Can Apple Cider Vinegar Effectively Treat Athlete's Foot?

Is apple cider vinegar an effective treatment for athlete's foot?

It's a scrouge.  Irritates you.  It keeps coming back.  You can't get rid of it.  You're searching for a low-cost natural solution.  You've done some research.  

Does this work?

Is apple cider vinegar an effective treatment for athletes' feet?

It does check off some of your boxes.

• It's cheap.  $5.99 for 16 oz.
• It neutralizes bad odors
• It may kill fungus and bacteria on your skin.
• It may soften and hydrate your cracked, peeling skin.
• It regulates the PH balance of your skin.

How to: Soak for 15-20 minutes with 1 cup of vinegar to 1 Cup of water.  That is a time investment.

Does soaking your feet in apple cider vinegar really work to treat athletes' feet?

First, no harm is done if you try soaking your feet in apple cider vinegar.  However, no scientific studies show that this is an effective treatment for athletes' feet.

Soaking your feet in apple cider vinegar may irritate broken, cracked skin.

It does smell, well, like vinegar.

What works better?

It takes a comprehensive approach to minimize fungal infections.  It's never enough just to treat your feet.  You've got to stay away from the bad neighborhoods that fungus love to hang out in, and you have to create an environment for your feet that fungus can't thrive in.

These are the most effective action steps for you to take to minimize fungal infections:

Stay away from wet areas.  Fungus loves to hang out there.  

This included your wet, sweaty shoes.  What's the point of treating your feet if you reinfect them every time you put them back into shoes full of fungus and bacteria?

• Treat your shoes as well as your feet.
• Alternate your shoes every day.
• Wash your feet daily and dry them well, especially between your toes.
• Use an antiperspirant formulated for feet to control the sweating that causes wetness.
• Wear socks.

When you start to feel itching and peeling between the toes, use an OTC, and continue to use it for two weeks after symptoms disappear.

Always wash your hands after you touch your feet to avoid spreading fungus infections to other body parts.

See a podiatrist if you don't see improvement after two weeks or self-care.

This may seem like a long list, but all this takes less time than your 15-minute apple cider vinegar soak.