I Get Nasty Blisters with my FiveFingers... Why ???

A buddy of mine, which converted to FiveFingers minimalist footwear 6 months ago, came to my lab a couple weeks back and we discussed his issues with massive blisters on the great toes, on the side of the foot and heel.

This, according to my friend, appears to happen after a 8 or more miles run. Joe does not wear socks just like many of us VFF-ers .... Blisters that he never had before and, so far, are a recent occurrence.

So I proceeded to elaborate on blisters, causes, effects, and remedies. (A little science is always fun)

BLISTERS
It turns out that blisters are pretty common among athletes, that they wear socks or not. Blisters develop when the feet and the footwear continuously rub together, causing the outer layers of the skin to separate from the inner layers; the gap created is then filled with lymph fluids. Then come the pain.

Blisters normally will heal on their own; the lymph fluid is reabsorbed and disappear and as you shed your outer skin everything looks good soon after.

Some blisters will pop (or sometimes we do it our-self) causing them to become infected. Medical attention is highly recommended if you see blood and some yellow liquids coming out of the blister bubble.

On such injuries I always use MoleSkin from Dr. Scholl's or whatever is similar to "MoleSkin". This product provides a waterproof shield and really relieves the pain associated with blisters. I clean and dry the area to be treated, cover the hot spots with patches of MoleSkin , put my favorite footwear back on and keep going.

What are the culprits in causing blisters on your feet?

• Moisture
• Heat
• Friction
• Slippage footwear not properly secured or too big
• Fungal infections of the skin

While walking downtown to get a good cup of Java, Joe asked me if my feet were slipping in my VFF's . After telling him that I never had such problems I decided to get a closer look at his problem.

While quizzing Joe about his running habits I found out that he cleaned his VFF's on average once a month., runs every days for at least 1 hr and wear his VFF"s for at least 10 hrs a day.

Then Joe tells me " I feel like my feet are slipping in my VFF's after I wear them for 30 minutes ..."

Then I thought ..... Oh Yeah ... Dead skin, Sebum, body fat, ....... !

So, I told Joe to give it a try to my methods:

• Clean your VFF's every nights,
• Make sure they are dry before you wear them again
• Clean your feet before you wear your VFF's .....
• And let's see what happens.

He agreed.

Just got a call from Joe this evening .... Will be having coffee tomorrow PM .... And the good news are that Joe has been blister free for 2 weeks; he is a pretty happy camper again.......

Yes, it's a fact that poorly maintained FiveFingers and poor hygiene will cause all sorts of problems including nasty blisters that will most definitely hamper your exercise routine.


Have Fun and Keep it Clean !

Agent Orange Blossom.

 Note:

Probably the easiest way to clean your VFF's is to jump in the shower with them, and when you are done, use the suds as you are rinsing, a quick rub then rinse again and you are done.  All you have left to do is to let your VFF's dry in a coll, well ventilated area overnight.

Also see my article on the topic: Link below.
http://fivefingers-tips.blogspot.com/2011/09/stinky-fivefingers-other-minimalist.html

FiveFingers Repair ** How To ** From A to Z

Although Vibram is more than excellent with their outstanding 90 days Warranty exchange "No questions Asked" policy on all their FiveFingers products, there are times when you truly wish that the Vibram Warranty would go forever.

So, when something dramatic happens to your most favorite footwear you must come up with something creative to fix the problem permanently. For instance, a friend brought me a pair of VFF's SPRINT in pretty bad shape and I looked into the problem and devised this repair.

I also had my favorite blue BIKILA big toe come unglued; time to fix this too!

To make an effective and permanent repair on your VFF's you will need some basic tools, such as:

• Denatured Alcohol
• Cotton Swabs
• Locking Clamps
• Pressure Clamps
• Dental Pick
• Shoe Goo
• High Density Foam (not necessary but very practical)

Shoe Goo ... Why ??? Shoe Goo is a "flexible when dry" polyurethane bonding agent that contains Toluene (C₆H₅CH₃₎, a clear, water-insoluble liquid; Chemically it is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, i.e. one in which a single hydrogen atom from the benzene molecule has been replaced by a univalent group, in this case CH3. Since it is a solvent, Toluene will react with nylons, polyamides & polyurethanes based fabrics by fusing them together when pressure is applied to the materials. The results are a waterproof bond that will last.

