Prevent unpleasant odours

Andrea Varga-Darabos Prevent unpleasant odours 11 April 2016 | 2 minute reading time

I can’t wait to put on my linen shoes again and tread the streets on my way to work in light ballerina shoes. That’s also the time to put winter shoes and boots to a long rest. But bear in mind that slick as it may look, wearing shoes without socks presents its own challenges: blisters, athlete’s foot and a shortened lifespan for shoes.

The sweating of the feet – just like perspiration in any other part of your body – has no odour. Both on your skin and in your shoes it’s certain bacteria that turn sweating into a smelly business.

What can you do about it?

1. Wear cotton socks instead of the ones made of synthetic fibre. You can buy quite tiny ones these days so they won’t be visible even if you are wearing your spring shoes.

2. If you pull your shoes on bare feet or if you have just bought a new pair of shoes – it’s worth wearing them at home the first time around (for about a day) before you go out and wear them all day long.

3. If your shoes are smelly: wait for them to air a bit then stuff them with a pair of socks filled with bicarbonate soda. You may also want to mix a few drops of tea tree or lemon essential oil to the bicarbonate soda.

4. A good trick to beat water blisters which you can try using Manna cream deodorant: apply the cream deodorant to the problem areas or

5. Make a DIY talc-free powder. What you will need:

90 g rice flour
10 g white clay (kaolin) or crushed medicinal herbs (camomile or lavender flowers)
4-5 drops of your favourite essential oil (tea tree, lemon, lavender, eucalyptus and rosemary are the best for this purpose)

Mix them together and put the mixture in a sealable bottle to prevent the scents from escaping.

+1 tip: to prevent/treat callus: massage Manna organic or Premium Shea butter into the skin of your feet. For this purpose the best choice is Organic Shea Butter, Lavender and Tea Tree Oil.