A couple of weeks ago, my boyfriend and I went for a walk at a local walking track. While I am a regular walker, he is a sporadic, not-yet-convinced walker and I was happy to have him join me. It was rather warm and humid and soon I was sweating. (He is almost a foot taller than me, so I have to take double steps just to keep up.) We enjoyed some huffing and puffing conversation and a nice, vigorous walk.

At the three-quarter turn, he decided to up our average time by jogging a bit. Great idea! I jogged right along with him. Then, he said his feet were tingling. Hmmm. We slowed back down to walking. Then, he said he thinks he has a blister on the bottom of his foot. I looked at his feet, and he has on old worn-out shoes so the likelihood of a blister or worse is pretty high. And, he has on cotton socks. I am crestfallen, not only because he has a blister, but also because he now has another reason not to walk.

When we got back to our vehicle, he took off his shoe and he has the most awful blister I think I’ve ever seen. The skin on the entire ball of his foot was flapping loose and there was a bit of blood on his wringing wet sock. And, that is one key to the blister—the wringing wet sock. The other is the dilapidated shoes he chose to wear because they were “broken in”. We threw away the shoes that very night.

We treated the blister (wash with antibacterial soap, apply antibiotic ointment, bandage). And, then I told him he has to wear wicking socks when he’s walking.

I have been a fan of wicking socks for a couple of years now. They are must-haves for athletes of any kind as well as sufferers of athlete’s foot or toenail fungus—actually, anyone who wants to keep their feet nice and dry. And, if you have someone with stinky feet in your house, buy them some wicking socks. While they won’t cure stinky feet, they will help by lessening the perspiration.

Wicking socks are made with synthetic fabrics which wick, or pull, perspiration away from your feet to the outer layer of the fabric. In the winter, they will help keep your feet warmer, too, because wet feet will soon be freezing feet in cold weather. In the summer, they help prevent blisters and chafing and fungus.

You can now find wicking socks at many shoe stores, athletic supply stores, even hunting and fishing stores. There are many popular brands available now. CoolMax, Thorlo,and Wigwam are some brands I like. They do cost a bit more than bargain socks, but your feet are worth the $5 or more per pair.

Oh, you’ll be happy to know that my dear boyfriend did not let his blister sideline him. He did take a few days off, but is now back to walking with me a few times a week, wearing his new shoes and new wicking socks!

If you need wicking socks, try these Wigwam wicking socks. They are especially good for summer. (You can also put a pair of regular socks on top of thin wicking socks for more padding. Be sure the wicking socks are the ones you put on first!)