Tinea fungus, more commonly referred to as athlete’s foot, is fungus that grows on the feet. It can be contracted in a number of ways, but the most common is through direct contact with someone else who has athlete’s foot, or by touching surfaces that have been contaminated. The fungus thrives in wet conditions, which makes the floors in locker rooms, showers, spas or around pools a prime place to pick up the fungus.
Fungus can make its way onto your feet through small cuts and scrapes, which is why it’s always important to keep your feet covered in public if you already have an open wound. This also means that you should be diligent about only getting pedicures at spas that have a good reputation for cleanliness.
There are a handful of easy preventative measures that you can put in place to avoid becoming infected with athlete’s foot, including wearing shoes or flip flops when visiting gyms and pools, not sharing a towel, socks or shoes with anyone who has athlete’s foot, and keeping your feet dry.
Wearing well-fitting shoes can have a large impact, with tight-fitting shoes often causing our feet to sweat. Fungus breeds in moisture, so keeping your feet dry, especially in hot and humid conditions, will help ward off athlete’s foot.
If you do end up contracting athlete’s foot, the symptoms can appear in many ways. Dry, cracking skin, blisters on your feet, rough and itchy patches, raw skin, burning between your toes, and discoloration and cracking of the toenails are all tell-tale signs that you’ve contracted athlete’s foot. It’s always a good idea to see a doctor to confirm your diagnosis, but if you’re looking for ways to treat your athlete’s foot at home, these are some products worth considering.
1. Natural Mint Shoe Deodorizer
This option comes in a convenient spray canister, making it easy to throw in your gym bag. It’s designed to treat athlete’s foot, but it can also be used fight foot and shoe odors. This order consists of one, 4.0 oz canister. This spray is made to provide relief for the most common athlete’s foot symptoms, as well as can help deodorize your yoga mat, gym bag or other stinky supplies! The spry uses tea tree oil, peppermint oil and other natural ingredients to provide a pleasant yet powerful concoction.
2. Foot Sense Natural Shoe Deodorizer Powder & Foot Odor Eliminator
Fight more than just athlete’s foot with this natural shoe deodorizer from Foot Sense. This powder both wards of athlete’s foot and foot odor. Using zinc oxide as the main ingredient, Foot Sense’s powder is designed to keep your feet fresh.
3. Foot Pumice Stone and Scrubber
Fight athlete’s Foot, odor, and dry and cracked feet with the two-in-one athlete’s foot scrubber pumice stone, which combines two different types of pumice stone, a coarser and finer side. While treating your feet, be sure to use the coarser side followed by the finer side to get the best results. These pumice stones are great for travel as they’re small and lightweight.