As a rule, pack away all of your winter footwear before it can leave your feet with a room-clearing odor and bring out your summer sandals that are still hibernating somewhere. You could be an avid jogger, a biker, or a gym workout lover, in all these cases, chances are that you have that one pair of shoes you wear each time you go, and as often as you wash your feet before or after a workout, you come out with pungent foot odor. If these statements are true for you, then you must start getting ready to deal with the sweaty and itchy troubles of the summer months.
The reason your shoes get more and more pungent is due to the cumulative effect of each workout. To stop the smell you need to eliminate, or at least reduce, some of the bacteria. In order to help you do so, here’s a short list of suggestions.
1) Wash your feet thoroughly with soap and water, and then dry thoroughly. Drying them is an equally important step as washing them. If you put on your shoes with wet feet, they can develop bacterial growth and serious infections.
2) Change your shoes and socks frequently, and never use the same pair of socks more than once. Don’t be stingy, buy a pair of cotton summer socks for each day in the summer months so as to keep your feet clean. Wear thick absorbent cotton socks which soak the sweat and do not leave your feet stinking.
3) Wear ‘breathable’ shoes made from materials like canvas, leather or mesh, and avoid plastic or nylon which do not absorb perspiration. Great sports shoes are New Balance and ASICS. Also do not forget to get a second pair of shoes, and rotate.
4) Let your shoes sit somewhere they can breathe. Leave them out in open or under the sun so they’re fresh again. Leaving shoes in a gym bag after a workout helps to feed bacteria and create an even smellier environment for you and for people around you.
5) Wear shoes only when required. At work, or at the gym or for biking. Switch to smart and fashionable sandals or flip flops for the rest of the day.
6) Sandals let your feet breathe a little more than boots but they still can trap sweat and dirt, which doesn’t exactly lead to a pleasant-smelling situation. But since you are most likely to wear them without socks the odor problem might not disappear still. The trick is to keep your feet fresh even while wearing sandals. Jessica Zenspa Refreshed Energising Ginger Foot Spray delivers odor-killing ginger oil which freshens and cools your feet quickly while it deodorizes.
7) Try feet wipes. These wipes are a serious lifesaver. Not only do they keep your feet clean and refreshed, but they also hydrate cuticles, smooth and moisturize skin, and completely deodorize your feet.
8 ) A long day on your feet is tiring enough, but if you are wearing sandals all day it can be even worse. When your feet are tired and sore, there isn’t anything better than coming home and smoothing on some cooling foot lotion. The Body Shop Peppermint Cooling Foot Lotion is perfect for summer thanks to Community Trade peppermint oil, which delivers a cooling sensation to tired toes, leaving feet feeling refreshed and odor-free. Menthol also helps to leave your feet feeling pampered and total fresh. The lotion’s skin-smoothing ingredients make this foot cream a triple threat by helping to combat dry, cracked heels that often result from wearing flip flops all day.
Well now that you know how to keep your feet smelling sweet, buy that cute new pair of sandals you have been eying all week.
