Finger-Waggers Herbal Guide to Managing Sweaty Feet and Keeping Shoes Fresh :

For many people regular daily or even twice daily washing of their feet is not enough to control excessive sweating and odour.

This is an old tried and tested remedy using simple lemongrass essential oil which will greatly help alleviate the problem of smelly feet and smelly shoes.

Research has shown(see video below),that cotton socks when subjected to friction are actually more harmful to feet;the friction caused by cotton ,under pressure is much more likely to cause blisters.Atheletes and Diabetics especially should be aware of this.

You will need:

1/ A Small bottle of Lemongrass pure essential oil

2/ An inexpensive carrier oil, e.g., sunflower, rapeseed .The carrier oil dilutes the essential oil which should not be used undiluted on the skin..

3/ Clean socks.

4/ A basin or foot spa.

Fill a basin with warm water and add 15 drops of lemongrass to it .
Soak your feet for 5 minutes, or longer if you have the time, and towel dry.

Be very particular about drying thoroughly between your toes. Using a cotton wool ball, rub a small amount of lemongrass mixed with carrier oil(4 drops of lemongrass with 15mls of carrier oil) well into your feet and then put on clean socks.

Before you put on your shoes add 2 drops of lemongrass oil to each shoe.This remedy should show a noticeable difference in odour reduction very quickly.

Keeping Shoes Fresh:

Many of the benefits of the treatment above will be lost if you continue to wear the same shoes every day, or if you wear synthetic shoes. For people who don’t like to wear leather, check out natural options.

Homemade Natural Shoe Freshener Sachet:

This is a very inexpensive shoe de-odouriser and it works wonders even if you have only one pair of shoes, but even better if you have two pairs at least.

I will give the recipe for 4 sachets . Making them up in bulk is preferable in terms of time and economics, so you can adjust quantities as necessary.

To make 4 Sachets you will need:

A small bag of cat litter.

Lemongrass pure essential oil.

4 old very clean socks.

Or

4 small paper bags, approx 4’’ x 6’’

Or

4 empty large teabags. These are great for making sachets and are available in large quantities very inexpensively.

How To Make:

Put 1 cup of cat litter into each sachet .

Add 8 drops of lemongrass pure essential oil.

Tie or tape closed.

Put the sachets into a sealed airtight container for 2/3 days before you begin using them. This will allow the scent filter its way through the cat litter.

The sachets will keep for several weeks if kept airtight .You can always top up with 2 drops of lemongrass if needed.

Place a sachet in each shoe overnight and notice the difference. For shoes that are worn daily use the same sachet for 3 days only. For shoes that are not worn regularly, you could leave the same sachet in them for seasonal storage.

If you don't have an odour problem as such but keep your shoes all in one place keep a couple of these in with them to keep the shoe cupboard smelling fresh.

About Lemongrass:

It's a real mother Nature cure all...in fact in Germany they have evidence to prove that it has major benefits in the treatment of cancer. It would also make a substantive improvement in the whole hospital hygiene issue, rather than many chemicals that are being used. Lemongrass also has well known mood enhancing properties.

Vacuum Cleaner:

To prevent odours from your vacuum cleaner bag seeping into your home,make a smaller sachet and put it into the vacuum cleaner.This deo-odourises the contents and acts as a natural air freshener.

Warning :

It is not advisable to handle essential oils if you are pregnant.

Do remember that the contents will absorb some pretty rotten bacteria.....so wash your hands after use and DON'T let small kids handle them.. please.

All of the contents recommended here are 100% bio-degradable.