How to Prevent Blisters
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 5 minutes
Here's How:
- Buy shoes with adequate room in the toe box and good fit in the heel.
- Wear wicking socks of CoolMax or polypropylene.
- Coat areas of foot prone to blister with a blister/chafing prevention agent such as BodyGlide, Runners Lube, petroleum jelly.
- Or use the cornstarch shake-and-bake method - put some cornstarch in a plastic bag and coat your dry foot with it before putting on your sock. The cornstarch both reduces friction and draws away moisture. Repeat each hour or two of walking.
- For areas already raw or very prone to blister, cover with a gel bandage containing Compeed or with moleskin.
- Stop whenever you feel a hot spot developing and cover the area with moleskin, sport tape, or a Compeed Band-Aid.
Tips:
- Band-Aid Blister bandages with Compeed can be found in the foot care section, not the bandage section, of the drug store.
- Your walking shoes should be a size to a size and a half larger than your dress shoes.
- BodyGlide, Runners Lube and similar products can be found in running shoe and gear stores.
- Cornstarch is dirt cheap and can be found in the baking section of the supermarket.
What You Need:
- Socks of wicking fabric
- BodyGlide
- Blister bandages
- Sports tape
- Cornstarch
