Friday, March 1, 2013

The Miracle of DeFeet

It's almost my trademark... My feet are ALWAYS cold!


I've been this way as long as I can remember. Seriously, when I was an exchange student living in Norway, I was so notorious for my cold feet that everybody I knew bought me socks for Christmas. That's not an exaggeration either. I think I got 26 pairs of socks that year.


It didn't help though.

Over the years I've tried just about every foot warming technique known to mankind. I've tried socks of every conceivable material.

I've tried cotton socks, and wool, and polypropylene, and nylon, and fleece, and even some crazy heat reflecting metallic stuff. I've tried sheepskin slippers and down booties, neoprene foot covers, and even a pair of battery operated heated slippers.


The thing is, my feet sweat. So as soon as they start to get warm, they get wet, and then they're cold again.


Until recently, the best system I had was to wear lightweight cotton socks under a thicker layer of wool, fleece, or slippers. This would work for an hour or two until the socks got wet, and then I'd have to change the inner cotton socks.

That would work for most of the day, but usually by evening my toes would be numb and white, and the only option would be to soak them in a bucket of hot water.


BUT... there's been a very exciting development in the land of frozen toes! I recently read an article on a biking blog about techniques for keeping your feet warm on winter rides. The universal opinion was that wool was the material of choice. I'd tried riding with thick rag-wool socks, but my feet were numb and frozen within minutes.


However, when I was at the bike shop looking for winter bike gloves (my fingers get cold too) I happened upon some socks made by a company called DeFeet.
They were wool, but not like any wool sock I'd ever seen before. Instead of the thick loose weave that most wool socks have, these are relatively thin (about the thickness of a standard gym sock) and the material is dense and tightly woven - with no characteristic scratchy wool feeling.


Soooo... I decided that since I had a gift certificate, I really didn't have much to lose, so I got a pair.


Alas, they didn't keep my feet warm on the bike... sigh.

BUT, a few days later when I was awakened in the middle of the night by a crying kitty, and needed to go down into the cold basement to investigate, they were still sitting on top of my dresser, so I grabbed them and tossed them onto my tootsies to protect them from the cold cement floor.


Suffice it to say that three weeks later, they still haven't left my feet. I'm not quite sure how they're working, but this is the first time in my life that I've been able to go an entire winter day without changing socks, and without losing feeling in my toes!


Maybe it's because they are tight fitting? Maybe they're just the right thickness to keep my feet warm without inducing sweating? I really can't say.

But one thing's for sure... wearing the same pair of socks every day all winter long isn't gonna cut it!


So I went on eBay and found them on sale for $9/pair, and bought several more pairs. I'm really hoping that this will make the rest of winter feel significantly less miserable.

Now, if I could just figure out how to keep my toes warm on my bike... Well, one victory at a time...


How about you? Do you suffer from cold feet? What works for you?

18 comments :

  1. My feet are always cold also, but not as severely as yours. I too am always searching for the perfect pair of socks. First to keep my feet warm and two to work with the way my shoes fit with inserts.

    I like my socks a little thicker, but it looks like I should give these a try. Going shopping right now.

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    1. These socks were actually marketed as "thick" so I guess by biking standards these are thick? I dunno...

      Anyhow, hope they work for you... let me know! :-)

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  2. Well, I'm in Florida so NO SNOW to worry about. I'm barefoot year round unless I must wear shoes (work & shopping). My feet sweat like crazy & have rarely ever gotten cold. Next time you go to the doctor have him/her check your pulse in your feet & ankles - it could be poor circulation. How about getting someone to knit mittens for each of your toes?

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    1. Well... my feet don't usually get cold in the summer time, it's just during the winter that it's unbearable. But you do raise a good point about circulation, I'll check into that!

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  3. I've tried the battery socks, too. Those just made my legs hurt, with the elastic band to hold the batteries on. If I wear socks and shoes, my feet stay warm. I never just wear socks around the house. I'd like to learn to knit socks. Then I could make them just exactly how I like.

