We do walk a lot during our everyday life, also during holidays. In warm temperatures, our feet sweat and make our shoes damp. It is easy to make a foot deodorant using safe ingredients by ourselves.
Deodorant for the feet does require quite different features than those used for the armpits.
The foot deodorant is fat free
You should not grease your feet if you are about to walk long distances on a hot day. Fat in combination with sweat can cause additional abrasions. Therefore, the foot deodorant must be completely fat-free.
Good quality foot deodorant absorbs moisture
Our feet can sweat a lot. You will notice it in your shoes. After a long walk, your shoes are damp. They must be thoroughly dried before next walk. Moisture in shoes and footwear often causes abrasions. Therefore, the foot deodorant should absorb moisture from the feet.
The foot deodorant is antibacterial
Moist and tired feet are easily hit by a fungal infection. Also, the toenails can become inflamed and irritated due to excessive sweating and strain. It is therefore worth adding some antibacterial ingredients to the foot deodorant. They significantly reduce the risk of fungal- and other infections.
Foot deodorant is refreshing and cool
I guess you would like to feel your feet wonderfully fresh and cool. Cooling ingredients create a feeling of coolness and in addition they suppress swelling of the feet. At the same time, the surface temperature of the feet decreases significantly.
Foot deodorant removes the nasty smell from both feet and footwear
This is perhaps the most important point in foot deodorant. A nasty smell is a big problem for many. Even if you can wash your feet occasionally, the smell stays in your shoes. You can add odour-neutralizing ingredients to your foot deodorant. By doing this, you can enjoy your fresh feet all day long.
What are the Ingredients for a Foot Deodorant?
You only need four different ingredients for a foot deodorant
The kaolin clay
Kaolin clay is a mild clay that effectively absorbs moisture. As an alkaline powder it also works very well as an odour eater. Kaolin is a very mild, white and very fine powder. It acts as a talc in foot deodorant. Kaolin is an antimicrobial. It is free from common yeasts or bacteria. That’s why kaolin is one of the most important ingredients in foot deodorants.
Arrowroot powder
Arrowroot powder is highly effective in absorbing moisture. It works best when you combine it with kaolin. Arrow root powder suits well for people with sensitive skin. You can use some other starch, if you like, but I think arrowroot is the best for this recipe.
Aromatic essential oils
I have always been very careful with essential oils. They are very allergenic and used far too much nowadays. Essential oils are able to penetrate through the skin into the human body. The thinner the skin, the more easily the essential oils penetrate the body. The feet and especially the soles of the feet have very thick skin. Therefore, the use of essential oils here is possible.
My favourites for foot treatment are the following oils
- Lavender oil; soothes and cools hot feet. Lavender is the best herb for foot care
- Peppermint oil; refreshing and cool skin oil, antibacterial
- Tea tree oil; can fight many bacteria and fungi, bringing a fresh scent to your feet
- Geranium oil; especially good for killing infections from the skin
- Sandalwood Oil; soothes the skin, cools, disinfects, brings a wonderful scent
How do you make a functional foot deodorant?
For foot deodorant, you need following:
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 2 tablespoons kaolin clay
- 20 drops of essential oils; If you want to prevent infections you can use more tea tree oil. Otherwise you can use 4 drops of each oil. If you do not have all these oils, you may well be able to increase the amount of other oils accordingly.
Do like this:
- Mix the powders in a bowl very carefully
- Drip the essential oils and mix thoroughly again
Pack the foot deodorant in a plastic bottle where you can conveniently sprinkle it on your feet. If you do not have a scattering bottle, pack the powder in an aluminium can or glass jar and apply it with a powder puff or with a cotton pad.
The product will last for a very long time as long as you remember to hold the cap on so that the essential oils do not evaporate.
How to use the foot deodorant?
Apply foot deodorant to clean, dry feet. Be sure to apply foot deodorant to the toes as well. You can use this deodorant with or without a sock. You can also use this deodorant to disinfect leather shoes.
However, I do not recommend powdered deodorants for sneakers or other shoes with textile linings. Lining will absorb the deodorant and it would be hard to keep your shoes clean.
The best freshener for shoes is baking soda. You can let it stay in shoes overnight and vacuum it in next morning.
Spraying with vinegar is also great way to refresh shoes. Vinegar also evaporates from shoes and does not spoil them.
Happy Holidays take care of feet and shoes!
Give a try to this foot deodorant and tell me how it worked for you!