UL anti-fungal based foot kit and care

I get a bit of a fungal thing between my toes – always between the same toes, on the same foot, when I’ve been in wet socks for a few days like on a trip with a lot of stream crossings.  Unless I apply a bit of anti-fungal topical lotion to those spots in advance.

So that’s what I do – I use an OTC anti-fungal cream at home before I head out and then, on the trip, when I change my socks, I reapply it.

I don’t keep track of which OTC anti-fungal active ingredient.  For use on the trail, I take the smallest little tube I have – one I got at a dermatologist’s office because those professional samples are lovely little, UL 1/4-ounce tubes.

It’s funny that Mayo and Harvard don’t see sock material the same. Mayo says only wear cotton, while Harvard says acrylic carries off moisture better than cotton.

On the trail my latest strategery is using bar soap and terbinafine hcl cream. At the end of the day I set up camp then wash my feet with soap and water. Dry the feet entirely before putting a sock back on or wear sandal in camp (I don’t use sandals). Wash off socks daily, or try to. My washed off socks are not always dry the next time I put them on. For the cream, I put some on skin (not entire foot just areas that seem prone) just before bed or in morning before getting out of tent. I sleep in fleece socks, not my hiking socks.

At home I use foot washing once or twice a day (esp after wearing socks all day) and vinegar around nail edges for prevention.

I do notice a benefit to not keeping my feet the warmest part of my body all night (i.e. in warm socks, tucked over the covers).  If I keep them out of the covers at home, or at least not over-insulated on the trail, that skin is warm and humid all night long.

It might seem like a minor detail, but it could make a difference in your old method.

You might be hindering the tea tree oil by mixing it with another oil. It’s mostly conjecture on my part, as I can’t say there is any factual proof such a thing is an issue, but I have been using tea tree oil for most of my life with great success.

I always recommend people use the tea tree oil directly on the skin, with no dilution. With a major caveat, that the skin must be fully dried out before putting a sock or glove back on, otherwise the risk of chemical burn increases.

I also found over years of testing on myself, that the Trader Joe’s tea tree oil is really the best of the best that is available in the USA. It’s made for medical uses and not aromatherapy uses. My guess, just going by the price difference, is that Trader Joe’s is less refined and more of a raw “full spectrum” extract. Once again, just guessing on my part, but I do notice a major difference in smell and effectiveness of the cheaper Trader Joe’s oil over expensive stuff made for aroma and not medicine.

Another thing I do now is carry packets of chlorine tablets. I drop them into a small plastic water bottle with the top cut off and fill it with water. I then stick my underwear and socks in the chlorine water to pretty much nuke everything in there, and it also kills a lot of the odors. That way the socks and stuff are not keeping the culture going, so to speak. :)

The tea tree oil I use is from a drug store – Walgreens brand. It says “100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil” on the front. It has quite a potent odor.

I’m able to use it undiluted on various other parts of my body. But when I tried to apply a couple of drops via a swab directly between my two smallest toes some time back I received quite a ‘burn,’ which resembled an electrical burn: the skin turned white. After a couple of days it somewhat blistered, then broke open. I think that area is too sensitive on me for undiluted use.

I did see that method as a bit of an ideal for extended trips. It was the only fluid/liquid/powder I took for foot care. I’d prefer to not pack multiple care items such as anti-fungal foot powder for the evening and additional items for during the day (oil, e.g.). Using a miniature dropper I could get 100 or 150 drops worth – about 3-4 weeks worth for less than half an ounce.

What kind of chlorine tablets do you use?

I’m also considering using my Bearikade Weekender for laundry purposes.

I know someone who has used garlic-infused oil successfully on both foot and toenail fungus.  He first crushed a lot of garlic cloves into a small jar using a garlic press, then covered with olive oil, let it steep for a couple of weeks, then uses the oil nightly, putting socks on over.  Not sure if it might attract bears in the back country, but I suppose it could be multi purpose (also for cooking).

@John_S.

Little trick I picked up on with wet socks. Wrung out of course. At night, lay them flat under your sleeping bag on top of whatever padding you use near the middle of your back. Your body heat throughout the night with dry them. You may need to flip them and re-organize throughout the night depending on how much you move about. But it does work. At first the dampness may soak through a bit and is slightly uncomfortable. But everything will dry out by the morning.

Thanks Simulacra. I will try that. I think I have heard it before but forgot. This was on the JMT and my first uses of Darn Tough socks, which I did like.

Eew don’t put fungal socks in your Bearikade. Try a 1 or 2 gallon ziplock for your washing machine instead. Works great.

If the fungus is killed there’s no worry about the can, which can simply be rinsed out afterward.

My thought was to use a chlorine dioxide pill in it, which requires 4 hours in the dark, away from sunlight. That rules out the Ziploc. Only chlorine dioxide can kill the fungus.

But the can is too large for this anyway.

I don’t know if a full 4 hours is required to kill fungal spores. If it’s only 10-15 minutes, as a few websites claim, then laundry could be done after sundown in the Ziploc or other lightweight container, socks wrung out very well, and in theory placed under one’s back as mentioned in this thread, hoping to have them dry for morning.

I’ve never been able to get my socks to dry by morning by placing them in my bag. I’ve never put them underneath my back though, in direct contact. I’ve since changed to a quilt, however. So that’s ruled out.

“1. Terbinafine Hydrochloride cream 1%”

This is the one my dermatologist recommends.  I’ve had good results with it.

@ Mark L

I wouldn’t put them inside the bag due to moisture buildup. Make sure they are outside of the bag at the broad section of your back. With a quilt? suppose no issue.