Simple Way to Get Rid of Smelly Feet

I’m not a doctor. Talk to one before trying out anything in this article. And if you do try it, do so at your own risk. I may receive a referral bonus if you buy any of the linked products.

Many people get smelly feet, especially if they wear shoes all day. I used to experience the same problem, and I’ve found a simple way to solve it. (Stuff like Gold Bond powder and shoe sprays never worked well for me.)

First, remove dead skin/calluses from your feet. You can use a pumice stone or something like this. You should only need to do this once. Then, after every shower, put this cream called Cerave Renewing SA Cream on your feet after you dry them off thoroughly. Put it between your toes, on your heels, your soles – everywhere on your feet. It doesn’t have to be a large amount, a thin film everywhere should be enough. Then put socks on. I recommend showering right before you go to bed and wearing socks while you sleep – that gives the cream time to be absorbed without any disturbance. Wool socks are ideal because wool wicks moisture (as opposed to cotton, which stores it), so your feet will be less sweaty.

This simple procedure takes only a few seconds, and it has become part of my daily routine. I can now wear the same pair of sneakers for fifteen hours a day, seven days a week, for months on end, and if I smell my shoes, I smell nothing. Not even a hint of anything unpleasant. And I don’t even wash them.

I do not exactly know why this approach works, but I guess it’s because the combination of old/dead skin + sweat creates foul odors, and by applying this cream regularly, you never have any old skin on your feet. The cream contains something called salicylic acid (that’s what the “SA” in the name presumably stands for), and I think this acid removes old skin.

This is all assuming your feet are healthy otherwise – no fungi or anything else that may make your feet smell. I know the cream is expensive, but it’s worth it. Again, you don’t need to use a large amount, but you do want to use it once a day (though if you skip a day on occasion, it probably won’t mess with the results). A dermatologist once recommended the cream to me. Be careful, however, as it makes your skin more susceptible to sunburns. If you wear close-toed shoes, that’s not an issue. I understand that an added benefit of using the cream is that your feet become less susceptible to warts.

There’s also this variant cream from the same brand. It’s specifically for feet, but it’s a lot more expensive per ounce, and I don’t use it.

I hope this is helpful to some.