This article was reviewed by Dr. Emilija Ashtalkoska on August 29th, 2018. Products listed therein are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.
Introduction
Athlete’s foot is one of the most common fungal infections in the world. Millions upon millions of people contract it every year, leading to scaling, itchiness, reddening, and eventually, nail fungus.
Many people go for months or even years without treating it because they are afraid of going to the doctor, or taking oral medication, which can have some truly terrifying side-effects.
But did you know that you can there are a few top-notch at home athletes foot treatments? Continue reading to discover everything you need to know about at home athletes foot treatments, home remedies, and more.
Don’t have a lot of time? Click here to view our top recommended at home athlete’s foot treatment, EmuaidMAX, on Amazon.com.
How Can I Tell If I Have Athletes Foot?
Athlete’s foot is the colloquial term for a variety of bacterial and fungal infections on the foot, and in the webbing in-between the toe.
How can you tell if you have athletes foot? If you are experiencing itchy, white, fluid-filled sacks between your toes, you have athlete’s foot.
Additionally, if you have dry, flaky skin around toes and the bottom of the foot, that is also a sign of athletes foot.
For the most part, you will be able to recognize these tell-tale signs of a fungal infection. If the fungal infection is new, it may be hard to discern between a simple itch and the beginning stages of a fungal infection.
We recommend always inspecting your feet once and week for signs of a fungal infection.
If you already have athletes foot, do not fret! Below we have listed our top three choices for at-home athlete’s foot treatments, to help you get rid of your fungal woes once and for all.
Best At-Home Treatment #1 – EmuaidMAX
EmuaidMAX is one of the most popular over-the-counter ointments in the world. It is a powerful, natural system that treats over 75 types of skin and nail conditions, including athlete’s foot, nail fungus, skin irritation, scarring, and more.
The solution is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory, making it an incredible tool to fight off your athlete’s foot.
The FDA registered solution is made from medical grade ingredients including Tea Tree Oil, Vitamin E, Castor Oil, Bacillus Ferment, Argentum Metallicum, and more.
Best of all, it contains no chemicals, preservatives, alcohol, or fragrances – it just high-quality ingredients that help your body fight off athletes foot.
EmuaidMAX actually based off of their original solution, Emuaid, but is significantly more powerful – this makes it our top choice for destroying your athlete’s foot.
Additionally, because it treats so many different skin conditions, it is definitely worth keeping a jar or two in your medicine cabinet.
Click here to view EmuaidMAX on Amazon.com
Best At-Home Treatment #2 – Purely Northwest Foot And Toenail System
Purely Northwest Foot And Toenail System is an incredible, 3-in-1 fungal fighting system that powerfully destroys athletes foot and nail fungus.
The success of this treatment system is due to the fact that it treats fungal infections from three different angles.
The system includes Antifungal Soap & Body Wash, ReNew Toenail Solution, and Tea Tree Oil Foot Soak.
The antifungal body wash helps remove infected skin debris in the shower, the topical toenail solution can be applied directly to the infection, and the foot soak penetrates the fungal infection and soaks it away.
These three Purely Northwest treatments come together to successfully destroy your athlete’s foot, clean up excess odor, and exfoliate your skin
The Purely Northwest system includes Therapeutic Grade Tea Tree Oil, Oregano Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Camphor Oil Jojoba Oil, and other powerful essential oils that penetrate and clear up your fungal infection.
These are ingredients that have been used by indigenous cultures for thousands of years, and for most suffers, are completely side-effect free.
We highly recommend utilizing the Purely Northwest Toenail Fungus system at home to treat your athlete’s foot.
Click here to view the Purely Northwest Foot And Toenail System on Amazon.com
Best At-Home Treatment #3 – Terrasil Anti-Fungal Ointment and Medicated Cleansing Bar
Terrasil is one of the most trusted names in over-the-counter health products, and the Terrasil Anti-Fungal Ointment and Medicated Cleansing Bar is the perfect combination of two of their most popular products.
The anti-fungal soap is used in the shower to quickly clean and treat the infected skin, allowing your infection to start healing immediately.
Once you have dried off, the anti-fungal ointment is applied directly to your athlete’s foot twice a day and starts fighting off your athlete’s foot and aiding your bodies natural healing abilities.
