Many people will develop athlete's foot at least once in their lives. Some will get it more often. To avoid athlete's foot, the following advice should help: - Wash your feet every day, or even twice, with a mild soap paying special attention to the area between the toes. - Wear sandals or flip flops in the shower - particularly in public places. - Soak the feet in Epsom salts and warm water. - After washing or showering, dry your feet very carefully, again particularly the area between the toes. - Keep the toenails cut short and straight across. - Dust an antifungal powder on your feet and into your shoes. Wear leather or canvas shoes but never plastic. Your feet need to breathe. - Wear your shoes in rotation - that is don't wear the same pair two days running and never put on shoes that are damp. - Spray your shoes with a disinfectant and put them out in the sun to help kill germs. - Wear cotton socks, or special running socks which absorb sweat, with your trainers when doing sport. Cotton socks are healthier to wear with your everyday shoes as well. Change these socks frequently and always put on clean ones after washing your feet. - It is important to keep those feet dry because damp breeds bacteria and bacteria causes rot. - Bacteria and fungus love to grow in warm, damp, dark places like sweaty shoes. - Sometimes go barefoot at home - especially at night. - Avoid tight, closed in footwear especially in the summer - open shoes let the feet breath. - Visit the chiropodist if you are at all concerned about the health and well being of your feet - Refrain from popping any blisters which may appear on your feet - this can introduce dirt into a tender area of the skin and may result in infection. If you discover you have any infections in the foot, start treatment straight away. Once the athlete's foot is diagnosed, treatment should begin immediately. You can use over-the-counter remedies or there is a natural healing product made from essential oils that many have found very helpful for treating athlete's foot as well as nail and toenail fungus. It is very important with athlete's foot to continue any treatment to the end of the course - that is at least two weeks after the skin starts to look normal - to eradicate all the remaining fungal spores. Athlete's foot can easily return if the treatment is halted too soon. If untreated or when the skin is injured by the fungus, bacteria can also invade the skin. These bacteria can cause a bad smell and such bacterial infections and resulting inflammation can be more difficult and lengthy to treat. Amoils offers all natural treatments for common conditions and ailments using essential oils. Visit our