Tips Against Foot Odor

Foot odor is unpleasant – but there are also tricks that can prevent it!

You already know what’s coming: Slipped out of your sneakers after exercising and a smell emanates from them that is not exactly pleasant. The feet smell of the proverbial cheese, often sour too. In any case, foot odor is unpleasant! We explain what can help against it!

Why do our feet stink?

Especially in winter in thick boots or in summer in closed shoes it is amazing what an intense smell can form around the feet during the day.

Our body has more than fifty thousand sweat glands that secrete an average of one liter of sweat every day. Most of the time we do not notice anything, because we have such sweat glands all over the body to regulate the body temperature.

If sweat is excreted, evaporative cooling occurs and the body cools down a little. Other glands also produce secretions that have their own odor: sebum or fat are examples of this.

Sweat itself is completely odorless when it emerges from the sweat glands. If the sweat then dries up quickly, as happens for example on the arms or face (or we just wipe ourselves dry), then there is no odor.

But if the sweat doesn’t get a chance to dry quickly, billions of odor-causing bacteria are looking forward to it.

Under the armpits, between the toes or in shoes, it is not possible to let sweat dry off quickly and without odor. The bacteria do their work and the smell of sweat develops.

We explain here what you can do to prevent the odor even without skin-irritating deodorants!

Sage against sweat and foot odor

Sage has an antiperspirant effect and is said to help both internally and externally.

Make a strong sage tea from fresh or dried leaves by simmering the leaves for at least 15 minutes. Let the tea cool and soak your feet in it. Do not rinse off!

As a tea, sage can also help regulate sweat production from within. To do this, however, you should drink at least one liter per day over a longer period of time.

Foot bath with black tea

The active ingredients in black tea have an astringent effect, which means “astringent”. They ensure that your sweat glands contract too and can secrete less sweat.

To do this, you brew a very strong tea from cheap black tea, a concentrate, so to speak, and use it as a bath additive in the footbath. Soak your feet in it for at least 20 minutes so that the tea can work!

Lavender against odor-causing bacteria

Lavender has an antibacterial effect – also against the bacteria that produce the smell of sweat. Simply drizzle a few drops of pure, essential lavender oil from the pharmacy onto a cotton pad and brush your feet with it. Don’t forget the spaces between your toes!

What do smelly shoes do?

Shoes that stink even when dry are put in the freezer or freezer for one night to kill the bacteria in them. Only then can you spray the inside of the shoes with special shoe deodorants.

However, this only makes sense if you take care of your own feet afterwards so that the problem does not recur! Sports shoes can also be washed in the washing machine without hesitation.

Making foot powder yourself: recipe

Foot powder keeps feet pleasantly dry, absorbs sweat and thus prevents the development of an excessive “cheese odor” on the feet.

It’s easy to make foot powder yourself, and if you’re not making it scented like peppermint, you can use it under your armpits and on the rest of your body.

You need:

• 5 tbsp talc
• 2 tbsp magnesium stearate
• 1 tbsp clay / healing clay / Bonus Alba
• 1 tbsp zinc oxide (has a disinfectant effect)
• Dried, ground aromatic herbs or flowers (peppermint, rose petals, thyme, …) or
• Fragrance oil of your choice

Mix all ingredients together well and store in a can. Apply with a powder puff and tap off any excess powder. Even a small amount sprinkled on the shoes helps to prevent smelly shoes.

What else can you do about foot odor?

There are pleasantly scented foot powder that you sprinkle on completely dry feet in the morning after the shower and distribute well between your toes with your fingers.

The special powder absorbs sweat directly and also provides extra care for your feet. Of course, there are also foot deodorants that you can carefully spray between your toes and around your foot.

However , these usually contain a lot of alcohol and dry out the skin on your feet, especially in winter : they become cracked and rough.

It is better to use special deodorizing foot creams in winter. For the summer there are also foot gels that have a cooling and deodorizing effect at the same time. Read the packaging carefully and you are guaranteed to find the right product against foot odor!