Why is it important to wear socks?

So, I bought a new pair of shoes a few weeks ago and I’m just now healing the awful blister on my heel, so I decided to do some research and as it turns out, if had I worn socks I might not have had that blister. But that’s not the only thing socks are good for, read on to know all the benefits of wearing that particular clothing item…

First thing first, I know a lot of younger women – myself included – have a tendency to go sockless with some types of shoes, but it turns out, foot specialists recommend wearing sock whenever you’re wearing closed toe shoes, no exceptions. Why? Well mainly because our feet have about 125 000 sweat glands. When sweat is not managed by socks, it can soften the skin and make your feet more vulnerable to blisters and a variety of foot problems… like germs that cause nasty odours or even athlete’s foot.

Nowadays there are plenty of beautiful socks to choose from, but don’t aim solely for fashion, go for comfort too. Some socks have a bit of a padding at the bottom that will help your foot to be comfortable in your shoe and bonus… they protect your foot’s skin and reduce stress on the foot from pressure and impact.

Cotton

Although in hot weather, cotton is a good material to absorb sweat, it doesn’t evacuate it. This means your sock can become damp and cause blisters. On the opposite side, when it’s cold, it doesn’t have the capacity to keep your feet very warm especially when it’s dampened with sweat.

So, what should you choose? Wool!

I can already hear you saying “what, wool, itchy bulky wool?!” Well, if you’re anything like me, wool makes your skin crawl just as much as spiders, but listen, science has made enormous progress since itchy wool. Now, there’s merino wool. Merino wool is thin, soft and hydrophob meaning that it repels water because of the tiny ridges in the fiber.

Merino isn’t the only type of animal fiber you can find in socks, there’s also mohair, cachemir, angora, alpaga, and silk.

And then there’s synthetic fiber

We often think of synthetic materials as something that doesn’t breathe. And although it used to be the case, now companies mix natural fibers with synthetic fiber which causes more breathability and are least expensive than natural/ animal fiber socks. Synthetic fiber socks are often composed of a mixture of fibers such as spandex, elastane, nylon, polyester acrylic and polypropylene. These socks are durable, elastic, and they dry fast but aren’t very good at keeping your feet warm.

So, what’s the best option for socks? A mix of both of 50% synthetic and 50% natural fiber.

And there you have it, I hope this helped. Leave a comment if you liked this article.

Written by Jasmine Beausoleil