The name athlete foot suggests it is something related to athlete but it is not the real case. It is a medical disorder basically fungal or bacterial infection in the base of the feet. The bacteria that are responsible for the skin infection grow in some special environment condition. Athlete foot is a common problem and around 70% population in the world got affected with this problem, somewhere in their life.

Causes of Athlete Foot:

• The most common cause of athlete foot is living in an environment which is very appropriate for the development of fungal and bacteria. Spending most of your time in swimming, sweating out, keeping your skin moist are some condition that make you on the path of developing athlete foot.
• The fungus responsible for athlete foot can be found anywhere which include floor of gyms, swimming pools, lockers, socks, sweat soaked cloths. These bacteria can be transferred to a person by contacting with these objects.
• Keeping your socks dirty and moist, walking bare foot on moist surface, keeping your fingers wet can lead to athlete foot.

Symptoms of Athlete Foot:

In some cases, the infected person does not have any symptoms at all and think that he has just dry skin. But the symptoms that are common in athlete foot are

• Foul or bad smell in between the toe fingers.
• Dryness of skin which causes irritation, itching, redness and inflammation.
• In severe case of athlete foot, you might get cracking, pain and bleeding in the skin.
• Spread of dry flakes and peeling mostly in between the toe fingers.

Natural Ways to Treat Athlete Foot:

1. Baking soda is an excellent remedy for curing athlete foot. Just rub a pinch of baking soda on the infected area and let it be there for few minutes. Wash the area with clean water.
2. Soak your legs in warm salt water solution. It is useful in clearing out germs and fungus responsible for athlete foot.
3. Tea tree oil has anti-germ property. You can apply tea tree oil on infected area to treat athlete foot.
4. Vinegar water solution can also be used for this purpose. You can add 10-15 drops of vinegar in bucket half filled with water and use it to clean your toe fingers or the areas infected with athlete foot.
5. Keep your towels and socks clean. Don’t share it with anyone.
6. Keep your feet dry as much as possible to avoid growth of the bacteria.
7. Soak your feet in warm water mixed with few caps of Clorox for around 15 minutes. It works like a charm.
8. Soap your feet at least 2 times in a day and dry them out thoroughly.

These are few natural tips which you can follow to get rid of athlete foot.