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Barefoot tools & accessories? What for?
Barefoot tools & accessories can actually do amazingly much for your health.
Comfortable in barefoot shoes? Once your feet start regaining their sensory capabilities hindered by constrictive ‘modern’ footwear, you may find that traditional socks and tights make you feel uneasy, as well. The truth is, they too are inacceptably narrow, they too squeeze your toes together, prohibiting the statically so important and so comfortable full splay.
Some people ditch their socks altogether, some switch over to toe socks, and some cut the front of their tights in order to stop the squeeze. Nowadays you can even buy toe tights and nylon toe socks!
Below I have listed some simple tools that can help a lot in compensating for the general lack of movement as well as in the regeneration of painful, troubled feet. There is a lot of gear out there that multiplies the healing effect of regular morning foot exercises. Even as much as a daily 10-minute-routine of mobility exercises and stretching can do wonders. Definitely worth the effort, I promise!
If you don’t want to spend big bucks on this, you can very well start with a tennis ball, a rubber wrist band, a small, solid rubber ball and a no name toe spacer. Try them out! Aldi and Lidl also tend to offer budget resistance bands from time to time.
The internet (Youtube, Facebook, Instagram) is full of simple and easy feet/toe exercises.
Most popular barefoot sources: Katy Bowman (Nutritious Movement), Petra Fisher, Healthy Feet Aliiance, Gaithappens, Myfootfunction, Thefootcollective, Andybryant-podiatrist etc.
Shops in Hungary / webshops
The listed prices reflect the April 2022 situation.
Elastic bands
Available at different resistance levels, in various widths and lengths. Prices range from pennies to a fortune. The cheapest solution is a rubber wrist band from any event. It can really take your toega to the next level!
Toe separators
Toe separator? What the heck is that? – you may ask. Well, it is a soft silicone tool that separates your toes from each other, enhancing their natural full splay (see pictures above). It makes them both stretch and engage, it awakens the toe muscles, and realigns those poor toes that had been squeezed into narrow shoes for long years. It has tons of good effects, I recommend it highly! For best results wear it while walking/exercising, not when your feet are at rest. Beware: the no name ones might not fit into your shoes!
- No name toe separators can be bought online or lately even in health care equipment shops, from 1.200 HUF up to several thousand. There are different types and shapes, but all of them are one-size.
- Correct Toes , 70 EUR with free shipping, in 3 sizes, adjustable in many ways, fitting into most shoes
- Wild Toes , The Foot Collection, 21 EUR, 1 size
- Naboso Splay , 5.000 HUF, 1 size
- Toe separator socks – I bought them on Aliexpress for no money and use them at night
Naboso products – foot stimulating devices designed on a scientific basis
Finally available in Hungary! https://naboso.hu 👍
Toe separators, insoles, mats, neuroball etc.
Toe socks and tights ❤️
I used to hate having anything in between my toes, but after some 9 months of wearing barefoot shoes I won a pair of toe socks from @BarefootMarta on Instagram, and it felt like a real adventure to try them on. It proved to be love at first sight (or rather love at first try). What a relief to not have anything squeezing my toes, not even a piece of fabric!
Toe socks are now available in all colours and types: hidden, no-show, mini-crew, crew, running socks, hiking socks, even nylon tights! They come in super thin, merino and terry, as well. Yep, putting them on is quite a job, but practice makes perfect 😁
Where to find them (Hungary-focused list in order of quality as per my personal opinion):
Knitido ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Japanese production. Made from quality materials in a quality way. Available at the US store Knitido Plus in an amazing choice, with frequent sales. Ordering fom them from Hungary sucks, as you have to pay duty, and shipping is pricey, too. The European distributor is a German firm offering a less than impressive choice, but it is EU so at least duty free. Prices range between 12-33 EUR, the latter is justified by merino wool. As far as I know, Knitidos are not available in Hungary. They run a bit small, so if you are between sizes, be sure to size up!
Injinji ⭐️⭐️⭐️ – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Renowned US brand. Their sport socks are really durable, while the casual models vary in quality. Sarkcsillagsport sells them in Hungary. There is quite a choice, and prices range between 5.000-15.000 HUF. In my experience, you are safer if you size up.
Toe Toe toe socks and toe tights ⭐️⭐️⭐️ – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
British manufacturer. In Hungary, several models are available at the Barefoot Family webshop
Code Barefootbudapest7 gives you 7% discount!
I bought the silk hidden socks from them to test. They are lovely, made of a very soft and pleasant, yet strong material, that I recognise by the touch. Thanks to the owner, Ivett, I also got a pair of toe tights for testing. While waiting for better weather so I can really give them a go, I put them on (which wasn’t easy 🙈) and I can tell you that they felt amazing! Yes, even tights squeeze the toes 😮, unless they are like this. I will link the review in as soon as it is up.
The socks were also tried by a friend of mine who has quite a collection, and she said they didn’t fit her toes at all, neither those of her husband, although they have many toe socks that fit them well. Hence the 3-star rating.
