Home remedy test for raw itchy feet: What really works?

UPDATE 4/19/2011:

My dreaded foot itch is back.  I've used Lamisil, terbinafine hydrochloride 1% for a week and while it provides some relief, the fitch over all seems to slowly spread. Thumbs down. Going for the Miconazole nitrate 2% and hydrogen peroxide treatment.

10/19/2009:

Miconazole nitrate 2% worked best for me long term and sitting for 5 minutes with a paste made of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on the itchy area provided instant relief as did soaking in Hydrogen Peroxide, 3%. Total cure took about 2 weeks but was much improved after the first four  days of treatment.

UPDATE 9/1/2009:

Day 11 of itchy feet. Added Miconazole nitrate 2% to my twice daily attack. Also using Tolnaftate 1% twice daily. Starting to get results.

Got perscribed Fluocinonide USP 0.05%, but since over use can cause your skin to become thin and die, I'm not going to use it.

ORIGINAL Post:

I must have picked up some kind of foot fungus... but I can't see it. My feet look normal, but they itch like hell.

I asked pharmacist what would be best three days ago. He said "Lamisil" (active ingredient = Terbinafine Hydrochloride 1% - anti fungal).  So I tried it. It got better at first... then worse! Perhaps the three times a day I tried to use it was too much, since it says use once per day for a week, but the itch was just too bad so I had to try using it more often.  It does say "Stop and ask a doctor if too much irritation occurs or gets worse." I'm checking with my doc tomorrow... but meanwhile...

Tonight I was just about to go completely freaking nuts, and the itch was spreading the more I scratched.. when I found a Yahoo! Answers page with some foot itch remedies.

The first thing I tried is baking soda. I grabbed a styrofoam ice chest, filled it foot high with water and dumped a huge amount of baking powder in there.

So, as I type this, my feet are soaking in baking soda water.  10 minutes so far, no itch! Fantastic. After taking them out and drying them off, the itch starts to return, so I make more Baking Soda water, this time with added sea salt.

Here are all of the tips from "Go Green":

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. Add baking soda into a bit of water. Make it into a past and rub it on the affected area and between your toes. Let it sit for five minutes, then rinse, clean and dry. Repeat this process daily until your foot condition is gone.

Results:  ***** Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Instant relief!

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Clorox. Make a solution of one-half up of Clorox bleach and a gallon of water. Then, soak your feet in it for fifteen minutes twice a day until your athlete's foot disappears. According to people who swear by this remedy, the chlorine bleach kills the fungi related to this condition.

(Not tested, don't want the fumes)

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ConAir Pro Style 1600 Hairdryer. One reason why you may be getting athlete's foot is due to excess moisture in between your toes. So, before putting on your socks and shoes in the morning, make sure your feet are completely dry by holding a hair dryer a few inches from your toes.

Results: ** Mild itch while drying. Okay 1 min after. 2 min later, some irritation.

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Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap. Soap up your feet with this product, dry them and then apply a dash of the soap as lotion to your feet. Make this part of your daily routine in order to eliminate athlete's foot.

Not available.

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Heinz White Vinegar. For ten minutes, soak your feet in this product. You should do this up to four times daily for several weeks. The vinegar is acidic and will kill the bacteria and fungi on your feet, thus, eradicating your problem.

* This was the most painful for me.

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Kingsford 's Corn Starch. Sprinkle this cornstarch onto your feet and into your shoes to absorb moisture and reduce friction.

* Soaking in it was nice.  Powder on wet feet wasn't very soothing.

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Listerine. This remedy is only for users who aren't afraid of a little pain. If you wash your foot with Listerine it acts like an antiseptic killing your foot fungus. However, it will sting and burn in the process. So beware.

Results: ***  No great relief, but not painful at all. Used Advanced Listerine Arctic mint. Poured directly on feet. Then soaked in diluted Listerine for 5 minutes.

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Morton Salt. Dissolve eight teaspoons of salt into one quart of warm water. Afterward, soak your feet in it for five to ten minutes daily until your problem disappears. The salt will attack the fungi on your feet.

Results: ** (added sea salt to baking soda water, makes a little itchy. **** Dead sea mineral bath salts and hydrogen peroxide, not bad.  )

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Preparation-H. Coat your feet with a fine layer of this product in order to sooth itchy toes.

Not available.

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My addition:

Hydrogen Peroxide, 3%.

Results: *****  Aaaaah! Very nice. Cool. Refreshing.  Zero pain. Zero itch!

Next day: Itch gone all day, but returns in the evening about 7 PM. Purchased some cheaper anti-fungus spray. Bad choice. Makes the itch worse. Back to Baking Soda and some new ingredients from the store: corn starch and white vinegar.

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I now have some of the most sterile feet on the planet. Plus, I found a use for some very old bottles of Hydrogen Peroxide and Listerine and for that Baking Soda that has been sitting in my freezer soaking up odors for over a year.

Some advice from medicinenet.com:

Powders, especially medicated powders (such as with miconazole or tolnaftate), can help keep your feet dry. Finally, your feet can be soaked in a drying solution of aluminum acetate (Burrow's solution or Domeboro's solution). A homemade remedy of dilute white vinegar soaks using one part vinegar and roughly four parts water, once or twice a day as 10-minute foot soaks may aid in treatment.

The second part of treatment is the use of antifungal creams and washes. Many medications are available, including miconazole, clotrimazole, terbinafine (Lamisil) sprays and creams, and ketoconazole shampoo and cream, etc. Ask your health-care professional or pharmacist for a recommendation. Treatment for athlete's foot should generally be continued for four weeks, or at least one week after all of the skin symptoms have cleared.

More advanced or resistant cases of athlete's foot may require a two- to three-week course of an oral (pill) antifungal like terbinafine, itraconazole (Sporanox), or fluconazole (Diflucan). Laboratory blood tests to make sure there is no liver disease may be required before taking these pills.

Topical corticosteroid creams can act as a fertilizer for fungus and may actually worsen fungal skin infections. These topical steroid medications have no role in treating athlete's foot.