It should be said that I also investigated other glues and had some pretty awful results:

Crazy Glue leaves a hard crunchy residue that will crack easily and further damage your VFF"s
Rubber Cement gave me the worse results, causing discoloration, and the repair came unglued with the first wash. I got a similar result with LocTite Stik'n Seal and SuperGlue.


The best way to repair a partially detached sole or pad from the fabric is as follows:

• Thoroughly clean and dry your Fivefingers
• Use a dental pick to remove dust dirt glue scraps
• Clean the area with denatured alcohol and let dry for 30 min
• Use the plastic end of a cotton swab and apply a thin even coat of Shoe Goo on both sides of the area to be repaired
• Align the 2 pieces together and press between fingers
• Install the clamps evenly across the glued area
• Allow to dry completely for 24 Hrs in a ventilated area.
• Keep in mind that the bonding process works much better at temperatures above 66 °F
• Use Crazy Glue only to reset the laces in the Velcro/leather tab on the LS series.

Here are a couple pictures of the process: (click on Picture for larger view)

Tools of the Trade


FiveFingers SPRINT ** before repair TOP ** Clamped Middle ** Completed Repair Bottom
Here is an example of a repair on a MOC pad:
Repair Work for Detaching side on KSO
BIKILA toe bumper repair; the foam toes are inserted to provide leverage & grip

BIKILA Toe Repair Completed (at only 700 miles got to take care of them)

Are My FiveFingers VFF"s Clean Yet ???

Stinky FiveFingers and Other Minimalist Footwear that we Love to Wear Barefoot?

I hear and see horror stories about the unbearable funk that follow some users like a nuclear mushroom over their heads and t heir feet…. God forbid when they take them off .... Run for your life !
I have to admit that, since my first pair back in 2005, I have never encountered such problem ever. I have taken some time to specially investigate the funk phenomenon at my lab using some of my friends' VFF's that have the issue haunting them. You sure do not want to wait till your partner ask you to spend the night on the back porch ... !
Here is the scoop:
Foot odor come from sweat, dead skin and the Corynebacteria and Micrococci bacteria;
A human foot, with it’s 250,000 sweat glands, during the course of a day can sweat up to 1/2 pint of liquids composed of the following ingredients: Fatty Acids, Urea, Sebum and many other organic compounds. Just add a little heat from your body a couple days of wear compounded by accumulating materials then you just made yourself the ultimate stink bomb. You just uncovered the bio-chemist in you ... !
When you wear regular shoes or sneakers with socks you don’t wear your same socks for an entire week… Socks absorb sweat & dead skin. When your wear VFF’s barefoot your footwear absorb sweat & dead skin. That needs to be washed or it will stink, sometimes very very bad, depending on the individual’s chemistry …..
I have these simple rules:

• I wash my feet before I get in my VFF’s 
• I apply  Crystal salts on my feet after a shower on hot days
• I jump in the shower and clean-rinse my VFF’s (with a little sud from my body-wash) at the end of the day, then let them air dry wherever there is air circulation (be creative here, a window seal in summer no direct sun, near an air vent in winter no direct heat).
• Every 2-3 days, depending on my daily activities My VFF’s will get a real wash in the machine and will air day as usual.
• Always use lukewarm or cold water with regular laundry detergent when using a washing machine.
• Always Dry my VFF"s away from the sun or heat sources and in a well ventilated area.

Never let you VFF"s go out of control. The more you wait, the more difficult it will be to get your VFF's clean again.

It all comes down to Basic hygiene; Prevention and a good maintenance regimen will give you years of fun times with your FiveFingers footwear. I am not a clean freak but since I was born with only 1 pair of feet and I hear that they are not replaceable I'd rather take good care of them and my footwear too.

Providing that you can stand socks, Injinji is a premier maker of sport toe socks & liners that works perfect with FiveFingers footwear. This solution works beautifully but if you choose not to wear socks then clean, clean clean.... repeat ... clean, clean, clean ...