Prices range between 2.000-7.000 HUF (pre-discount).
Decathlon ⭐️⭐️ – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Black or grey yoga socks, no-show, with non-slip grips. They run small but are made of a very high quality, durable material. You need some extra space in your shoes for the grips. 3.000 HUF
- Black or grey running socks. I didn’t even try them as the material feels highly unnatural to the touch, and they are horribly tight, I am confident I could not tolerate them on my feet. Somebody praised them in a Facebook group, but I dislike them so much that I gave them 2 starts only. 4.000 HUF
Chinese socks from Aliexpress ⭐️⭐️ – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Now there you have it all, and the quality ranges from total rubbish to excellent. I claimed my money back on a few occasions and it was reimbursed without any ado. Some socks are of an outstanding quality, made of high grade, durable cotton. I also bought some terry socks that are not only warm but also help fill in too spacious shoes (I have medium wide and explicitly low volume feet). Prices range from a few hundred to thousands of HUF.
Lately, I have come across some low quality, cheap toe socks even in actual Chinese shops in Budapest. I hope for more (in a better quality) in the future!
Advantages:
- there are cheap options
- in case of a serious flaw you are usually reimbursed quickly and easily, without having to send the socks back
Disadvantages:
- inconsistent quality – try to find models with a lot of positive feedback
- inconsistent sizing – to help you orientate: my feet are 25 cm long and the male size (there is usually no differentiation within that) tends to fit me perfectly although sometimes it is a bit too big, while the female size is definitely too small for me
- if you are out of luck, your order may take months to get here.
Attention, the shipping price can be tricky. Sometimes shipping is free, but with some vendors it rises disproportionately with the number of items. Duty has to be paid on the import.
Budapest, Anker köz 2., Sock shop ⭐️⭐️⭐️
One can usually find one or two toe sock models here, some made in Hungary, others abroad. There may or may not be a good choice of sizes. Quality is not great, but at the price of around 1.200 HUF they are perfect to try how toe socks work for you.
Vibram ⭐️⭐️
As much as I love Vibram soles and VFF (Vibram Five Fingers) shoes, Vibram socks are unfortunately a total disappointment. I bought them at a sale on ecipo.hu, but the material is weak below expectation, intensive pilling starts after the first wash, and the cotton wears out very fast. Not better in any way than the cheap Chinese stuff, but much more expensive. Full price around 5.000 HUF.
If you know of other shops relevant for Hungary, please let me know so I can add them. Thank you!
Wide socks, tabi socks
There are some alternatives out there in between standard socks and toe socks. I haven’t had the chance to try these yet, but I am actually very happy with toe socks.
- One option is the traditional Japanese tabi that has two pockets: one for the big toe and another for the rest.
- The other is a normal sock but wider, to fit the natural shape of human feet. Available from Belenka, for instance, or if you are in Hungary, from Cipőfalva or Sanasport (2022 spring situation). Also, there is a wide choice in both adult and kids’ sizes, from various materials, here: https://www.minimol.cz/BAREFOOT-PONOZKY-c51_0_1.htm
Food for your feet: massaging surfaces
Our soles are richly supplied with nerve endings designed to constantly process impulses coming from the ground, and adjust our bodily actions accordingly. I suggest taking regular time to walk barefooted on natural ground, and when you can’t, tread on uneven surfaces as much as possible! In my experience, it relaxes the soles as well as the ankles, and puts them at rest. I do sometimes take off my shoes & socks even in winter, but only when and as much as I feel like it.
The budget solution 🤗
If you don’t want to spend much on this, simply fill a shoe tray with pebbles!
In case you prefer something neater, you can buy professional mats made for the purpose:
Naboso mats
Proprioceptive stimulation on a scientific basis. I listed the firm above; their mats are available at 20.000-50.000 HUF.
Kőpakk (a pack of stones, made in Hungary)
Textile mats of various sizes (you can also order custom), filled with pebbles, manufactured by a small Hungarian firm: Kőpakk . Price range for the standard sizes: between 7.000 – 15.000 HUF. Hand wash only!
Tennis ball
Avoid the ones sold in Chinese shops as they tend to get ruined at first try. Best is to ask someone who plays tennis to give you a used ball. It can be used for foot massage just like the small solid ball or the spiky ball. As it is the gentlest of the three, if you are in stronger pain, start off with this, and gradually raise the hardness of the ball as well as how much you place your weight on it. It is also ideal for exercises when you need to squeeze a ball in between your heels.
Solid rubber ball with a 4 cm radius
Available in toy shops of plazas for a few hundred HUF, great for massaging out muscle knots in the sole. Carefully put your weight on it and roll in all directions. If it hurts too much, roll around the knot only.
Spiky ball
Available in various sizes and degrees of hardness. My fav is a hard one with a 7 cm radius. I have found softer ones not efficient enough for my needs. Put your weight on it, roll, and enjoy! 😀
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