5 Tips for Preventing Blisters

If you love going on long walks or are training for a 5K, you know just how important it is to keep your feet comfortable and free from blisters. When blisters form on your feet, they can make it so you can’t even walk without pain, leading you to stop doing the activities you enjoy. Since blisters can hold you back from performing your best, you probably want to know how you can prevent blisters the next time you go out for a jog.

Find out more about what blisters are and the top five tips for preventing blisters.

What Are Blisters?

Blisters are fluid-filled sacs created by burns or fiction. Since activities like walking, running, sports, and hiking tend to create a lot of friction on your feet, many people living active lifestyles experience them. If you’re planning to up your walking or running soon, you probably want to avoid blisters on your feet. 

Learn more about the top five ways to prevent blisters below:

1. Make Sure You Are Wearing the Right Shoes

For some people, the right pair of shoes can make or break their likelihood of forming a blister. If your shoes are too loose or too tight, they can create a great deal of friction and rubbing with each step you take. This friction can create a blister, knocking you off your feet for a few days while it heals.

You can help solve this issue by wearing the right shoes for you. Ensure the shoes you choose fit well on your feet, with your toes not rubbing against the front and your heel not slipping. You’ll also want to have a finger’s width of length from your toe’s end to the shoe’s end. Additionally, select shoes that give your feet the space to expand but aren’t large enough that your feet slide. Depending on your unique situation, you may want shoes with more or less padding, support, and other features that can help you stay comfortable on the go. 

2. Toughen Your Feet

When you don’t walk or jog a lot, your feet will tend to get soft and prone to blisters. One of the simplest ways to prevent blisters is to train for long distances and more intense activities. Begin by walking, jogging, running, or hiking a little longer each day to help your feet start to develop calluses. These calluses will harden your feet and stop blisters from forming when you walk or jog long distances. 

When you’ve developed calluses, you’ll also want to start moisturizing your feet. Since calluses tend to dry your feet faster, you can moisturize your feet to prevent them from cracking and creating blisters in your heels. It’s usually a good idea to moisturize your feet with a hand or foot cream after taking a shower or bath.

It is important to note that calluses are not the right solution for everyone. Some have a harder time building calluses than others. You may also not like the feeling or the appearance of calluses. Others may find that their beautician takes off their hard-earned calluses each time they go in for a pedicure. However, if this is a viable solution for you, they can help toughen your feet to prevent blisters. 

3. Cover Problem Spots

You might notice that certain parts of your feet tend to develop blisters more regularly than others. We tend to call these “hot spots.” Before you go on a run or out for a long walk, you can stop blisters from forming by covering your problem spots. Some popular options for covering a foot’s problem areas include special socks, patches, moleskin, sports tape, gel bandages, and paper tape. 

Keep in mind that you may have to try out multiple options before finding the right one for your feet. Since some pads and tapes can shift around while you walk or run, some people find these DIY solutions actually make blistering worse. Specialty socks may be the way to go for you. These socks cover hot spots to provide added protection against blistering. You can also combine solutions or try out a few of the options mentioned above to find the best preventative method for you.

4. Keep Your Feet Dry

Unfortunately, the sweat created by running, hiking, sports, and even just hot summer days can make you more prone to blisters. Since moisture tends to enhance friction and leave your feet more vulnerable, it’s crucial to keep your feet dry whenever you go on a long walk, jog, or hike. So how do you keep your feet dry? First, check your sock material. Certain sock types can hold in moisture, leaving your feet more sweaty. You will want to switch to socks that help absorb moisture or wick it away. Additionally, thick socks during hot summer days can make sweating worse.

Another way you can ensure your feet stay dry is to place antiperspirant on them. Specially formulated antiperspirants can prevent sweat, so they’re often a good choice to put on before you go on a run or hike. Alongside using antiperspirants, you can keep your feet dry with talcum powder and cornstarch. Simply sprinkle some cornstarch into your shoes and socks to prevent excess moisture. You can also add talcum powder to your shoes and socks to prevent sweat from causing blisters.

5. Wear Anti-Blister Socks

Do anti-blister socks make a difference? The short answer is yes. Socks are another common source of blisters, especially those made out of cotton. Poor quality socks tend to retain a lot of moisture from your sweat and create a great deal of friction in certain areas, leading to blisters. In addition to making the blistering worse, they also leave you missing out on some advanced blister prevention sock technology. At Wrightsock, we know just how important high-quality socks are to blister prevention. As a result, we’ve created anti-blister socks specially made for sports, hiking, and running. 

So how do anti-blister socks work? To prevent blisters, we designed our anti-blister socks with a patented Double Layer® system proven to prevent blisters. This design stops excess moisture, heat, and friction—the three main sources of blisters—from occurring. All of our socks come with temperature regulation, complete moisture evaporation, and friction absorption qualities. We even offer specialized socks for hiking, trail running, and everyday walking and running. If you want a breathable, lightweight sock for the summer, you might also like our anti-blister Coolmesh™ II Quarter Socks.

Turn to Wrightsock for Anti-Blister Socks

Due to our many sock options and the need to prevent blisters, you might be interested in turning to Wrightsock for your anti-blister sock needs. We’re proud to offer the best anti-blister socks on the market, and we’re so confident in our socks that we offer them with a blister-free guarantee. If you still get blisters after wearing our socks or are dissatisfied with them, we’ll provide you with a refund.

Take a moment to browse our women’s and men’s anti-blister socks today. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.