Barefoot SOCKS! Cheap, comfy, DIY, minimalist running option

[b1004u]

OK people,
I figured I would take some photos and post a short tutorial about my new minimalist running preference, Barefoot Socks, or maybe I should call them "Rubberized Socks." Credit should really go to my wife, who couldn't be bothered to buy any fancy minimalist gear, and so just stareted going out in her socks. She kept putting holes in them, so we decided to give this a shot. Hope you like it!



Tutorial:

Start by going to your local hardware store and buying some Plasti Dip, or any other liquid rubber made for protecting tools ($5.00-$7.00). One can will do 2-3 pairs of socks.


They even make it in a spray paint! (but i did not use this).


Then, grab a shoe box, or any other box a bit larger than your foot. I lined mine with duct tape to keep it from leaking.


From the picture, you can see I am wearing cotton running socks. These seemed to work better than synthetic. Also, the thicker (newer), the better as they will absorb more rubber.

Pour some of the rubber into the box, and then dip your foot in. Using a rubber glove, smooth the rubber out on the sole of your foot, and then spread some of the rubber over your toes and along the arches. Also, I found that it was important to spread the rubber up and over my heel. When the rubber dries, it shrinks, so you want to make sure you have some above your heel to act as a resistance point. This helps to keep it snug and not slide under your foot when running.












Then, sit around and let it dry. THE LONGER THE BETTER- like an hour or more if you can. Watch your favorite movie or something. If it dries around your foot, it will shrink less and fit perfect to the shape of your foot. If you take it off early, it can easily mess up the rubber, and shrink in odd ways.


Good running! And best of luck!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

How about "Barefoot-Inspired"

How about "Barefoot-Inspired" socks.

Anywho, good job. I use really loose-fitting socks to run in, in the winter time.

Another thing you can do is make a foot form out of duct tape, put the sock on that, then use a paintbrush to paint the goop on. There's some threads around here somewhere with illustrations.

Thanks for putting this together! Good stuff!

 

[Abide]

I know you probably don't

I know you probably don't care what they look like, but if someone did I wonder if you could apply duck tape evenly around the sides of your feet so you might get clean lines of where the rubber ends? And you would use less plasti dip so you could probably do multiple pairs.

 

[Jonny00GT]

Will we see a "Product

Will we see a "Product Review" on these? ;o) I was honestly wondering what to do with all my regular socks now that I'm pretty much only in bare feet or VFFs...I have some red tool dip too!! I think I just got tonight's fun festivities!!!

How long do these last?



-Jonny

 

[b1004u]

Product review:I don't know

Product review:

I don't know how you can go wrong with these. They are customized to your foot (even the VFF force my toes into unnatural angles). They are as close as you will get to running barefoot while still having some protection against glass. Way more simple than anything out there i have tried or seen. Anyone can make them, quickly, for under $10. They last forever (and new rubber can just be spread on to get more time out of them). Hell, if you want exciting colors you can go with jonnyooGT's idea and buy colored rubber!

that's my 2 cents anyways.



Good running!

 

[Barfuß Chelsea]

Cool! I'm assuming it must

Cool! I'm assuming it must have been pretty easy to get the goop off your feet afterwards or you would have done it differently after the first try. Have you tried throwing the plasti-socks in the washing machine yet to see how they hold up?

 

[megabarefoot]

Yup, I've done the sock

Yup, I've done the sock thing, worked out pretty well but I still prefer naked foot. Though this is my first summer barefooting it and I'm finding that heat from the black top is not acceptable. Coating the socks is a good idea, I'm gonna try it as there is no way I'm running on black top or any hot surface barefoot. It's not worth the extra discomfort and sensitivity.



Ever since I saw Sony's concept footwear, I've been trying to come up with something that lessens or protects skin adbrasion and still leaves the foot open to the air and flexible. Going barefoot is nice but there are times when you just don't feel like, espeically when going over questionable surfaces and extender periods; and I'd hate to slap on shoes, even the vibrams. Some sort of spray-on material would be idle I think. Similar to the liquid bandage stuff but more durable. But then you have to consider traction. Sigh.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

When I plasti-dipped some

When I plasti-dipped some Injinji toe socks a couple years ago, it was a mess getting it off. I dipped my foot in the sock in the bucket, whereas I should have painted the stuff on. Also, if you're not using toe socks for this, you could put your foot in a plastic bag first, then slip on the sock, then paint the stuff on. Needless to say, trial and error was expensive. ;-)

 

[megabarefoot]

I just came across something

I just came across something called tuf-foot and I'm not clear on how it does what it purports to do; toughen skin and the pads of dogs. It's an amber colored substance that is applied with a cotton ball or can be diliuted and applied via spray. Apparently, it helps to excellerate the process of skin toughening but the web site doesn't say how, exactly, nor what ingredients are used.
What does TUF-FOOT do?
TUF-FOOT works by toughening skin tissue. This is accomplished by the unique blend of ingredients in our formula. It is actually based on herbs and balsams that aboriginal tribes used on their feet to withstand injury in the harsh outback.



