I have walked 500 miles (and have the blisters to show)

I have walked enough miles in bloody shoes and hobbled down too many roads to realize that band-aids just don’t cut it for blisters. While interning in New York my senior year of college I tried every form of blister protection: special blister band-aids, moleskin, Dr. Scholl’s and at the end of the day I was still soaking my feet in Epsom salt baths and cringing with every step.

By CC Staff

Luckily, I didn’t give up. I tried every product in or around the foot care section of Duane Reade before stumbling upon an ingenious blister blocker: surgical tape. It stays on for the entire day and is thin enough to not create any discomfort between your feet and your oh-so-fabulous shoes. It works great as a preventive blister measure; and in my case so many times, after the fact to keep those shoddy band-aids in place.

Even better, though, is the fact that it is clear; making it less obvious you’ve wrapped your feet up like a post-op patient.

While my surgical tape is always in my purse, there are a few new blister protectors out on the market gathering rave reviews. I’m looking to try band-aids new blister blocker stick, which looks like a teeny-tiny stick of deodorant and smells pretty damn good too. (A co-worker showed the new goods during our after work drinks as we swapped blister tips.) It works a bit like deodorant as well, as you just apply it on your foot before you hit the town.

Another new product I’m dying to try (if twenty extra bucks ever comes my way) is invisi-sole. Unlike other products, this rubber-like liquid is painted onto your shoes, instead of your feet, and is pulled right off at the end of the night. With invisi-sole there is no sticky residue or unseemly tape lines to deal with. But for $19.99 for 10-12 uses and roughly 30 minutes drying time, it takes way more planning than the other quick fixes.

Unfortunately my feet have already sustained permanent damage from my uncomfortable shoe habit. Luckily, there’s always my trusty surgical tape and a few new products just waiting for my rigorous tests.