I always knew that tea was a healthy drink, but I didn't know it had healthy external uses as well. One of the external uses is in the treatment of sweaty feet, which causes foot odor.

Stinky Feet

Over-the-counter treatments sold by most pharmacies are either expensive or don't work or both. Using foot powders can help to draw the sweat away from the feet, but the kind that are supposed to get rid of the odor usually have a scent that's just as bad.

Charcoal sole inserts help to reduce the odor, but that's all they do. They don't help to cure the cause of the odor. Most of the other foot treatments don't get rid of the cause either.

Stinky feet start out as sweaty feet. You can have sweaty feet without ever wearing shoes that cover the feet. People who wear sandals all the time can have feet as stinky as anyone else. Odor causing bacteria thrive in the sweat. The optimum solution would be to wash the sweat from the feet frequently, but who has that kind of time luxury?

Natural Cures

In the Philippines, where I live, people have been using a form of alum called tawas as a deodorant and it works as well as anything sold commercially for much more. The problem is that it also whitens the skin by removing the top layer. It's used as a skin whitener as often as a deodorant.

Tea contains a natural tannic acid that will kill the bacteria that lives in the sweat of the feet, as the article on "How to Treat Sweaty Feet With Tea" explains. The tannic acid will also help to prevent blisters.

I've used tawas in the past, but I've never used tea. I used to have feet so stinky, I was afraid to take my shoes off in public places. The tawas worked, but all the tanned skin from my feet came off along with the odors. Tea can stain the feet, but the article I mentioned tells you how to remove the stains. My feet are starting to give off odors again and it's time to give tea a try.

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