u/zoltan_nikon

Walking barefoot has become such an important part of my life. It makes me feel free and helps me experience something new. However, I’ve started to notice that my skin is drier than usual, and callouses are forming more quickly. To prevent cracked heels, I use a cream before bed every day, and once a week I soak my feet and scrub the skin with a pumice stone. I’m curious about your daily or weekly foot‑care routine. Also, how do you deal with dirt that won’t come off your skin after a longer walk?

Today I decided to take a short walk—this time not in a park, but near a river. I went to the river, took off my flip-flops, and wandered around, enjoying the light breeze in the hot weather. The pavement was a mixture of concrete and gravel, so it had an interesting texture that felt almost like a massage. I took smaller steps so I wouldn’t shave off the skin on my soles 😂

I was still a bit nervous about somebody staring at me, but I noticed there were other people doing the same thing. It felt really nice to walk around barefoot, especially knowing I wasn’t the only person doing it.

I’m fairly new to barefoot shoes and barefoot walking. A couple of months ago, I decided to give them a try but didn’t want to invest in anything expensive right away, since I wasn’t sure whether I’d enjoy the experience. I ended up buying a pair of HEAD Taahir for around 40 EUR, and honestly—they’ve been fantastic.

The shoes are lightweight, have thin flexible soles, and the fabric is nicely breathable. I use them for walking, running, and even at the gym. I’ve thrown them in the washing machine a few times, and they’ve held up surprisingly well.

I’m not sure whether they’re available in the US or Asia, but if you’re in the EU and want an affordable entry point into barefoot footwear, these are absolutely worth considering.

https://preview.redd.it/4wuyhxpp0p5h1.jpg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74fee605eddad2bf38953bef969aa6f1a6b66dd8

https://preview.redd.it/grafkzpp0p5h1.jpg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8139a790e9aeaa174ae91c142ee57d0a0ecdd98f

I plan to buy a pair of Merrell Trail Glove 8 shoes to use for outdoor walks and running. If anyone has already bought them, I’m curious about your opinion—are they good for running, how comfortable are they, and can you feel the ground when walking in them?

As I mentioned in my previous comments in this subreddit, a month ago I listened to a podcast where they talked about the importance of our feet in keeping the whole body in balance. This includes foot strength, toe splay, correcting foot shape caused by narrow shoes, and so on. I'm already a gym‑goer, so my first step was to introduce leg exercises into my weekly routine. But something was missing: getting rid of the shoes that had caused my poor foot strength in the first place.

I started going barefoot inside the house, ditching my socks and slippers, and for my walks and the gym I bought a pair of barefoot shoes. After reading your stories, I felt I could go a step further and try walking barefoot in a park. Today was the day. I went to the park, took my shoes off, and started walking barefoot in the grass. I was really nervous at first, but that feeling started to fade, especially since I was the only person in the park and passersby couldn’t see whether I had shoes on because the grass was high enough to hide my feet. I spent an hour walking there, enjoying this new experience. In the shade the ground was cold and moist; in the sun it was warm. I even managed to step on a nettle and a pine cone, but it wasn’t that bad — I considered it part of the experience.

Did I go home barefoot? No 😂 I cleaned my feet with wet wipes, put my shoes back on, and went home. Tomorrow I plan to do the same. Thank you all for the encouragement — I really enjoyed today’s adventure.

Today I was thinking about how most of us live in urban environments. While going barefoot in nature sounds amazing, what about the concrete jungle? Even with city cleaning crews on the job, our streets are still full of hazards like glass shards, needles, and sharp metal. How do you avoid stepping on something dangerous? Have you ever actually ended up in the hospital because of a barefoot mishap?

I am curious about your stories on when and what was the reason to go barefoot? Feel more free? Health?

I’m curious whether being barefoot is allowed in the gym? I’ve been a regular gym‑goer for 3 years, but I’ve never seen anyone train without shoes—not even in socks. Is this usually prohibited for safety reasons?

I started using barefoot shoes for walks and the gym, and I was wondering if this type of shoe—since it's called 'barefoot'—should be used with or without socks? What I noticed is that when I use the shoes without socks, my grippers get a little bit stinky. This never happened when using them with socks. Could it be the quality of the shoes? I'm using a cheap, 40-euro pair of barefoot shoes, not Vivobarefoot or other well-known brands.

I see all these Vivo, Xero, Vibram barefoot shoes, but I wonder if companies like Nike or Adidas offer barefoot shoes with wide toebox? I tried to do a quick google search, with no luck.

A month ago I started walking barefoot in the house. I always kept the house clean, however my feet still collected dust. Nowadays I sweep the floor, vacuum the carpet and wash the tiles more, so my feet will stay clean. Am I exaggerating? I mean I still take a shower before bed so I don't bring any dirt in my bed.