There is also the issue with "hyperactive sweat glands";  a quick remedial is to spray a thin coat of antiperspirant  on the bottom of your feet.  This has worked very efficiently for our test subjects with that condition.

I also need to stress the fact that wearing dirty footwear without socks will drastically increase your risk in developing severe blistering caused by slippage.  (I also have an article on this topic in my blog here)

Among other we investigated the following products:

• Lysol
• UV Light bacteria killer
• Mouthwash
• Peroxide (H2O2)
• Vinegar / Water mix
• OxyClean
• Denture tablets
• Baking Soda pockets
• Fabric Softener sheet
  
• Sportzyme by Norwex
• SteriShoe™ shoe sanitizer
• Crystal  deodorant salts

Is my Footwear Clean Yet ???

It wasn't easy but fun, it took some time and finally I have some very interesting results on a range of cleaning methods for out of control funk on FiveFingers.

The research work and all products & footwear used in the process were funded by myself, for the sheer benefit of my own curiosity.

Each product or recipe was graded as follow:

• From 1 to 10 as 1 is the least efficient and 10 the most efficient
• A $ represents the cheapest methods and $$$$$ the most expensive.Enjoy and give them a try

---PRODUCT---------------------------- Effectiveness--Cost per month

• Lysol ---------------------------------------------- 6------ $
• UV Light bacteria killer --------------------------- 7------ $$$$$
• Mouthwash -------------------------------------------4------ $
• Peroxide (H2O2) -------------------------------------7------ $
• Vinegar / Water mix ---------------------------------7----- $
• OxyClean ------------------------------------------- 8------ $$
• Denture tablets -------------------------------------8------ $$$
• Baking Soda pockets ---------------------------------9------ $$
• Fabric Softener sheet -------------------------------8------ $
  
• Sportzyme by Norwex ---------------------------------7------ $$$
• SteriShoe™ shoe sanitizer -------------------------- 7------ $$$$$
• Crystal Deodorant Salts -----------------------------10 ----- $
  

The research is based on the following:

• 3 consecutive days of wear @ 12 hrs per day
• same activities on each test pair
• We used 6 pairs of KSO All black, Size 44
• 1 shoe used for each test cleaning method
• 1 shoe left out since the experiment requires 11 units

The VFF's were carefully cleaned and processed in the same manner; the cleaning process was followed by a 12 hrs drying period in a controlled environment consisting of a box 36x36x24 with the item placed on a stainless steel mesh shelf. 2 fans developing 15 cfm were used with a 25 watts incandescent light bulb, the temperature inside the container was at 77.5 Deg. F. Relative humidity was contained and kept constant at 30%.

A bacteria culture was conducted in an inert medium after the drying cycle was completed. Colonies count were conducted after 24 hrs of incubation.
My Thanks to 2 interns with keen olfactory senses for providing the human sniff of approval.

Analysis and results:



Some of the best results come the simplest ideas !
Take your daily shower with your footwear, when your are done, give em a quick rinse and let them dry in a cool ventilated area overnight.  Your favorite footwear will be ready for you, cleaned and bacteria free, ready to to take you to more fun places !  And every 3  days or so give them a good wash in the washing machine !  It's the most simple method and the quickest too !  On hot days I apply Crystal deodorants rock salts on sole of my feet right after my shower; these salts inhibit bacterial growth to nearly 100%.  That combination is the most efficient VFF's odor control to date.  Nothing else comes remotely close to this method.

I must say that OxyClean and the baking soda pockets were the most efficient of all the tryouts. OxyClean was used in the sink at 30% dilution with a soak in warm water for 5 minutes followed by a quick hand scrub then a rinse with clean water followed by air dry. OxyClean will not affect the colors of your footwear. It's formula Na₂CO₃•H₂O₂ is composed of sodium carbonate and peroxide. It is eco-friendly and nitrogen and phosphorus free.

