We know how important it is to wear healthy barefoot shoes, but have you thought about healthy socks? There are multiple routes you can go depending on your style preferences, budget, and shoe plans. In this installment of Healthy Socks for Barefoot Shoes we’re looking at split-toe Tabi socks.
Disclaimer: The Earth Runners Tabi socks were gifted and I bought the Bedrocks at a discount. This page does include affiliate links that support the blog.
Sections
Why Do Sock Choices Matter?
You end up in barefoot shoes because you want better alignment, strong feet, better balance, or a host of other reasons. This leads you to change over your shoes to free your toes, but have you thought about your socks?
It turns out that socks can matter just as much as shoes when it comes to letting your toes be as natural and straight as they should be. It’s been shown via X-ray:
And we’ve seen it in person right in our own house:
That pic shows a 5-month difference between my 4-year-old wearing socks that are his correct size and socks that are sized up to let his toes be unrestricted. Since then, we’ve sized up even more to get him in socks that are basically the length of his foot while my older 2 either wear toe socks or no socks. Since that picture, he’s gained even more toe splay and control and I can’t wait to see the transformation he’ll show at a full year.
To test your own socks, trace your bare foot and then putting on your socks. Stand on the outline and see if your socks are pulling your toes inward.
Once you’re ready to fix your socks, you can find traditional socks, toe socks, or Tabi socks for your needs. Here, we’re talking all about Tabi.
What are Tabi Socks?
Tabi socks are a split-toe design where the big toe has its own pocket and the other 4 toes share a separate pocket. The name comes from Japan, and the design was popularized in Japanese culture and remains so today. The roots, however, go back much further and the earliest identified pair of this split-toe design is from ancient Egypt.
Benefits of Tabi include the ability of the big toe to be completely straight and independent, as well as the 4 outer toes sharing a pocket which gives them increased warmth in cool environments. Additionally, while toe socks work great with sandals, they do add material between every single toe, which may lead to you over-splaying your sandals, giving Tabi an edge in wear-with-sandals-ability.
A drawback is that many of the designs barely give the 4-toe pocket any extra width over the single big toe pocket, as they only consider the big toe to be important. This can still be an improvement over a traditional and highly restrictive sock, but if you’re well into barefoot shoes you’re going to want a Tabi design that gives all your toes the room they need.
Not all Tabi socks are created equal though:
Read on to see which would work best for you.
Bedrocks Tabi Socks from Injinji
Bedrocks Sandals carries Tabi socks made by Injinji. They have the most generous width of any I’ve tested and have a mini-crew height and medium weight, making them suitable for cool conditions and winter wear. The texture of these is like a thicker athletic sock. This provides warmth, but not excessively so.
They are available in 2 colors – Granite (pictured) and Cactus – and the S / M / L sizes cover everything from W 6-12+ and M 5-13. While they are designed to work with toe-post sandals in different weather, they could also serve well as a semi-warm sock inside winter boots. The colors say ‘outdoor’ and ‘male’ pretty loudly, and I would love for them to have at least 1 really colorful choice like a red or orange.
For more information about Bedrocks Sandals, check out my review here. To buy your own warm Tabi socks, check out their site here.
Materials: 33% Coolmax, 65% Nylon, 2% Lycra
Earth Runners Tabi Socks
Earth Runners sent me a pair of their wool Tabi socks to try. They are a wool blend and have an arch support band, while the rest of the socks feel thick and padded. Like the Bedrocks above, they are specifically intended to be worn with the sandals in cool or cold weather. I find that they instantly show the properties of the wool when you put them on, as they quite well hold your natural body temperature and regulate your foot comfort as a complement to that.
The color trend on these is earthy grey and brown and I would love for some more vibrance, but they will certainly work well for blending in with natural environments and with the overall Earth Runners aesthetic. These too could be worn inside boots, but they’re pretty thick and you may need a size up from your normal. I was on the border of 2 sizes and sized up, and that was a good choice for my high-volume feet. If you’re feet are more medium in width or low volume, you should stick to your normal size. Either way, avoid shrinkage by hand-washing them.
For more information about Earthrunners, check out my review that covers all 3 footbeds. You can buy your own Tabi socks on the Earth Runners website and save 10% with my discount code OWBSHOES, which is affiliate. They’re a taller crew length and have S / M / L sizes available covering 4M 6W up through 13M 15W.
Materials: 53% Merino Wool, 30% Nylon, 12% Acrylic & 5% Lycra Spandex
Amazon Tabi Socks
My journey with Tabi socks started on with some packs off Amazon even before I had heard of barefoot shoes, because they are great for wearing with flip-flops too (which you totally should NOT do, and here is a detailed resource of suggestions for how to ditch your flip-flops for good).
The thing I’ve found consistent about Amazon Tabi socks is that they are playing heavily to the middle ground of those who are wearing restrictive socks and shoes every day. The pouches are not nearly large enough for my outer 4 toes. They will work best for people wearing barefoot shoes who have thin/narrow/low volume feet.
The plus side of Amazon Tabi socks is they are So. Colorful. and So Fun.
Ubumo – These Tabi socks are by a brand I love in 5-toed socks and have vibrant color options or straight neutrals in very affordable multi-packs. They are a thin fabric like a dress sock, but feel more casual in texture.
Materials: cotton, polyester fibre and spandex (percentages unlisted)
3-4 years ago I tried a couple of different packs, which I can no longer find on Amazon, but I vividly remember how they felt. Basically, women’s options will work best for smaller sizes. Don’t push up the limit on these because they definitely run small.
Women will get a nice variety of neutral solid colors like these, cute patterns like these, and colorful options like these. You can even get no-show/hidden Tabi socks like these. Materials tend to be a mix of cotton, polyester, and spandex (when listed).
Tabio Tabi Socks
As the name indicates, Tabio is a key place to get Tabi socks. They offer women’s Tabi socks and options for men seeking Tabi socks, as well, but I haven’t tried them. I do have 5-toe options from Tabio and I find them to be some of the snuggest sock options, and am guessing they would be best for narrow and medium feet, and not appropriate for wide feet.
Materials: vary by model, but can be Washi paper, cotton, or silk as some examples
Cool East Market Tabi Socks (Canada)
If you’re in Canada, the barefoot shoes retailer Cool East Market has some of the most affordable Tabi socks options. They source them directly from a manufacturer and they are unbranded, which cuts out some of the extra cost. They include kids and adults options, and even specialty choices like stockings with a Tabi construction.
Final Thoughts
Tabi was my first brush with healthy footwear and will always hold a special place for me. I became really anti-Tabi for a long time in the middle because I was wearing too-small options that made my feet look like lobster claws. But now, thanks to well-designed options like Bedrocks and Earth Runners, I’m coming back around again. They can make a great addition to your barefoot shoes and give your toes the space they need. Just make sure you size for your personal feet needs and enjoy the freedom.
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