Weird things start happening when you adopt a movement-centered lifestyle. Your bras and your waist band start feeling tight. You find yourself avoiding jeans because you can’t sit on the floor in them. You rip your socks and shoes off whenever you get a chance. Then suddenly it hits you. You’ve been uncomfortable your whole freaking life and just weren’t paying attention. #woke.
While I could go on and on about a movement friendly wardrobe, today we’re just going to talk about socks. If you’re here, you probably already know about minimalist footwear (If you don’t, welcome! And check out this post). But it doesn’t stop with shoes. MANY people start hating their socks after switching to barefoot shoes, and this picture illustrates why.
Socks can deform your feet just like shoes can. So if you feel like your socks are irritating your feet, it’s not in your head. They probably are.
What to do?
Go Sock-less
You could just not wear socks. This is how I roll most of the time, and it’s not as gross as you think. Healthy feet that get lots of blood flow and fresh air don’t grow bacteria the way cramped feet with poor circulation do. So you’re less likely to funk up your shoes. This works out better in shoes that breathe well and are made from natural materials like leather and cotton or hemp.
Wear Bigger Socks
If you have small feet, sizing up in socks is an option. This is a good way to get tights for work or thick wool socks. I wear these men’s socks as house slippers and love them. But this won’t work for everyone. My husband wears a men’s size 13, so sizing up in socks isn’t even a possibility for him.
Wear Toe Socks
The next option is toe socks. I was kind of anti toe socks for a long time, because it just seemed like too much sensory input. Also, they look creepy. I was finally convinced to try them a few months ago by you, dear readers, and I am now fully converted.
Injinji is a favorite brand among barefoot-ers, so that’s what I tried and I love them. They are much more comfortable than regular socks and the material is so soft and stretchy it doesn’t bother my toes. I love that Injinji makes all different kinds of socks, including no-show socks (they call them hidden socks) and foot-shaped socks that aren’t toe socks. I had completely given up on the no-show socks because they all clung to my toes in an uncomfortable way, so finding these ones from Injinji was a real treat.
It does take a little more time to put on these socks because they have a left and a right and you have to deal with the individual toes. But it’s really not much of a cost to have socks that I’m not constantly tugging at.
My only beef about Injinji socks is that they’re kind of ‘spensive. I’m used to getting a 10 pack of socks from Costco for $10 dollars and having a drawer full of them. With my Injinji socks I have fewer and I keep close track of them so I don’t lose any. Getting the wool sock + liner combo gives you two socks and is a good way to save a little money.
I haven’t had them for too long, so I can’t say how durable they are. But they do have a warranty program where you can put in a request for a new pair if yours fall apart. It’s not explicitly stated how long the warranty is, applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and you have to contact them to apply. These Injinji socks definitely seem better than my Costco socks, which usually last me about a year.
Chunky boots socks
When it comes to fashion, thick socks are kind of a must in a woman’s closet. These are my favorite chunky boot socks that some of you have seen in my Instagram posts. I’ve been wearing them for two winters and they are some of the only regular socks I own that don’t bug my toes at all. They’ve also stretched even more over time (real wool stretches, whereas cotton socks can shrink in the dryer).
I also like the wool socks from Injinji as boot socks, but they’re not quite as chunky as the ones above.
Riding boot socks
If you want tall socks to stick out of your riding boots, Injinji makes these that I plan to get for myself next season. Only thing about the Injinji ones is the brand tag is obnoxiously big and red, and I would definitely remove it before wearing. I currently have these regular knee high boot socks and they kind of squish my toes, but aren’t terrible.
Another option that I have yet to try is yoga socks or stirrup leg warmers. These can go over a bare foot or over a thin sock to fill in the space in a boot.
Conclusion
Rethinking your socks is a natural step on the path to toe freedom, and isn’t hard to do. You certainly don’t have to wear toe socks to be good to your feet, but it’s my new favorite way to let my toes do their thing while I stay warm.
49 thoughts on “A Barefoot Guide to Socks That Don’t Squish Your Toes”
Thank you so much for all the info! As it is getting colder I tried to wear Injinji toesocks but it messes with my proprioception to the point where I can’t tell what my toes are doing. I developed a painful nerve twinge in my right big toe. Going sockless for a few days helped but my toes keep turning blue so I was looking for other options. So happy to see there are options!
