Whether it be warm and humid or cold and wet, our feet are always subjected to moist environments that breed bacteria. It’s no surprise that you can start to develop foot odor, with all the bacteria and sweat inside your shoes.
Did you know that our feet not only sweat to cool our bodies, but also sweat emotionally? Emotional sweating is a physical reaction that happens when you are experiencing stress, anxiety, fear or pain. There are also more sweat glands on the soles of your feet than there are on your armpits (250,000 per foot to be exact.) Everyday, we sweat up to 8 fluid ounces per foot (Thats like taking a water bottle and dumping it into your shoes.)
Why do feet smell though? Our feet sit inside constrictive shoes all day, where bacteria and dead son builds up. When you add sweat to the equation it creates the perfect situation for smells to form. So just like putting deodorant on your armpits to combat the smell, put some on your feet! People have been using talcum powder (baby powder) for the same effect- however, that can get very messy. It is better to use a hard deodorant stick.
Roll the stick of deodorant over the top of each foot, then across your knuckles, over the arch and the entirety of the bottom of your foot (from ball to heel.) It is a good rule of thumb to use a different stick of deodorant for your armpits and feet. You want to eliminate the risk of athletes foot or foot fungus ending up under your arms.
If you are prone to excessive sweating, you can rub an anti-fungal ointment on your feet twice a week or spray your feet with an anti fungal deodorizing shoe spray.
There are some people who don’t like the idea of antiperspirant and thats okay (to each their own!) For these individuals you just need to change your socks. If you are sitting in the same pair of socks for 12 hours, sweat and bacteria begin to build up. If you change your socks at lunch and dinner time, this removes the moist environment that bacteria and smell thrive in, relieving you of your foot odor.
Thank you to Huffington Post for the original information. You can read more here.