question arise why feet are the stinkiest part of the human body?
Sweat. A human body consists of more than 250,000 sweat glands per foot, and our feet tend to sweat more than the rest of the body. But sweat doesn’t smell like feet.
Why our feet stink the most?
- Do you know what sweat is made of?
Sweat is actually a mixture of salt and water, and it doesn’t basically have a bad smell, but the bacteria, which is all over our body, has that distinctive odor. Sweat is a favorite food for bacteria.
- Bacteria waste
Bacteria love to eat sweat; then, it excretes waste such as bacteria poop. That is actually the bad odor we all feel uneasy around. Some people also associate this smell with a good cheese or smelly feet.
- Bacteria odor
So, we are actually smelling poop of bacteria, which no doubt is stinky. Now you might be wondering, we have sweat glands all over our body, but why do our feet stink the most.
- Our hands-on the other hand, have no bad odor; why is that?
The answer is all around us. Air. Bacteria, sweat, and waste can easily escape our body through the air and diffuse, and if it didn’t do that, then our whole body would be stinky as feet.
- Feet in winters
Our feet are coated with multiple layers; we wear socks and have got shoes. In winters, people tend to wear double socks, which causes the bacteria to collect on our feet and bacteria waste has nowhere to escape due to thick coating.
Now it is not necessary that everyone have smelly feet; some do not have a bad smell even in winters, while some excessive experience smell, sweat is the particular reason of the circumstance, some sweat more.
How to get rid of stinky feet in winters?
At times smelly feet can be terribly embarrassing. Bad odor might have another reason, such as some infection on the feet, known as athlete’s foot or nail fungus.
Remedies to get rid of stinky feet:
Identify the problem
You have first to identify that you are not experiencing any type of infection on your feet. First, get it treated properly.
Wear well-fitted shoes and then apply the remedies after the infection has been cured, but the smell remains.
Home remedies
Let’s start with natural home remedies for the exact purpose of smelly feet in winter.
Remedy 1
Make sure you are changing your socks every day, even in winters. Wearing the same socks for too long can cause sweat to collect and dry within your feet. Wash your socks inside out after every use.
Remedy 2
It is preferred to use cotton socks as it allows the air to pass through. This way, bacteria, and waste can be diffused in the air through those small holes, causing the feet to breathe.
Remedy 3
Change your shoes as well, keep two pairs and use them on alternative days, allow them to air after every use, in a garden or balcony.
Remedy 4
Before putting on socks, sprinkle some baking soda or talcum powder over them. It helps absorb the moisture from your feet when you put them on.
Remedy 5
In 1-1/2 liter of water, add ½ of vinegar, soak your feet and wash them with soap, then dry well. It is preferred once a day for a week.
Remedy 6
Add water in a tub in order to soak your feet; add ¼ cup of salt. Soak your feet for 10-15 mins. Do this daily, once a week. Salt helps in reducing the moisture.
Remedy 7
Take fresh ginger and make a paste out of it. Boil this paste in a cup of water on low flame. After it boils for 10 to 15 mins, strain the water and retain the thick paste. Put it on your feet and leave it overnight. Do it for three days.
Remedy 8
Take some cloves and put them in your shoes. It can also do the trick.
Remedy 9
Use apple cider vinegar. It helps dispose of the foot odor—mix two cups of apple cider vinegar in a cup of warm water. Soak a gauze in the solution and apply that gauze to your foot.
Remedy 10
Take care of your nails, cut them short after every week, and take care of their hygiene.
Remedy 11
Wipe your feet after showering. Pedologists recommend patting with a towel between your toes; the remaining moisture can cause fungal infection.
Remedy 12
Walk barefoot at home. Keep your homes centrally heated in winters so you can take off your socks at home and let your feet air.
Instant remedies
- Use Odor Eaters
Odor eaters come in cut-out shapes, which you can put into your shoe. They suck out all the bad odor. You can also cut them to make them fit into your shoe.
Use Baby Powder
You can either use baking soda or baby powder. Sprinkle it inside the shoe and let them air outside before putting them on. It sucks up the moisture, causing less sweat on your feet.
Thoroughly wash and dry your feet.
Cleanse your feet thoroughly with some soap or scrub, clean underneath your toenails as well, because that’s where it stinks the most.
Use Hand Sanitizer
You can use any good hand sanitizer, but aloe is preferably good for the exact purpose of this job as it sucks the moisture from your feet. Could you put it on your foot, make sure it’s dry?
Water and lemon juice
Grab a big bowl of Luke warm water to soak your feet in. Add five drops of lemon juice or peppermint oil if you don’t have lemon juice.
All the above-mentioned remedies will help you not feel that bad odor from your feet, but make sure to be consistent with the remedies since it’s not a one-time game.
Consult a doctor
Consulting a doctor is very important in this case. Smelly feet are not always that simple; it could be an indication of some fungal infection. If the feet start to itch or peel along with a bad smell, then instead of remedies, take advice from a doctor.
- It could be a disease.
Bad smell can be a symptom of ringworm which is an infection or mycosis. It is a disease caused by parasitic fungi.
- Precautions
The best way to keep your feet warm as well as let them breathe is by wearing thick cotton socks; make sure it’s not synthetic ones. Wear boots or shoes on them, and make your hairdryer handy in this case. Use it to run over the tight part of the shoes. You are good to walk around in those shoes until they are completely cool.
- Good shoes
The above-mentioned trick works on natural material shoes; it makes them flexible enough and keeps them safe from sweating. Such as leather.
- Ice
Take a plastic bag and fill it with water. Put that bag inside your shoes and freeze them overnight in a freezer. Your shoes will go wider once you take them out since the water turned into ice. Letting the air pass even after wearing them for a long time.
- Potatoes
This trick is good for widening training shoes. Put a clean potato inside your shoe overnight, then wipe them with a damp cloth.
To sum up, everything that we have discussed so far, sweating is not bad for the human body. Actually, it’s the opposite. A human body needs to sweat in order to keep pace, but actually, the problem comes when you start to sweat excessively, it actually helps the bacteria breed, so more sweat means more bacteria.
The problem arises with the feet because it is mostly enclosed in so many layers not allowing the bacteria to diffuse in the air.
Conclusion
In this article, we mentioned some effective remedies to get away with bad odor from feet. Natural remedies work best with such issues. Keep in mind that shoes are not a grave of feet, so allow them to air whenever at home. Please take off your socks and shoes and let them dry, walk barefoot daily and follow the remedies.
You will definitely experience some noticeable changes in a week. I hope you can benefit from the above-mentioned remedies from this article.
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