Once your body and brain adjust to barefoot movement, you can start stepping things up a bit. And there’s no need to worry about getting a bit of glass in your foot, as barefoot shoe companies ensure that the minimalist soles are puncture-resistant. Here are a couple of common questions about barefoot shoes. How Do You transition to barefoot shoes? Some people might say to me, “Steven, that’s the naturalistic fallacy. What you’re saying is that’s the way people did it in nature or with very minimal intervention, but that doesn’t mean it’s better for you. Maybe someone invented something good for you with modern technology.” That’s a really good question. If we’re going to assume that a modern running shoe is better than sandals or being in bare feet because of modern technology, well, we should be able to prove that, right? Where’s the evidence? Barefoot shoes help align the spine and strengthen smaller muscles in the feet and lower legs. You’ll also notice improvements in stabilising muscles throughout your lower body, including up at your hips. Once I get my feet into the Vibrams, they feel amazing. I think they may even be helping to spread my toes out in a more natural position and might even be correcting this pinky toe issue I have. I’ll wear them around home as much as I can stand in hopes to fixing my foot. They are damn comfortable. And Yet, I don’t think they’ll fly at work.

But as their popularity soars, so does the variety of options available.All these options can make it difficult to decide which barefoot shoe is the best for you.

6. FAQ

Barefoot shoes are really versatile and suitable for all sorts of activities. Each barefoot shoe differs and may have incorporated technology and features to make them specialised for an activity, but in general you can wear barefoot shoes for: Carets is a strange name for shoes. We met Mountain, the owner of Carets, at Paleo FX 2018. He hooked us up with a pair of barefoot dress shoes. Inside the shoe, there’s an Active BloomFoam insole. Contrasting to petrochemical-based EVA foam, the Active BloomFoam is made using algae biomass. It’s the first true sustainable alternative to EVA foam on the market. This insole will help you stay more comfortable mile after mile, but it can be removed too.

Why else might you like to run in a pair of sandals instead of running shoes? The freedom. Oh my gosh. All you need is a little bit of lacing holding the sole on your foot, and a little protection. When you feel the lightness and the freedom that you get because the air that’s moving around your foot. There’s nothing on top of your foot, your toes can flex without having anything in the way. Just that little bit of fabric, when you feel that on your toes, for many people it will restrict your movement because your body goes, “Oops, something in the way, better not do that.” There’s nothing restricting your movement in a pair of sandals. In the grand scheme of things, footwear is a relatively recent invention. Modern footwear is almost certainly hurting your feet! Modern shoes are certainly worse for your feet than the shoes your ancestors used to wear. For use at home on walks to get in some grounding, they are ideal. If you were someone who was embarrassed to go barefoot when traveling or just can’t get barefoot, these would be perfect to bring and are so light and compact, I put them in my carry on without evening noticing they are there. Usually I just throw them on when I'm heading out to the farmer's market or running to the store and on my walks with the dog. I'll still travel with them in case I decide to do some hiking and can't go barefoot due to the terrain. It’s important to note that there is a slight sacrifice in overall quality with these trainers when compared to the likes of Vivobarefoot and Xero – but then you are getting a relatively good-quality product at a fraction of the cost of their competition – so do keep this in mind.

Let’s think about many well-known barefoot shoes and at the difference between those and barefoot sandals. Let’s dive into this. Many zero drop shoes on the market have the heel and toe at the same height, except for a big giant curve in the front. Your toes don’t naturally do that when they’re on the ground. You don’t need that. That toe spring doesn’t like to bend down the way your toes like to do at certain points when you’re running. How barefoot does that feel to you?

