I have the most sensitive fee and get blisters super easily. I got them from my soccer cleats for about 6 years until they were fully broken in! I'm wanting to do a 19k hike in a few weeks, and my 5.5k walk yesterday caused noticeable discomfort.
anyone have any tricks to avoid blisters? Magical sock or ointments? Anyone tried the LLL socks? They looked sort of promising but I'm not sure I want to buy a $20 pair of socks unless they're likely to help. Is it best To go with a cotton or synthetic sock? My shoes fit as perfectly as they can, I have one foot that's bigger than the Other by almost half a size, so the smaller heel tends to get blisters if I fit the larger one, but if I opt to fit the smaller size the toes of the other foot blister.
I love Balega running socks - they are about $10/pair and are AWESOME! Definitely stay away from cotton if you are prone to blisters. I've had success with Smart Wool socks as well. Unfortunately, socks are one of those things that you have to try out via trial and error and it can be tough to find the perfect sock for you - but when you do it's bliss!
Cover your feet in Vaseline before putting your socks on. Like really slather it on. It will feel gross and slimy, but it will probably save you from blisters. Wear dark colored socks or socks that you don't care about when you do this because it will turn white socks grayish.
Post by centralperk on Jul 13, 2013 12:05:03 GMT -5
I have really sensitive feet too. By trial and error, I've found that what works best for me is non-cotton socks that are really soft and don't have seams in any places that might give me blisters. I have a pair of Nike socks that I love and a pair of balegas. I have smart wool phd socks for every day use but I like socks with even fewer seams for running.
Sometimes I double up on socks too. That also works.
Tips for hiking: wear two pairs of socks: a thin liner pair, and then a wool hiking pair. The socks slide on each other instead of sock against your skin. It helps, but it's not a total solution. I also stop and change my socks if they get wet (e.g. w/ sweat), and put moleskin on hot spots before they turn into blisters. Seamless socks are good for toes.
Unless they are wool hiking socks, $20/pair is steep. I don't think it's necessary. I run in Balega and Smartwool socks, and they run more like $11-13/pair. For hiking my liners and socks are from EMS, store brand.
Post by Wines Not Whines on Jul 13, 2013 12:40:27 GMT -5
I put body glide on my feet. If I know I'm prone to blisters in certain spots, sometimes I will proactively cover those areas with a bandaid or moleskin.
Thanks girls! I'll look into whether or not they sell body glide here and will pick up some non-cotton socks!
If you can't find body glide, there are probably lots of other things that will work. For example, I've used both vaseline and chamois butter (intended for bike shorts) to prevent blisters.
Does the deodorant trick work? I have had a lot of success avoiding "chub rub" at soccer games with deodorant, would it work for blisters too? Otherwise Vaseline is pretty universal!
Does the deodorant trick work? I have had a lot of success avoiding "chub rub" at soccer games with deodorant, would it work for blisters too? Otherwise Vaseline is pretty universal!
I've never tried deodorant, but if it helps with chub rub I don't see why it wouldn't be worth a try!