So you’ve figured out that you want a better way with barefoot shoes, and maybe you’ve even bought a pair or two, but maybe the process isn’t going well, or you’re ready to make the initial leap. If you’re unsure what they are, go read this post first. Even if you’re a vet, make sure you’re asking the right questions before you buy, and make sure you get a pair of shoes that will last.
Disclaimer: The point of this post is not to promote specific brands, but some of the most well-known ones are mentioned below. If they are an affiliate of mine the link will be marked with an * and/or a discount code will be marked as such. Using such links or codes may help you, but they never cost you anything extra and they support the work of the resources, shoe lists, and reviews on this blog.
Sections
Step 1: What brand are you looking at?
First, if you’re new to this area, you may think the options will be limited but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you’ve already found a brand and/or model you like, skip to step 2, but if you’re still looking then poke around here. You can check out detailed reviews here or shoe lists here to explore your options.
Brands vary dramatically in styling, pricing, construction methods, location, and more and there are hundreds of them. Here is a quick rundown of some of the most popular/well-known brands:
Xero Shoes * – based in the US, sporty, and covers sizes from pre-schoolers up through men’s 15 (US). They ship world-wide, advertise a lot, are less expensive than most, and are the introductory brand for many people (me included). Multiple reviews available here.
VIVOBAREFOOT * – one of the oldest brands, produces limited stock, has great style, and is on the higher pricing end, but has discount codes like OWBSHOES for 10% off, or a referral system with friends, and stock-clearance sales. Multiple reviews available here.
Groundies Barefootwear – German brand with a lot of recognizable styles pulled in from mainstream shoes and made barefoot. Watch out for the ‘regular’ fit as it is a traditional toe box. Offers 2 soles that fit differently. Comparison of them in a white tennis shoes face-off is here. Multiple reviews are available here.
Wildling Shoes – German maker of ultra-minimalist, often vegan, nature-inspired styles. The sole is a unique, Japanese-inspired split design, and if you can get used to the very thin sole, you may find other shoes clunky. I’ve reviewed a lot of Wildlings. Mid-range on cost.
Feelgrounds * – German (see the theme? if not German, many are in Europe) brand focused on urban cool shoes. All are vegan and they offer low-cut, high-top, slip-on, winter, and sandals, which just started on pre-order. Multiple reviews are on the reviews page. Mid-to-high on costs.
Freet – UK brand that gives us wide toe boxes, flexible soles, and space to move. I’ve only done one review so far, but have several models lined up to reviews, so check back or ask away. Many of their models are vegan, but they do have an occasional leather model in the mix. You can save 10% with my affiliate code OWBTEN. On the higher end, but last well.
Mukishoes – Portugal-based brand that produces good-looking casual shoes with a very sustainable mindset. I’ve reviewed more of them than anything (and probably have more of them than any other brand). You can save 10% with my affiliate code OBSESSEDWITHBAREFOOTSHOES. Due to the sustainable materials and methods, on the higher cost side.
Be Lenka * – Started in Slovakia, their shoes are now designed and produced there and in the Czech Republic. They are focused on continuously expanding their offerings and are huge fans of color (my fav) with women’s and men’s offerings covering sandals, winter, tennis shoes, trail shoes, and more. Save 5% with non-affiliate code OWBSHOES. Multiple reviews here. Mid-to-high on costs.
Peerko – One of the newer brands on the market, Peerko hails from the Czech Republic. I love them immensely and have reviewed 3 pairs of their shoes, so far. I also have a brand feature page on them here. Very classic cut, great fit, and their boots are just the best. On the higher end of costs, especially the amazing Empire boots.
Luna Sandals * – US-based sandal maker with a huge range of options. I personally love the Roots system, but you can get leather, vegan, different footbeds, different thicknesses, and different flexibilities for different needs. I’m about to review the Roots, but you can check out my Insta for more about them, including lacing hacks. Medium range on costs.
Honestly, I could go on forever about other brands I have reviewed, such as Shapen, Magical, Earthrunners * (code OWBSHOES), Ahinsa * (code OWBSHOES), Lisbeth Joe, Softstar Shoes *, and more, but that’s an overview. Check out the sections at the top of any page on the blog to explore more and the Discounts page to save some money.
Step 2: Read the description thoroughly
It’s easy to get excited about a shoe that you’ve hit upon, but have you read up on it? Websites themselves have a lot of information, even if you may or may not be able to trust that their reviews are covering both positives and negatives. Make sure you read the product description well and look for sizing tips. Some brands will tell you if the model runs small, large, wide, or narrow, or if they have a recommendation like you should size up 1/2 a size from your normal. Take advantage of these notes. This isn’t like buying a pair of Nikes where everything will always fit exactly the same. If they sell 10 million pairs of a single model, then you know they’ve made sure everything fits the same, but many of these producers are working with small batches and small factories, and models that were designed from scratch. Material choices, construction methods, and more can make size 10 in one model fit like size 9 in another. Hopefully, the company knows this and is sharing it.