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    1. My feet sweat terribly in shoes, but they're also problematic around the house because I've been known to step on a wayward fe-lion when not paying attention! My mother made me some hand knitted socks once... but I think it's hard to get the weave tight enough to be really warm when you make them by hand.

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  4. The issue seems to be sweaty feet. Reduce sweating / reduce chilling. My husband had the same, excessive foot sweating problem. He found some powder that you sprinkle in your shoes. It reduces sweating (and stinky smelling.) And after using it regularly for a lengthy period his feet weren't sweating excessively any more. Sorry I don't remember the name / brand but I'm sure you could find it in any drugstore.

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    1. Hmmm.... foot powder, now that's something I hadn't considered. Thanks for the tip, I'll check into it!

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  5. I have problems with cold feet at bedtime, mainly because a cat on the lap isn't great for circulation, and then I can't get to sleep. Someone told me that if you dunk your feet in icy water it stimulates the blood flow and they warm up. I haven't actually brought myself to try this, though...

    On the subject of feet sweating in shoes, I wonder what material your shoes are made of? Leather 'breathes' whereas synthetic substitutes don't.

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    1. Eee gads... I don't think I'll be trying the icy water trick any time soon!

      Good point about the shoes, but I actually seldom wear them these days. When I do, it's usually my wool Birkenstock clogs, or else my leather Birkenstock shoes. When I'm out walking or working in the garden I wear cheap athletic shoes, which are made from god-knows-what synthetic material, but my feet don't tend to get cold when they're working, just when they're hanging out at home!

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  6. I'm so happy for your success! :D Those little things can really make a difference when it comes to quality of life. A few years ago I cut my long hair into a bob, and I've been keeping it that way ever since. One of the reasons I did that was because I sleep on my side, and I like to turn from one side to the other a few times before I fall asleep, and it was just such a hazzle to turn my long hair along with me each time I wanted to change sides, if you know what I mean. The "Oh hai r u my feetz?"-picture was just TOO cute! Where do you find all those pictures?!

    Maria

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    1. You're sooo right Maria... it's the little things in life that make all the difference!

      I totally love hunting for cute lolcat pictures. I usually have the best luck with Google image search, although since they've changed it, it doesn't work as well. I may try Bing or Yahoo. I've tried going straight to the icanhazcheesburger site, but it's harder to find things that way.

      Sometimes, my blog posts are really just and excuse to spend an hour or two cruising the interwebs looking for cute kitty memes. Seriously, for every one I post, there are probably 20-30 that I just enjoy looking at!

      Delete
  7. My hands and feet are always cold from about November through March. Wearing cotton socks with slippers seems to work for me. I also cover up with a blanket and microwave my corn sack for extreme situations. :)

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    1. I have a microwaveable heating pad too... but I can't use the grain filled ones because they produce "moist heat" which tends to make my problem worse! The best one I've found is actually designed for pets.

      Come on spring!!!!! :-)

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  8. I always have cold feet too, and usually refuse to turn the heater on (I live in a much warmer climate than you!). The socks look like they are made of merino wool, which is thinner and less itchy than normal wool, but super-warm.

    I have never heard of battery-operated socks. Crazy!

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    1. You're right... they are merino wool... What does that mean? Does it come from merino sheep? Well, whatever it is, they are fabulous!

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  9. I have cold feet and hands all winter long. I used to have a nice willing body to let me sandwich my feet and hands along body parts, but alas no more. I have been this way all my life. I may have to try those socks even though I hate any thing on my feet. I do sleep with socks when my feet are really, really cold or they prevent me from getting to sleep. It's like living with an ice cube. Speaking of which I will not be trying the ice water trick either, that just sounds painful.

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    1. My feet are downright toasty at the moment... this is totally unheard of for me! These socks are nice because they're short, so they don't bunch up or bug my legs like longer ones do. As far as I'm concerned they're worth their weight in gold!

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