Terrasil utilizes a mix of FDA approved active ingredients, including a patented blend of Activated Minerals, Volcanic Clay, Tea Tree Oil, Clotrimazole, Lavender Oil, and more.
These ingredients come together and with the combination of a topical treatment and cleansing bar, start treating your athlete’s foot quickly and powerfully.
We recommend clicking the link below to learn more about the Terrasil Anti-Fungal Ointment and Medicated Cleaning Bar.
Click here to view Terrasil Anti-Fungal Ointment and Medicated Cleansing Bar on Amazon.com
At Home Athlete’s Foot Remedy – Which Ones Really Work?
Home remedies are popular at home treatments for athletes foot and nail fungus because they tend to be cheap and accessible. Vinegar soaks are incredibly low cost and easy to set up.
Other people swear by repurposing other topical treatments, such as Vicks Vaporub, or Tiger Balm Ultra, due to the anti-fungal qualities in their solution.
Some people have even asked us about using bleach, which we never recommend using because it can be highly dangerous.
Below we will outline which at home remedies really work, if you should even consider using them, and what you should stay away from.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil is one of the main active ingredients in the Purely Northwest Foot And Toenail System and is a great at home remedy for athletes foot.
It has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial qualities that destroy your fungal infection and prevent spreading.
Simply apply the tea tree oil at least twice a day to the infected skin, allow it to sit for ten minutes, and then wash it off.
Apple Cider Vinegar Soaks
Vinegar is one of the most versatile and commonly found ingredients in the world.
Apple cider vinegar can be used to treat athletes foot by creating a vinegar soak. Add two cups of vinegar to a basin, and soak your feet for up to 30 minutes daily.
Garlic
Garlic has anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties and can be used to treat very mild cases of athletes foot.
Crush up the garlic, add it to a basin with water, and then soak your feet for 30 minutes daily.
While this will slowly work to treat your fungal infection, you are much better off using another treatment such as EmuaidMAX for quicker results.
Hydrogen Peroxide
This is a popular at home remedy, but we do not recommend doing it. Hydrogen peroxide can and will sting, especially if you have open cuts or wounds – like the ones commonly associated with athletes foot.
Rubbing Alcohol
Have you ever poured rubbing alcohol into an open cut? This one sounds terrible. Like hydrogen peroxide, it might destroy the fungi, but it is also going to be terribly painful.
Vicks Vaporub
Vicks Vaporub has been shown to be mildly useful when treating nail fungus, so it is likely that it will also be useful for treating athlete’s foot.
In a clinical study, about half of the people in the study saw a partial clearance of their fungal infections.
Vicks Vaporub works best as an at-home remedy you can start using immediately while you search for a more powerful athletes foot treatment.
Sea Salt Baths
Sea salt is both antibacterial and anti-fungal, making it a prime candidate for a home remedy.
Fill a basin with warm water and then add sea salt. Make sure it is not so salty that it burns your skin.
Bleach
Never put bleach on your skin. Yes, technically it might kill the fungi, but the damage done by accidentally inhaling bleach fumes is going to be way worse.
Baking Soda
Baking soda doesn’t directly treat your fungal infection, but it can be placed in shoes and socks to help prevent spreading.
Removing foot fungus from your shoes is an important part of the treatment process, so this is definitely worth considering.
What You Need To Know About At Home Remedies
Most of these are quite simple to set up – soak your feet in vinegar a couple times a day or apply the topical solution directly to the infected skin.
We like to stress that these are decent solutions for very mild cases of fungal infections, but they have a number of drawbacks.
For one, they take a significantly long term for results – it could be months or even a year before your fungal infection is eliminated.
This is less than ideal because most people will not see the treatment through, and will inevitably end up reinfecting themselves and having to start over from square one.
If you are looking for quicker, more reliable results, check out EmuaidMAX, or another one of our suggestions on this list.
Don’t Forget To Destroy Fungi In Your Shoes!
Many people forget about this crucial step in the fungi fighting process. Once you have destroyed your athlete’s foot, it is imperative that you destroy the fungi in your bedding, shoes, socks, and other garments.
If you don’t, you seriously run the risk of reinfecting yourself, your partner, or your children.
