If you’re sick of using medicated creams on your fungal infection and would prefer to go the natural way, you should consider researching the best essential oils to treat Athlete’s Foot. There’s no nasty chemicals, just ingredients that have been used for centuries to heal ailments and improve the health of your feet and nails.
Why use essential oils for Athlete’s Foot?
There are plenty of topical antifungal creams on the market to tackle Athlete’s Foot but not everyone finds them effective.
Many people find that over-the-counter creams and pills are simply not strong enough alone to fully clear up pesky fungal infections, while prescriptions creams and pills are often quite aggressive and can cause nasty side effects.
Where’s the middle ground?
Here’s where essential oils can come in handy. These natural oils can be used in tandem with the over-the-counter and prescription treatments as an extra boost to fight the fungal infection, or even on their own if you’d prefer to take a wholly natural approach.
Many essential oils have natural antifungal, antiseptic and antibacterial properties, all of which can be used to effectively fight fungus.
As a bonus, essential oils are usually much cheaper than the medicated ointments on sale!
The best essential oils for Athlete’s Foot
If you’ve got athlete’s foot, here’s what you need to be buying.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil is one of the most popular essential oils used on cases of Athlete’s Foot thanks to it’s powerful anti-fungal, anti-septic and anti-microbial properties.
To apply, add 5 drops of Tea Tree Oil to a tablespoon of coconut or olive oil and apply to the site of Athlete’s Foot.
Never apply Tea Tree directly to the skin as it is incredibly strong in its pure form and can cause reactions like contact dermatitis.
Our pick:
Oregano Oil
Oregano oil is another essential oil with powerful antifungal properties and is well equipped to tackle a case of Athlete’s Foot.
Again, mix with coconut or olive oil before applying it directly to the fungus as it is very powerful and could cause skin problems in its pure, undiluted form.
Our pick:
Garlic Oil
That’s right; garlic isn’t just something you eat — you can apply it to your Athlete’s Foot too!
Again, it’s a powerful antifungal and a certain extract from the plant — ajoene — is known for being tough on athlete’s foot when applied topically.
You can buy the essential oil, or if you’re feeling a bit thriftier, simply crush a few cloves of garlic into some coconut oil and rub into the affected area.
Our pick:
Peppermint Oil
Slightly more pleasantly scented than garlic, peppermint oil is a real multi-tasker when it comes to treating Athlete’s Foot.
Not only does it have anti-fungal properties, but it also relieves the itching, stimulates blood circulation and deodorises the typically smelly odour of the infection.
It’s full of Omega-3 acids that soothe the inflammation and soften the skin.
Our pick:
Lavender Oil
Much like Tea Tree, lavender oil has anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties and is known for being a great healer and soother of Athlete’s Foot.
It’s been used for thousands of years as an effective skin healer.
It’s particularly potent when a few drops are mixed with a few drops of peppermint and Tea Tree essential oils, diluted with a little coconut oil and applied directly to the infection site.
Our pick:
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is typically used to dilute the strength of the essential oils, but it’s also got some pretty powerful anti-fungal properties of its own.
It’s full of lauric acid, which is converted to monolaurin by your body and used to fight invading fungi and bacteria.
It will also soften your skin and soothe the itching.
Make sure you’re buying extra virgin, cold pressed coconut oil to ensure you’re getting the highest quality.
Our pick:
Combination of Essential Oils
What’s better than one essential oil for treating Athlete’s Foot, you ask? That’s easy — a combination!
You can either experiment yourself or use recipes online to find the optimum mix to tackle your Athlete’s Foot or, if you want something quickly with lots of positive reviews already, simply head on over to Amazon and buy a combination treatment of essential oils.
These work to tackle the fungus while keeping your feet soothed and healthy, and odour free.
Our pick:
Featured image is by ilovebutter (CC BY 2.0)
