The Nail & Athlete's Foot Routine, Step by Step

Thick, discolored-looking toenails and athlete's foot often show up together. Treat one and ignore the other, and you stay stuck. This Routine covers your nails, your skin and your shoes with four products. Here's exactly how I tell my patients to use it.

Every day

CLEAN in the shower. Massage a nickel-sized amount onto wet feet, including between your toes. Rinse and dry completely. It's a peppermint foot and body wash made with 10% undecylenic acid for athlete's foot.

REPAIR on your nails. Shake, then brush it onto each nail and the skin around it and massage it in. Once a day, or twice for very thick nails. It's made with clotrimazole 1%, plus urea and lactic acid for rough nail surfaces.

FRESH on feet and shoes. Spray clean feet, your socks and the inside of your shoes, and let it dry before you put them on. Same 10% undecylenic acid, with peppermint and tea tree.

Two or three times a week

RELAX soak. Dissolve 1 tablespoon per quart of warm water and soak for 30 minutes. If you're dealing with athlete's foot, soak daily for the first 4 weeks.

What to expect

Skin usually looks and feels better within a few weeks. Nails take longer. A toenail grows out over many months, so judge REPAIR by the new, clearer-looking nail coming in at the base, not by next week. Consistency matters more than anything else.

Why a Routine

Athlete's foot lives on your skin and in your shoes, and thick, discolored-looking nails need their own daily care, so each product covers a different spot. Together they cost 10% less than buying each one, and the Routine ships free.

If your skin isn't improving after a few weeks, or a nail is painful, lifting or getting thicker, see a podiatrist.

Get all four in The Nail & Athlete's Foot Routine.