The versatility of barefoot shoes is one of the best things. For active people, you can go to the gym, walk the dog and do your shopping in barefoot shoes. As your feet get used to them, there isn’t a real need to keep changing your footwear. According to Kelly Starrett and a handful of medical studies, wearing the wrong footwear can cause knee pain, foot pain and ankle pain, much of it due to shortened heel cords and improper functioning of the foot. For the vast majority of people, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be safe to wear barefoot shoes, but it’s important to make the transition one step at a time. If you’ve been wearing regular heeled shoes for your entire life, you won’t be able to pop on a pair of minimalist shoes and do a marathon straight away – the risk for injury is highest at the beginning, and barefoot shoe manufacturers advise that you learn to walk before you run.All this whilst still being a true barefoot shoe. The Prio Neo has a low profile – it’s super light at around 247g and comes with a zero-drop, non-elevated heel design. It has an extra-wide top box to allow your feet to move naturally, and is super flexible– you can twist and turn this shoe in just about any direction. The question comes up, “What do you do in winter?” I’m not telling you to do one thing or another, I’m just going to tell you just what I did. Seven years ago, as winter was approaching here in Colorado, I was curious. How long would I be able to go until I felt the need to put on some shoes? Suddenly it was March. Then I tried it again the next year – same thing, and the next and the next and the next. It’s now been seven years and I haven’t worn any footwear during the winter other than my sandals. I bring the Eartrunners with me whenever I travel so I can ground myself to the earth after a flight. I wear them in the summer at home when I go for walks. I’ve found it hard to use these shoes actually. I love the feel of the sandal and the grounding circle at the bottom. I totally use them at home whenever I’m out walking, but my theory of taking them with me when I travel hasn’t born fruit. I typically just go barefoot when I land and whenever possible during the day, so these don’t actually get used for travel. For use at home, I take these on walks with the dog and when I go to shoot archery. VivoBarefoot's goal is to allow you to reconnect. Reconnect your feet to the world rather than keeping them insulated from any sensation of the ground. And reconnecting you to your childhood, where you ran barefoot outdoors. Sustainable With its zero-drop design, responsive tread, lightweight feel and highly breathable mesh (you can see through from one side to the other) you’ll be able to run, jump and lift in these shoes.

Rain or shine, this water-resistant shoe will allow you to move naturally and freely while keeping feet protected from the elements. This is because the shoe is constructed using water-resistant and non-absorbent materials. Your feet have a quarter of the bones and joints of your entire body. There more nerve endings in the sole of your feet than anywhere but your fingertips and your lips. That means you’re supposed to use these appendages. They’re supposed to bend, to flex, to feel the world. If you don’t let them do that, that’s going to lead to a number of problems. Carets even allows you to return the shoes after 365 days if they don't fit properly. And they offer a service to replace the soles ao you don't need to buy yet another pair of shoes and break them in.I walked 30 miles in the Prio XeroShoes and 22 miles in the Z-Trail XeroShoe sandals in just 4 days. All over Boston, NYC, and Walden Woods. These shoes and sandals never let me down. My feet were happy and I felt great. These have become my absolute favorite shoes! The Primus Lite III is super lightweight, weighing in at 232g. They almost feel like they are barely there. It has a 2mm performance outsole and thin tread depth to give minimal distance between your foot and the floor. You can remove the insole too if you want to get even closer to the ground. Despite the added protection, they maintain a minimalist construction throughout the uppers, with breathable mesh fabric. For someone who wants a go-anywhere adventuring trainer but doesn’t want to compromise their barefoot experience, these shoes are a perfect choice. They’re also environmentally friendly, constructed from vegan-friendly recycled materials and Bloom Performance algae insoles. As an added eco-bonus, they are recyclable again after use through the Revivo programme. Individuals with specific foot conditions or those who require more support or cushioning might not benefit from wearing barefoot shoes. Factors that need to be considered include: A pair of Xero Shoes are a very similar idea. Our Genesis Barefoot-Inspired Sandal has a really thin sole, really flexible, it let’s your foot move naturally, and just enough lacing to hold it on your foot. Can you actually run in this? Yes. We have thousands and thousands of people running in everything from casual 5Ks to ultramarathon. In fact, if you look at that couple below, that’s Jon and Mel Sinclair at the end of a 50-mile race when they were wearing just a pair of Ventures (the precursor to the current Genesis).