Athlete’s foot thrives in damp, warm areas and can spread from person to person. Athlete’s foot fungus is often contracted from pool areas, public bathrooms, and locker rooms, hence the name, “Athlete’s Foot.” Ringworm and Candida are two types of fungus that most commonly cause athlete’s foot. There are many types of Candida and many types of ringworm and many other fungi that can infect us in many different ways. Fungi like feet because feet are generally within socks and shoes, which make for the kind of warm, moist environment preferable to fungi.
Prevention
The prevailing opinion is that anyone can catch athlete’s foot, but this is not true. Susceptibility to outer fungal infections like athlete’s foot indicate a weak immune system which indicates an unbalanced gut – a gut full of Candida, which leads to an abundance of Candida in the body. The best way to prevent athlete’s foot is to keep a healthy and balanced gut. We have more on gut health near the end of the article, and here are some other preventive measures that will also help accelerate healing as well:
- Keep toenails short
- Change socks regularly
- Rotate shoes
- Don’t go barefoot in a gym locker room or pool area, wear flip-flops
- Dry feet thoroughly after bathing; especially between your toes
- Give feet time to breathe
- Put a few drops of essential oils in each shoe every day into the toe area
- Open a probiotic capsule and put contents into each shoe at the toe area
Socks and shoes cause feet to stay moist and dark with little to no airflow. Fungi love these conditions. If you’re dealing with athlete’s foot, give your feet some time to breathe outside of shoes and socks. For instance, wear sandals in the house, relax with bare feet on the autumn, keep your floors, feet, and sandals clean and dry, and go to bed without socks. If feet sweat regularly, even outside of socks and shoes, this is a sign the endocrine system needs repair.
Topical treatments don’t get to the root of the problem but combine three or more of the following topical solutions with an efficient gut protocol like the one listed below and you should be able to get rid of athlete’s foot fast. Keep the gut healthy and be rid of it for good. We don’t recommend baking soda or cornstarch. These two ingredients can in some cases make the fungus infection worse.
Essential oils are often applied undiluted, directly to the skin, which is effective, but this can also cause pretty serious pain to broken skin. Other options include making a foot bath and making a topical solution with essential oils with a carrier like aloe vera, or coconut oil (or both). You can also use avocado oil, olive oil, or any other healthy oil as well, but I like the antifungal properties and the thickness of coconut oil and I also like the soothing aspects of aloe.
Add 5-10 drops of your preferred essential oil to a one to two tablespoons of coconut oil or aloe vera (gel or juice). The gel is easier to use, obviously, but it’s best if you’ve got the whole plant, fresh and unprocessed. An easy way to use this solution is to apply the carrier on the foot near the infection but about a half an inch away from any broken or irritated skin, and then add a few drops of the essential oil, mix, and repeat until the desired amount of essential oil has been applied. Then, spread throughout the infected area.
Apply this treatment at least three times a day (five or more for best results) until the infection is gone.
- Lemongrass
- Satureja Montana
- Tea tree oil
- Oil of oregano
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Peppermint
- Lemon
- Clove
- Garlic
- Lavender
- Geranium
- Cinnamon
- Citronella
- Eucalyptus
Lemongrass and Satureja Montana have come out on top for antifungal properties in multiple studies comparing the antimicrobial effectiveness of essential oils, but fungi are very adaptive, so mix it up. Try one or two on the first few rounds and then try one or two others on the next application.
Foot Baths
Another option is to soak your feet in an antifungal bath. Forty drops of essential oils mixed with water can make for a potent antifungal footbath, and you can also add these essential oils to any of the following footbath solutions. Don’t forget to dry your feet thoroughly after soaking. Ideally, these soaks are done two times a day at least, preferably three to five, until all signs of the infection are gone.
Epson Salt
- Add a half a cup of Epsom salt to a small, suitable container for your feet
- Soak the infected foot or feet for 15 minutes, three times a day
Or, better yet, do an Epson salt bath; soak your whole body in a tub. And of course, add your favorite essential oils.
Vinegar
Vinegar is acidic. Fungi that commonly infects us (including Candida) don’t like acidity. But vinegar can cause pain to broken and otherwise damaged skin, so beware. But it usually is very effective.
- Mix one part apple cider vinegar with 3 parts warm water in a small, suitable container for your feet
- Soak the infected foot or feet for 15 minutes, three times a day
- Once finished, dry feet completely
Feel free to combine essential oils with vinegar and epson salt. Do not mix hydrogen peroxide with vinegar
Hydrogen peroxide with iodine
This is our least favorite solution. It’s messy, it stains, and it can be very painful with damaged skin. But a recent study did find that the combination kills fungi effectively, and using these two ingredients together are much more effective than using them separately.
- Pour hydrogen peroxide into a suitable container for the feet
- Pour enough to cover infected areas of the foot when submerged
- Add a tablespoon of Iodine or about a quarter cup of an iodine solution, available at most drugstores
The foot bath solutions can also be applied topically. So can the following herbs and other supplements.
Garlic is going to hurt damaged skin but it also accelerates healing.
- Crush a clove of garlic and mix it with an oil to apply topically
- Apply the paste to the infected area and leave it alone for 30 minutes.
- Wash off the area and dry completely
Supplements For Topical Use
This is the best fungal killer on the market. It will burn for a little bit, and it’s intense, but the pain goes away pretty quickly, and I know of nothing that works faster or better to kill the fungus. The other benefit of SF722 is that fungi cannot build up a resistance to it like it can with other treatments. Try taking five capsules of SF722 three times a day (fifteen total) and break open a gel tab to apply topically three or more times a day as well.
A probiotic capsule can be opened and used topically. This provides some immediate relief and it’s not painful at all. I recommend rotating this with SF722 throughout the day. I like Abzorb, which is a probiotic and an enzyme – both kill fungi.
Much less painful than the other treatments but I don’t think it’s as effective either. The other herbs listed here are very effective against fungal infections but can cause some pain when applied to broken skin.
Heal the Gut
If you have athlete’s foot you’ve got a body with an abundance of Candida. This is also true if you have recently had a vaginal yeast infection, a white tongue, allergies, or pretty much any chronic inflammatory illness. If you suffer from athlete’s foot, Lyme disease, AIDS, or diabetes, the first step is to heal the gut. Here is a supplements stack for fungal elimination, and articles below that I recommend to help balance the gut. Supplements can help a lot, and SF722 is the best one to get if you can only afford one, but a healthy diet is crucial. If you think your diet is healthy, but you deal with chronic illness, I contend you need an even better diet. See the article links below for more on that.
Fungal Supplement Stack – Knock Out Yeast, Candida, Mold, Fungus
The first three should be plenty for most people, but for really prominent fungal issues or for impatient people with a bigger budget I’d recommend all of these:
Gut Health Articles