Product Worth the Price: Band-Aid Friction Block Stick

Now that our rainy and cold Memorial Day weekend is behind us, I think it’s safe to say we’ve officially hit the summer heat. And while I welcome the days of sandals and sockless shoes, those breezy shoes mean something else is also coming: ankle and foot blisters.

Keeping an eye out for leather and cotton shoes is helpful as they are the least blister-inducing. The natural fibers give more, so the shoe is able to shape to one’s foot instead of the other way around. I was pleased to find this pair at the Gap which has a leather upper. For the Gap, I was not expecting to find a pair that would also include a leather sole, so the top portion in leather was enough to get me to try it out. I'm hoping the cutouts will cancel out the cheap soles and make them comfortable in the heat.

Bass shoes, on the other hand, do use full leather for close to the same price (and they are made in the U.S.A.), but their summer styles won’t be as pretty with all my summer dresses. Everyone’s favorite alternative to a running shoe, Toms, is another great summer option. The cotton is pretty gentle on heat-swollen feet, pairs nicely with many summer styles, and a relatively generous cut makes adding an insert possible. They can also be worn to death and then tossed in the washing machine. My very glamorous cousin wore a pair throughout her Mozambique honeymoon, and raved about how they stood up to both the heat and trekking through the lowlands.

Photo credit: AM

Cheaply made flats will not be so forgiving. The man-made materials make feet swell up even more in the heat. But whether they are made from man-made or natural materials, shoes often pinch during the first few wears, and going sockless only makes the pinching and rubbing worse, so sometimes fun Band-Aids are the only solution. However, I have had great luck with the Band-Aid® Friction Block™ Stick.

One must be consistent about applying it throughout a long, hot day, but if she is liberal with application, the stick will absolutely keep blisters away. I have found that it needs to be applied the minute a pinch or rub is felt, and re-applied like sunscreen. Depending on my activities, this might be every hour, or just a couple times a day. I keep it in my purse all summer, and use far fewer Band-Aids, fun or otherwise, because of it.



Band-Aid® Friction Block™ Stick
Cynthia Rowley Band-Aids

Gap Shoe similar (Try in-store for the brown ones)
Bass Shoes
Toms Shoes

(I test a lot of products. In order for it to be a Products Worth the Price, it must be an item I've lived with for a while and absolutely will purchase again.)