Fortunately, StinkBOSS Shoe Deodorizer, Ozone Sanitizer and Dryer kills up to 99% of bacteria and can help you prevent your athlete’s foot from spreading or reinfecting others.
StinkBOSS is a powerful addition to your household and can help extend the life of your gear while destroying the bacteria left from your athlete’s foot infection.
Click here to view the StinkBOSS Shoe Deodorizer, Ozone Sanitizer and Dryer on Amazon.com
Look Out For Nail Fungus
Nail fungus is caused by the same fungi and bacteria that cause athlete’s foot. In fact, many people who suffer from nail fungus today started with athlete’s foot.
Eventually, after leaving their infection untreated for a long enough time, the fungi spread to the toenails.
For most, it usually starts out in one or two nails, but then can quickly spread to all of the toes.
When an infection is left untreated for long enough, it can even spread to the fingernails and then throughout the body.
Because of the seemingly harmless name “athlete’s foot”, many people leave their infection untreated and just hope it will go away.
But unfortunately, this is not the case. Start treating your athlete’s foot at home today before it spreads.
How To Prevent The Spread of Athlete’s Foot
There are a number of easy ways to prevent the spread athlete’s foot. These include:
- Never go barefoot in a public pool or sauna
- Never share your socks, shoes, or sandals with anyone
- Always disinfect your belongings with a deodorizer such as StinkBOSS
- Clean your feet regularly using antifungal soap
- Start treating your infection immediately
Most of these suggestions boil down to simple common sense. Don’t walk around barefoot, don’t share your belongings, and start treating your infection immediately to prevent it from spreading.
How Did I Get Athlete’s Foot?
Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult to pinpoint exactly where you contracted your fungal infection.
Fungi are notoriously difficult to treat, and all it takes to become infected is coming into contact with them while having an open wound or cut.
That being said, there are a number of common places people get infected.
Saunas, gyms, and public pools are some of the most common. Since athlete’s foot infects anywhere from 15% to 25% of people at any given time, and these places have a lot of people coming and going, it is quite likely that your infected originated here.
Another common source of fungal infections is family and loved ones. Did you borrow your dad’s shoes and didn’t realize he had foot fungus?
Maybe you accidentally grabbed your roommates socks out of the dryer. As you can see, it can be quite difficult to pinpoint one specific location that caused your fungal infection.
Is Athlete’s Foot Contagious?
Yes, unfortunately, athlete’s foot is incredibly contagious. If left untreated, it can spread through the body to the hand, groin, head, nails, and skin.
Additionally, you can easily spread it to your partners, friends, family, or children – all they need to do is come into contact with the bacteria, and they risk becoming infected.
Never share socks, shoes, towels, or ideally, any other article of clothing while you are infected, and make sure you take the proper precautions to disinfect your belongings.
Will An At Home Athlete’s Foot Remedy/Treatment Really Work?
Yes, the remedies and treatments listed in this article really do work to treat your athlete’s foot. However, keep in mind that like all fungal treatments, it will take time and patience.
For many sufferers, it may just take a couple weeks to see results. For others, it may take months or longer.
The important thing is to stay diligent with whatever remedy you have chosen and give it time for the treatment to work.
Additionally, remember to disinfect your shoes, socks, and belongings in order to prevent spreading and reinfection.
Where Should I Purchase An At-Home Athletes Foot Treatment?
Many of our readers inquire about exactly where they should purchase an at home treatment or remedy for athletes foot.
They wonder if they should use CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, or even eBay. We always recommend purchasing from Amazon.com.
Click here to view the Purely Northwest Foot And Toenail System on Amazon.com
Conclusion
Athlete’s foot is one of the most common infections in the world. However, with the great treatments on this list, combined with healthy habits and proper education, it doesn’t have to be!
Start treating your fungal infection today with some of the great at home athletes foot remedies on this list.
The information provided on this website does not constitute medical advice.
Always consult your doctor before introducing any new treatment into your life.
References
Sources for more information:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4595230/ – antifungal properties of eucalyptus, an ingredient present in Vicks Vaporub
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25219289 – a study which shows that apple cider vinegar can have antifungal properties
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15689218 – the benefits of sea salt baths
I am the founder of DestroyNailFungus, and I do my best to provide comprehensive guides on health and wellness.
When I’m not running the site, I enjoy spending time outdoors and drinking coffee.