Injinji also made my right big toe twinge! They seem to have shrunk too. So these are not for me.
I’m going back to my not-toe socks for a while. They’re men’s, cotton and big so they don’t squish my toes. I’m on the lookout for natural fibre toe socks, though.
I’m desperately trying to get more toe socks. I have a hard time with ordering online, it’s REALLY HARD for me!!!!!! Please just send me a phone number….😥 I need toe socks!?!?!?
Hi Anya, I have one pair of toesocks but I also feel this kind of sensoric overflow and my toes get cold after a while. I really want to wear them and feel comfortable. How did you get used to the sensoric thing?
Regards Katharina
Are there any toe separator socks designed for people with long toes? I have very long toes and my toe separator socks feel tight. I also like to wear them with Correct Toes spacers, and the spacers keep on slipping toward the end of the toe because the toes on the socks are too short.
Great question! My husband has extra long toes and has the same issue. Injinji was a no go for him, but Knitido DE has been one of the best options so far (I would also say Knitido Plus in the USA, but they only carry women’s smaller sizes).
The socks that I currently have are the ZAKASA Mens Toe Socks https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HNKXN8F (which is the same product as the Artfasion socks on Amazon). The toes are already longer than the Injinji socks. Are the toes on Knitido DE even longer than the Zakasa socks?
I wouldn’t know, I have one set of socks from Amazon but they don’t look the same as those. Just out of curiosity though I laid my Amazon ones on top of my Knitido socks and the Knitido toes were nearly .5cm longer than the Amazon ones.
The length of the big toe of the Zakasa socks when new and never washed is 4 cm. Here is a photo with a ruler. https://1drv.ms/u/s!Av6QisRejNEehV1IdS0KUBSbqdKy?e=bpE5YQ .
Do you know if the Knitido DE Socks are longer than that?
So, I got the Knitido DE socks, and they are made out of super stretchy material, so even though they look smaller than the Amazon socks I have, they are really bigger. Thank you for the recommendation!
Oh good. I have been meaning to get out my measuring tape for you but kept forgetting! I’m glad it worked out.
My son has webbed toes – his second and third toes are connected. Are there any toe socks that can be made to fit him?
For him I would suggest tabi socks – they have the big toe separated and the rest are one pocket. This article covers some tabi sock options. I have these ones from Bedrock and I quite like them.
https://bedrocksandals.com/collections/bedrock-split-toe-socks
Does anyone make toe socks in sizes bigger than 13?
I normally wear size 13 or 14 shoes, but my toes are really long.
Every brand I’ve tried so far have been too small.
Hey Josh, Creepers Socks goes up to size 14.5 on their chart so you might look into those!
I decided to order some in their biggest size. (XL)
Overall, the socks are a decent size. But unfortunately the toes are about 2 cm too short for me.
If it helps anyone, I measured the big toe of these socks to be about 3.5 cm.
Update: I ordered some Knitido “Track and Trail” socks from Feelgrounds that are listed as size 47-50(EU). These are definitely the longest toes I’ve found so far. I measured the big toe to be about 4.75cm, and the material is somewhat more stretchy than others I’ve tried, so it works ok. I do feel the toes ideally could be just a tad longer (and wider), though.
I see that Knitido makes some of their socks in an even bigger size (51-54), but Feelgrounds doesn’t carry them, and the international shipping from Knitido is pretty high. So I’ll probably stick with these for now.
Hi Anya I was just wondering about the socks you use as house slippers, would these socks also work for hot weather? I live in Florida where it gets around 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If the socks you use as house slippers wouldn’t work what socks would you suggest, preferably have merino wool?
The Knitido USA listed here has some toe socks with grips that I use around the house. They are a thicker cotton, but aren’t too warm and can work year round. Otherwise I would use a leather moccasin or house shoe from this barefoot slippers list in warm weather.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that I would be wearing it outside. I am trying to find cheap toe-splay socks for tennis/exercise in the hot weather. I heard that Merino wool is suitable for hot weather. I tried injinji nuwool liner socks and after a few wears, there was a hole in the big toe. I used them for tennis where there is a lot of sliding. I was wondering what type of socks do you recommend. Thank you for answering my questions 🙂
Hi! I would take a look at Creepers Socks. . Anya has been loving them lately and finds them very durable.