I recall reading a story from a woman that chose to live with an aboriginal tribe for about a year and her feet toughed up after months of extremely harsh conditions. She said there was so much calloused skin that it almost seemed as if her feet weren't quite human any longer. She said it took weeks of foot baths and pumic scrubbing to restore the normal appearance. So what does this tuf-foot stuff do? Does it hinder the formation of calouses yet helps to "leather" the skin so it resists abrasions and blistering? Perhaps it makes it more supple and less prone to epidermal breaches. I dunno. I don't get how applying this liquid twice per day will toughen the skin. If it does, fine, but I would like to know how.

 

[Abide]

I am very curious. Wanna be

I am very curious. Wanna be the guinea pig and let us know how it turns out?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Is this approved for humans? 

Is this approved for humans? There was a thread about this long ago, but I thought it was determined that it wasn't fit for humans; sad they think it's fit for animals though. (Could be a different product I'm thinking of.)

If you do try it, please let us know how it goes, like how much you used, how often, at what points you noticed changes in your skin's thickness, side effects, etc. Would be anxious to know.

 

[megabarefoot]

Barefoot TJ wrote:Is this

Is this approved for humans? There was a thread about this long ago, but I thought it was determined that it wasn't fit for humans; sad they think it's fit for animals though. (Could be a different product I'm thinking of.)

If you do try it, please let us know how it goes, like how much you used, how often, at what points you noticed changes in your skin's thickness, side effects, etc. Would be anxious to know.

Yep, there is a human approved version. One of the amazon reviewers contacted the company and they said the formula is the same for humans and dogs; just the packaging is different; nobody has reported ill effect from it that I can find.



If I do try it, I'll try not leave anything out so there is no doubt as to it's effectiveness or lack there of. Of course, it would be nice if I had a better understanding or what, exactly, this stuff does to the skin. Sure, my computer turns on, but it's nice to know how it happens rather than assume some magic hubbidyflub

 

[Matt]

Barefoot TJ wrote:Is this

Is this approved for humans? There was a thread about this long ago, but I thought it was determined that it wasn't fit for humans; sad they think it's fit for animals though. (Could be a different product I'm thinking of.)

TJ, there was a thread on Musher's Secret back in the Winter, which is a paw balm for dogs that is supposed to protect them from cold and salt. I tried this back in January or February on my own "paws". I didn't find it to be very helpful. In fact, in some ways, my feet felt even colder than usual.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Oh, yea, that might have been

Oh, yea, that might have been it. Did the Musher's say it was okay for humans? How long did you use it for? How many times did you use it? Did you notice any thickening at all?

 

[Matt]

Barefoot TJ wrote:Oh, yea,

Oh, yea, that might have been it. Did the Musher's say it was okay for humans? How long did you use it for? How many times did you use it? Did you notice any thickening at all?

I'm not sure anyone officially said it was safe, but it seemed safe enough. I only used it once. My feet were so cold after that run, that I stuck to aquasocks after that. I am tempted to try it again in warmer weather. I don't think it would result in any toughening, but maybe some conditioning. It had a pleasant smell and feel going on.

 

[Tender Toes Mark]

I tried the spray can

I tried the spray can plasti-dip on a pair of socks earlier this spring. I didn't have my feet in the socks, though. I traced the shape of each foot on a piece of stiff cardboard, cut the shapes out and put them into the socks. Then I sprayed the plasti-dip onto the bottom of the socks. Problem was, it took WAY too long to do it - like a dozen separate sprayings - to get any amount of thickness to the rubber coating. It took so many sprayings that it took a couple weeks to get the job done.

When I had it completed it was into April. It had warmed up and I was itching to do as much barefoot running as I could, so I haven't even tried them, yet. I suppose I should put them on for at least one short run, just to see how they feel ... maybe. Can't you tell I'm really excited about it?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Let us know, Matt.  I'm

Let us know, Matt. I'm curious.

Yes, Mark, your excitement is bursting at the seems!

 

[b1004u]

The Plasti-dip tutorial I

The Plasti-dip tutorial I posted at the beginning of this forum took about 20minutes to apply the stuff (10 per foot) and another 45 mins to an hour of just sitting around waiting for it to dry. It was VERY easy. I did it alone and still was able to take photos etc. As far as clean up, I just use the stuff that mechanics use to clean their hands at the end of the day, Fast Orange. I assume you could use GOOP or any other hand cleaner. Almost all of it comes off, and the little spots that are left come off with your next fully barefoot run. No big deal at all.



I am telling you, this is an amazing way to go for those days you want a little something covering your foot, but not much. Your toes are WAY more free and comfy than VFF or even Huarachis, and they cost $5 dollars to make. One can oc Plasti-dip is $6 and make 2-3 pairs, and the socks I am guessing you already have.

the only tricks that seemed important to me were using newer COTTON socks so that they absorb the dip, and spreading it accross your heel to keep it snug after they dry.



Run on!

 

[b1004u]

I figured I'd add some photos

I figured I'd add some photos of the socks once they're dried and ready to go!

 

[megabarefoot]

This would be fantastic for

This would be fantastic for really cold winter running. How many miles have you on them and how do you find the plastic to be holding?



Hell, you can even use this on really nasty areas when it's really hot out. I think I had running on hot pavement more than cold.



I still lean towards a more progressive solution that augments the major impact areas of the sole but keeps the rest of the foot open air. Those concepts that sony came up with were really cool but I'm betting it'll be more expensive than plasti-socks.