Thigh High Socks

Some Benefits of Toe Socks

You know the term, “fits like a glove”?  Well, when it comes to socks, toe socks absolutely, positively will fit like a glove on your feet.  And the reason for that is that they are literally ‘gloves for your feet’ instead of the traditional sock which is much more comparable to a mitten where all your digits are housed together in a single compartment.  Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with the traditional concept of a mitten sock, but you might be quite pleasantly surprised on a number of different levels at what you find one you try on a pair of toe socks.

People will choose to wear toe socks for a number of different reasons.  Some may opt for them simply for fun or to make a fashion statement, while others will prefer them over the traditional sock for various performance reasons.

The idea of toe socks first came into existence in the 1970s and it was much more of a fun, playful fashion statement than anything else.  Often times these kinds of socks were brightly colored stripes and would go up to the knee, over the knee, or even end up being as long as thigh high socks.  While the typical rainbow color mix was probably the most popular, there was soon an countless array of options of colors, patterns, weaves and materials from which to choose from to get you toe socks.  Of course one popular variety was the ever popular tie-died sock.

One of the functional benefits of the toe sock is the fact that you can easily wear flip flops with socks.  While you CAN wear regular socks with this kind of shoe, it is not very comfortable for most people, as they are clearly not designed to have something coming up between your toes.  And because you can get wool toe socks, you can wear your flip flops or other open toed shoes much more often, even in colder weather because wool will do such a good job at helping to keep your feet nice and warm and dry.

Another functional use for toe socks is for running.  While this may not be obvious at first, especially when you first try on a pair of these socks, people who transition to a split toe sock for running swear by them and the are certain they will never go back to the traditional sock for running.  This is especially true for people who have embraces the concept that Nike helped popularize which is emulating natural, bare-foot running benefits with their “Free” line of running shoes.

Part of the reason is that even a little bit of friction between the toes is enough to lead to a very painful blister which will sideline you from running for a few days or more.  And anyone who is into running or knows someone who is, knows that this is unacceptable.

In fact, a number of runners will end up using a product called body glide to help prevent just such a problem.  The thing is, a tube of body glide costs about as much as a good pair of split toed running socks, but it will run out far sooner than your socks will wear out.  So even if you’re looking for cheap split toed socks and can’t stomach the fact that they are a bit more expensive than other, regular running socks, think about the money you’ll save in the long run, especially if you’re having chaffing issues or blister problems.