Sweaty gym bag, strong vinegar, bad cheese, rancid cabbage – all smells that can overwhelm us when we take our shoes off. Stinky feet are common to most people, but did you know that they actually come in a package of four distinct odors? The culprit? Foot bacteria.
Whether they have shoes, shoes, and socks, or just flip flops in warm weather, your feet are the ideal environment for hundreds of millions of bacteria to thrive. We feed them with the dead skin cells we slough off every day. In warm, moist temperatures, our dead skin cells stick to our feet, capturing bacteria in a cycle that leads to foot odor.
Friendly foot bacteria produce antimicrobial peptides that fight off harmful microbes, which thrive in the environment our feet provide. They keep the skin on our feet soft and prevent flaking and calluses with special oils they produce. The distinct smells they give our feet can be indicators of the health of our feet.
The four distinct smells that the microbial flora in our feet produce don’t necessarily indicate an unhealthy microbial balance. The familiar scents can simply mean we’re seeing the beginning of an imbalance. When our feet start to consistently smell bad, we need to wash them, moisturize, and make sure we are only wearing clean socks and shoes.
A smell that makes you think of grapes, bread, or yeast could mean a fungal infection. You may soon develop rashes, cracked skin, flaky skin, itchiness, and even wounds. This is more of a cause for concern. As healthy as you may think your feet are, their stink can certainly make other people’s noses crinkle with disgust. Even you may not like having a constant whiff of your smelly feet.
You can mask the smell with talcum powder or other all-natural foot odor remedies. You can also use charcoal-lined socks or shoes to absorb the smell from your feet, which can keep your shoes from getting stinky, too. With proper hygiene, however, you can help keep the healthy balance of bacteria on your feet, eliminating the smell, and preventing fungal infections.
Final tips:
Pro tip: Use an all natural shoe and gear spray like FOOT SENSE. It neutralizes odor-causing bacteria for fresher feet, shoes, and sporting equipment. Smelly feet and stinky shoes are no match for our superior odor-fighting spray.
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