Tired of blisters making runs and hikes painful? For days after a big run or hike you put up with blisters, redness or pissed off skin. The unwanted hangover after a big session! Rather than choosing socks purely as a separating layer between your shoe and sock, why not choose socks for optimizing foot function and health? Are toe socks the answer to prevent blisters?
I used to get blisters on my second toe on most trail runs over 20km and often that turned into another blister on top of that if I didn’t rest up enough! But hey, there’s a solution. It’s a simple one too. It’s a matter of knowing why most blisters happen and then solving that problem. Let's dig into it, bit by bit.
Before we get to that, I'll point out the obvious that yes, we may seem a bit biased being a toe socks company that makes awesome merino toe socks, but all we are going to do is lay out the information for you.
We all love to get out for a good long run to clear the head or a multi-day hike to get in touch with nature, or even nab a Instagram worthy shot. But sore, bruised and blistered toes often seem like a forgone conclusion for some.
Blisters are just inevitable when your on your feet, pounding the pavement or tackling the trails for so long. Right?
That’s the thing, blisters aren’t inevitable and a lot of them can be prevented with well fitting shoes (we’ll cover this in another post) and the right socks.
Let’s get straight to it. Tim Finn said it best “There’s a fraction, too much friction”
That’s it, that’s what causes so many blisters. Not just on your toes either but your arch and heel. Out toes often get the worst of it though because in most socks, even the specialized, high performance hiking and running socks, your toes are still wrapped up together.
So why is that bad? Isn’t that how most socks are?
Well, let me tell you. Just because that’s how it’s always been done, does that make it the best way?
All performance socks, heck, almost all socks for that matter, contain 2-5% elastic fibers and because the standard sock shape is a tube, they act to pull your toes together. Think of it a bit like a light rubber band around your toes. It’s not strong but just enough to keep your toes in contact with each other more often than not.
Take that skin-on-skin contact and add in a whole lot of repetitive pounding.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is how blisters are made... amongst other things.
It’s a lot like how many runners get chafe on their inners thighs. Just like your thighs can, your toes rub and rub and rub. First they are a bit red and unhappy and this can even be just from long days on your feet at work. But with thousands or steps and just as much rubbing, hot spots and blisters are sure to form.
The short answer: Yes.
The long answer?
Toe socks form seamless little sleeping bags for each toe, wrapping each toe with moisture wicking, low friction fabric to give you two awesome benefits to battle the blister.
Firstly, they immediately stop the skin on skin rubbing while also helping draw moisture away from the skin when standard shaped socks simply cannot.
Secondly, though, they allow your toes to spread, grip and creep naturally, just how they should. As long as your shoes aren’t too narrow then your toes can splay with movement and minimize the pressure, improve aeration, and as a bonus improve toe alignment and feel.
Toe socks do prevent blisters and are one of the best ways to reduce the rubbing to stop hot spots and blisters from forming by separating your toes and letting them move naturally. If you haven’t tried them, you’ll be amazed how how surprisingly comfortable they are, let alone how many foot problems they can help with.
So, get your feeters in some Creepers Toe Socks. Our toe socks here at Creepers socks aren’t just designed for seamless comfort but are 50% ultra-fine merino wool, which has a lower friction coefficient than coolmax and other synthetic fibers, giving you the most comfortable sock you might ever wear. Check them out HERE
Merino wool has made it into the mainstream for big apparel and footwear brands but we had to ask the question. Is it being used for sustainability, a green look, and a lower carbon footprint, or is it a superior fiber? Should it be used over “high-tech” synthetic fibers such as Coolmax?
Don’t get me wrong, creating athletic wear sustainably is important, but on those long runs in the hills or long days in the office, I want them to perform well too. I’ve got you the answer to that and more and have done the research, whittled it down, and summarized it so that you don’t have to.
I’ve always loved the softness of merino yarn, but is it the BEST? I’ll get to that shortly (skip to the TLDR at the bottom if extremely short on time).
Merino is now being utilized for a huge range of athletic wear and there’s constantly more entering the market. Allbirds base their shoes solely around merino wool, Mons Royale pile it into their clothes, Icebreaker are now doing merino underwear and bras and here all of our Toe Socks have 50% merino wool. There’s a lot more I could list but don’t worry, I’m all about getting to the point because I bet you’ve asked yourself before, is the premium price tag that is placed on merino socks and clothing worth it?
You’ve all seen the marketing and emails. It's nature’s super fiber. It’s lightweight and regulates temperature and moisture. It even reduces smelly feet!
It sounds like the whole bloody package! Material that is comfortable hot or cold. lightweight, better for the environment and you don’t even have to wash it as often. It’s a marketer's dream!
But the question remains, how does it stack up against engineered fibers like Coolmax, Nylon, and polyamide. Let’s get into it…
Coolmax is one of the best at wicking moisture (from this study) due to how the fiber is shaped with lots of channels along the length of the fiber for moisture to be drawn through like little blood vessels. This only happens well if there is a gradient - More positive inside your sock than outside. When the gradient isn’t there or if there’s just a little moisture, it won’t happen as well.
With merino wool, we do get good moisture regulation (and with that, temperature also) but it isn’t done the same way. Instead of having synthetically created channels like Coolmax, merino wool fibers have a double layer to work their magic.
The inner core of the wool is moisture-loving so it draws moisture into it and away from your feet. the outer surface of merino wool is not moisture-loving (hydrophobic) and so this keeps a dry feel. The wool can hold up to a 3rd of its weight in moisture locked away inside and still feel dry and at the same time, that moisture can slowly evaporate away.
We prefer merino over synthetic fibers because of this. Why?
While synthetic fibers draw away only excess moisture, wool is very absorbent and actively sucks moisture into it and away from the skin. Thanks to its high keratin content, it’s bloody awesome at this.
So that’s the difference between merino and the most popular synthetic fiber used - they all help regulate moisture but do it in different ways and we feel, a combination of merino wool and synthetic fibers gets the best of both worlds. That’s why we utilize a 50/50 ratio of ultra-fine merino to synthetic fiber in our socks, that way it’s a win-win and optimized for performance.
That’s the claim and the research certainly backs this up, showing that wool dries faster than both polyester and Coolmax(2)
Fast-drying or better moisture-wicking? What’s more important…
In case we lost you on the last couple of points:
Merino is the best at absorbing moisture away from the skin, keeping skin dry BUT synthetic fibers like Coolmax, wick moisture best. To add to that confusion, wool dries FASTER.
Ahhhhhhh!
So, do we want merino, which drays moisture away by absorbing it slowly, keeping you feeling dry? Or do you want a fabric that draws excess moisture through it but drys slower?
To be fair, merino wool and synthetic fibers both have their benefits and it’d be silly to go 100% into just one of them and miss the benefits from the other.
Yes, Merino wool yarn is a super fiber and it’s worth the price tag.
Choose socks with blended yarn to get the best of both worlds.
Ideally, choose merino toe socks that wrap every toe in a blister-busting, moisture-absorbing membrane and you won’t regret it.
