Sweaty feet happens to the best of us, it’s a fact of nature, we sweat. It doesn’t help the fact that while wearing most shoes, the sweat is trapped and can start to smell. Excessive sweaty feet is known as hyperhidrosis. Luckily there are things you can do to help you with this annoying problem.

Some say the easiest way to stop sweaty feet is antiperspirant spray, and that might be true. But I’m here to give you some more tips and tricks on the subject.

Socks are very important when combating sweaty feet, the right sock for the right shoe for the right activity, get it? Get to know your socks and see what there made of. Synthetic socks don’t allow sweat to evaporate, especially when they’re too tight. The sweat gets trapped and bacteria and fungus can now start to thrive. Make sure your socks aren’t too tight, some sport socks out there actually have ventilation built into them. How cool is that?! Aetrex Copper Sole socks, available at our stores, are great! They are woven with copper fibers to help control bacteria, help manage moisture, and the non-binding top is woven so it doesn’t cut into you! And last but not least, ALWAYS wear a clean pair every day. I know it’s common sense, but it happens a lot more often than we’d like to think.

Shoes can sometimes work against you and your feet. Certain shoes and what they are made of can either make or break the common sweaty foot. Synthetic and plastic shoes don’t allow the sweat to evaporate and keeps your foot wet. Bacteria and fungus like wet. Leather shoes are a good option, but be careful to pay attention to the insole. Some insoles are plastic or synthetic, which doesn’t absorb the moisture. Be sure to get sure with a leather lining or removable insoles you can replace with ones you can buy. Aetrex Lynco orthotic inserts with copper fibers woven in to help absorb the moisture and control bacteria. Every couple weeks you want to clean your shoes inside and out. Last but not least: alternate your shoes, don’t wear the same shoes every day! This gives the materials ample time to dry out and also allows the cushioning to “rest” and rebound so it will last longer (even if your feet don’t sweat, do this).

Your feet have 250,000 sweat glands between the two of them; no wonder sweating can be a problem. Every once in a while you should treat your feet at home. By this I mean a spa deal, wash them scrub them, get rid of any hard dead skin. A great trick is to soak your feet daily in black tea, which contains tannic acid. Through history, tan nic acid was used along with activated charcoal and magnesium oxide in the “universal antidote” for poisoning. To start the soak, boil two tea bags in half a liter of water for 15 minutes. Add this to 2 liters of cool water and soak your feet for about 20–30 minutes.

There are other things your doctor can do to work with you and your sweaty feet, if these methods don’t work for you. Summer is here and our feet are free to breathe, let’s keep them happy and healthy!