The other systems that worked very well were a clean water rinse the dry the VFF"s with a Arm & Hammer softener sheet on the foot-bed (or the Baking Soda Pocket) and a regular dry period. (Other brands of softener sheets gave very poor results as in general it left a very unpleasant mixture of foot funk - flowers scent potpourri)

The denture tablets are interesting ..... Soak for 4 Hrs, wash in the machine, air dry .... The result is minty fresh VFF's providing that you have 6 to 8 hrs to fiddle with a cleaning process. For my own taste I'd rather clean in 10 minutes and enjoy a nice trail trek for the next 5 to 6 hrs. ... (There was still a lingering very mild smell of foot funk mixed with mint post clean-up)

The UV lights systems (SteriShoe and a couple of others) are interesting, cost more than $150.00 for the system. Yes, it will kill the bacteria causing stench but it will leave all the dead bodies on the insoles. You will still have to wash clean the accumulated dead gunk once every other week or you will be in a very slippery mess ....

Mouthwash, vinegar and peroxide do work well but will not kill everything and there will still be a pesky smell remaining.

Sportzyme and worked OK; it's an expensive product that I believe to be overpriced for its performance.

Lysol was very interesting, as it did removed the smell but the bacterias were mostly still active after treatment was applied. And I am told that there was a slippery feeling in the VFF's afterward.

For people with severe foot sweating,  a simple solution is to spray antiperspirant on your clean dry feet before donning your footwear.  It's simple and works great. No sweat, no stink !

I am sure that, as the time goes by, there will be new tricks used to clean your favorite footwear.

Then again, I must emphasize the following:

Never let you VFF"s go out of control. The more you wait, the more difficult it will be to get your VFF's clean again. 

Also, your VFF's will last much longer if you keep them clean. 
Keep in mind that sebum, sweat and other fatty acids are formidable enemies of rubber compounds and other synthetic textiles. 

It all comes down to Basic hygiene; Prevention and a good maintenance regimen will give you years of fun times with your FiveFingers footwear. I am not a clean freak but since I was born with only 1 pair of feet and I hear that they are not replaceable I'd rather take good care of them and my footwear too.

Providing that you can stand wearing socks, Injinji is a premier maker of sport toe socks & liners that works perfect with FiveFingers footwear. This solution works beautifully but if you choose not to wear socks then clean, clean clean.... repeat ... clean, clean, clean ...

Agent Orange Blossom

Keep on Trekking !

Notes:



Dirty minimalistic footwear can also cause nasty blisters;  here is the rundown on the topic
Blisters, Tips & Prevention

Tea Tree Oil appears to dissolve the glue on our test trails .. so, if you use the oil be very careful.
Info on Culture Media for the Growth of Bacteria
©2000 Kenneth Todar, University of Wisconins-Madison

This article is a follow-up to my previous entry on the same topic. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend it; it's very informative, and can be found here

http://fivefingers-tips.blogspot.com/2011/06/stinky-fivefingers-why-and-fix.html
Lysol, OxyClean, Sportzyme, SteriShoe, Arm&Hammer are commercial branded products owned by their own Copyrights on which I have no claim.

Look at my new FiveFingers ... Have I just been had ???

I see many FiveFingers enthusiasts sporting their new fancy footwear and at times, I just can't help it but telling them that what they wear is indeed a cheap counterfeit version of the real thing.... Oh! Yeah ! …. It sucks …..

Then it sucks even more when these folks try to get their money back … Good luck with that … Unless your banking institution wants to play very nice with you will be pretty much dead in the water with a product that will never perform as it was intended just because you wanted to save 15% from the original price.

Counterfeit FiveFingers are unfortunately manufactured during what I call “dark factory hours”; sort-of bring your buddies at night at the plant and lets make some money on the side by making a quick run on the Vibram equipment or similar hardware. Fortunately these people do not have access to the same materials and lasts that are used in the legal production of VFF's.

Usually, these dark workers would have purchased a real pair then made a CAD cast & mold for the foot-bed. That's the footwear version of reverse engineering. The final result is a piece of footwear that will look very similar the the real VFF's but will have a wider heel-cup and much wider ball of foot print as photographic enlargers are used to produce the size runs... The result is a footwear that fits loosely, poorly with toes, heels and ball of the foot not fitting properly. Materials used in the construction are also different from the Legal FiveFingers.