You can also read through the reviews on the site to look for helpful information like:
- My feet were swimming in these (could be extra volume or length)
- I couldn’t lace them tightly enough (probably runs big volume-wise)
- I couldn’t get my foot in them! (probably runs narrow)
- These say they are a 10 but my toes were crunched (probably runs short against the sizing chart)
I wouldn’t trust number ratings like 4.5/5 on a company’s site because they could easily cull low-star ratings, but I would look for wording like this, as a newbie, or as someone unfamiliar with a model.
Step 3: Google is your friend
To go beyond the perfect picture painted on a company’s site, check out independent shoe reviews. Just put in [brand] [model] [review] and see what comes up. You might get videos or you might get text reviews. I favor writing, which is why my Youtube Channel is sorely neglected but this blog has 50+ full, detailed reviews and counting from less than a year of writing them. You want them to be detailed, wherever you find them. Styling is great, and I include it too, but how do they fit? Can you trust the sizing chart? What’s shipping like? If you can find multiple, read multiple. These barefoot shoes purchases can be expensive, so research does not hurt.
Step 4: Measure your feet and compare
One of the most popular questions I get is “Is it true to size?” and I hate that question. I’m sorry, but I do. You’re going to find that not only do different companies fit differently, but even models from the same company fit differently, sometimes, verses their own sizing chart. And, truthfully, there are probably more differences in mainstream shoes than we realize. But at that point we didn’t care, and, in fact, we actively ignored it. We were squeezing our feet into too-small shoes and even exclaiming ‘They make my feet look so small!’ like that casting was a good thing.
Now, our feet are awake and picky, and we need space! And the numbers on the shoes may vary to get you the space you need. To deal with that, learn to measure your feet. Bummer, right? But it’s gotta be done if you want good-fitting shoes and lower return chance.
Everyone should do this because our feet are different, on top of the shoes varying, and it’s a great skill to have. I have included measuring advice inside this post that also talks about fit and volume. Multiple layers of helpful information there and knowing not only your measurements, but also if you’re high or low volume, and if you have width that’s either higher or lower than average (I feel a rewrite to that page coming on…) will only improve your fit. If you’d like to know more about what’s behind the cry of needing space, check out this post too.
Companies will vary in how much extra space they say you need. Some will include it for you. (Not a fan) Some will say a ‘thumbs-width.’ (Also not a fan) and some will give you a number that could be as small as just 3-4 mms. You need more than that. So be armed with the numbers.
PS: Your feet may not be the same size, and you should generally size by the larger foot rather than squeeze the larger one into a too-small shoe.
Step 4: Social media images
Shoe websites are seriously bad at showing the correct coloring. Sometimes. It’s a great idea to check out Instagram for ‘tagged’ images on a brand’s page, or go back to Google and look up images of a particular model. This will help you get some real-world pictures that also include real-world lighting. I agonize over putting together nice-looking pictures that don’t mess with the colors, but I’m sure I’ve failed a few times. Cast your net wiiiiiiide and quickly identify that if a page is full of perfectly curated imagery you probably need to suspect that the colors have been altered for the pictures to convey a consistent mood or a beautiful grid. This is the time to find the most unfiltered images you can get, if you didn’t find that the reviews gave you enough. If social media doesn’t work, try Google images or Pinterest. Here’s an example of a beautiful page where everything matches in a gorgeous grid, but how true-to-life are those colors? I’d move on to another page, if something like this came up in my quest to get real-world pics of shoes.
Step 5: Ask questions
People comment on my posts or send me DMs all the time asking about shoes. Good! Ask questions. Be specific, though! Keep in mind things you’ve learned about your feet already, such as your measurements, and whether you are high or low volume. Examples:
- My feet are low volume but with a wide splay and I’m looking at Mukishoes. I think I’d be a 43 (feet are 26.8 cm long) but do you think I’d get a good fit?
- I just discovered the Xero Shoes brand. I generally wear a 9 in men’s and my feet are narrow. Should I get the women’s instead?
- I heard that Feelgrounds has changed their toe box shape to be wider. The old ones fit me perfectly. Will the new? Women’s 8s, for reference. And I think I have a Mountain shape.
- I already tried [Model] and [Model] and they didn’t work.
There are also country-specific and brand-specific Facebook groups and Reddit pages where people ask about barefoot shoes. Great! Ask the same kinds of questions. The only caution I have is that you be aware of how similar or not your feet are to the person answering. Sizing does not always scale the same across the chart, and people that have very high or low volume feet may not fully understand the other end of the spectrum, which is even true for reviewers. We try, and our reviews will try to tell you what type of foot a shoe will best fit, but you can’t beat finding a ‘foot twin’ that can advise you as well. Be cautious about accepting advice as Gospel truth otherwise.
There you have it, my advice for how to be smart buying barefoot shoes. If you read all that and aren’t sure what barefoot shoes are, then check out this post. If you’d like to try shoes with free returns then check out Amazon or Pedterra (my affiliate code OWBSHOES saves you 10% on your first order there too).
If you want to see a wider range of content as it happens, check out my Instagram and Facebook page. If you’re waiting for me to get a little crazy, you can find me on Tiktok (hasn’t happened… yet…).