When in doubt, go to http://www.vibramfivefingers.com or http://www.vibramfivefingers.it/ to check for the official colorways and authorized retailers for your specific region. If it is not on either site then it is not from Vibram; it's that simple.

Here are some tips if knowing what you are purchasing …

Vibram Fivefingers soles are constructed of Vibram TC-1 performance natural rubber

Fakes use mostly a nylon polymer which is > 30% more heavier and lot more slippery (Who can forget the epic failure at the 2011 Ninja Warrior trails where this contestant wearing counterfeit KSO slipped on the spider walls like he was walking on butter)

Vibram Fivefingers uppers are constructed with abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric

Fakes uppers are constructed with lycra & Spandex fabric ironically mostly counterfeit scraps that did not pass quality control for their intended use.

The KSO have microfiber foot-bed with a 2 mil EVA insole and weighs 150 grams per foot.

The Fake KSO have a spandex foot-bed glued directly on the sole and weighs 250 grams per foot.

The KSO & TREKSPORT mesh upper is constructed with stretch polyamide , 0.47mm pores with a stretch coefficient of 12%

The Fakes are constructed with porous nylon spandex fabric, 1.05mm pores with a stretch coefficient of 34.2% (The KSO part of the footwear does not do a very good job at Keeping Stuff Out)

The Pads on BIKILA series are constructed with TC-1 Rubber

The Pads on Fake BIKILA series are made of nylon polymer with color added and glued on the sole.

Real VFF's that have the Vibram logo on the vamp is always yellow-Gold (CLASSIC & SPRINT often do not have the Vibram logo on the vamp)

Fakes VFF's that have the Vibram logo on the upper is often the wrong color.

The Vibram logo on the bottom of the sole is made of yellow fused rubber

The Vibram logo on fakes is pressed formed and painted in yellow or white) and the typeset is smaller.

Below you will find a series of pictures showing the difference between the real VFF's and the counterfeit. Look very carefully. It's very noticeable.

Shop carefully and enjoy your Vibram FiveFingers footwear.

Keep on trekking !

Agent Orange Blossom.

(Click on images for larger view)

SPEED the real ones vs the counterfeit

A great close-up of a fake's vamp with black Vibram logo

A good example of a counterfeit KSO with off color Toe pockets

Counterfeit with a non Vibram colorway

Perfect counterfeit example of the lighter mesh upper & spandex vamp that absorb water

Newest current counterfeit selections; notice the Spandex/Lycra vamps.

Look at the Vibram Logo Left & Center are counterfeit Right is Real Vibram Logo
A great comparison of real and counterfeit KSO in the popular Blue-Camo colorway

Great Real & Counterfeit BIKILA examples

Stinky FiveFingers ? Why ? And Prevention

I hear and see horror stories about the unbearable funk that follow some users like a nuclear mushroom over their heads and t heir feet…. God forbid when they take them off .... Run for your life !
I have to admit that, since my first pair back in 2005, I have never encountered such problem ever. I have taken some time to specially investigate the funk phenomenon at my lab using some of my friends' VFF's that have the issue haunting them. You sure do not want to wait till your partner ask you to spend the night on the back porch ... !
Here is the scoop:
Foot odor come from sweat, dead skin and the Corynebacteria and Micrococci bacteria;
A human foot, with it’s 250,000 sweat glands, during the course of a day can sweat up to 1/2 pint of liquids composed of the following ingredients: Fatty Acids, Urea, Sebum and many other organic compounds. Just add a little heat from your body a couple days of wear compounded by accumulating materials then you just made yourself the ultimate stink bomb. You just uncovered the bio-chemist in you ... !
When you wear regular shoes or sneakers with socks you don’t wear your same socks for an entire week… Socks absorb sweat & dead skin. When your wear VFF’s barefoot your footwear absorb sweat & dead skin. That needs to be washed or it will stink, sometimes very very bad, depending on the individual’s chemistry …..
I have these simple rules:

• I wash my feet before I get in my VFF’s
• I jump in the shower and clean-rinse my VFF’s (with a little sud from my body-wash) at the end of the day, then let them air dry wherever there is air circulation (be creative here, a window seal in summer no direct sun, near an air vent in winter no direct heat).
• Every 2-3 days, depending on my daily activities My VFF’s will get a real wash in the machine and will air day as usual.
• Always use lukewarm or cold water with regular laundry detergent when using a washing machine.
• Always Dry my VFF"s away from the sun or heat sources and in a well ventilated area.

Never let you VFF"s go out of control. The more you wait, the more difficult it will be to get your VFF's clean again.

It all comes down to Basic hygiene; Prevention and a good maintenance regimen will give you years of fun times with your FiveFingers footwear. I am not a clean freak but since I was born with only 1 pair of feet and I hear that they are not replaceable I'd rather take good care of them and my footwear too.

Providing that you can stand socks, Injinji is a premier maker of sport toe socks & liners that works perfect with FiveFingers footwear. This solution works beautifully but if you choose not to wear socks then clean, clean clean.... repeat ... clean, clean, clean ...

Agent Orange Blossom

NOTES:
I am investigating some cleaning methods for out of control funk; Each product or recipe is graded as follow: from 1 to 10 as 1 is the least efficient and 10 the most efficient; A $ represents the cheapest methods and $$$$$ the most expensive.

Updates will be posted daily. I expect the research work to be completed by June 15 2011. Visit this post often.

Among other we are investigating the following products:

• Lysol
• UV Light bacteria killer
• Mouthwash
• Peroxide (H2O2)
• Vinegar / Water mix
• OxyClean
• Denture tablets
• Baking Soda pockets
• Fabric Softener sheet
  
• Sportzyme by Norwex
• SteriShoe™ shoe sanitizer

If you have ideas or tricks please feel free to include them in the comment box below.
I always welcome other people input and comments.

Updates to this article can be found here: http://fivefingers-tips.blogspot.com/2011/06/are-my-fivefingers-vffs-clean-yet.html

Notes:
Lysol, OxyClean, Sportzyme, SteriShoe, Arm&Hammer are commercial branded products owned by their own Copyrights on which I have no claim.

SPEED or BIKILA LS or BIKILA ???? So Many Choices !

SPEED BIKILA & BIKILA LS Sole




Been asked today about the differences between the BIKILA and BILILA LS and SPEED ....

First the3 models in question have the same core sole;the BIKILA® features a Dri-Lex® covered 3mm polyurethane insole (thickest under the ball of the foot) and a 4mm anatomical pod outsole design that offers more plating for underfoot protection. It also distributes forefoot impact without compromising important ground feedback essential to a proper forefoot-strike running form. To finish off this breakthrough design, the upper has a more athletic padded collar and topline, a single hook-and-loop closure, 3M™ reflective surfaces and tear-resistant TPU toe protection.

The BIKILA LS has the same features and The BIKILA LS’ upper is constructed of Coconut Active Carbon for natural breathability.

The SPEED offers the same features as the BIKILA and the SPEED has a breathable Nylon/Poly sandwich mesh upper, a Lycra fabric flex zone on the upper vamp, and Non Slip Nylon Lace 10 eye System. The only noticeable difference is in the thickness of the insole which is roughly 1 mm thinner than the BIKILA, in general I find that the SPEED gives a better ground feedback.  Overall, the SPEED is definitely the perfect travel companion; not my choice for long runs but absolutely casual perfect for an all night-out.  

The BIKILA LS seems to fit a wider foot than the SPEED although, in my opinion, the SPEED offers a better, more precise lacing system than the BIKILA LS. Furthermore I also find, after 2 years of usage, that the SPEED is much more breathable (with the sandwich mesh upper) than the BIKILA LS. The SPEED also has a more casual look.

In the end it is up to each individual's comfort zone and you can expect the same performance, that you choose the BIKILA or the BIKILA LS  as your preferred running footwear. and the SPEED for casual wear.

Agent Orange Blossom


BIKILA LS top BIKILA Bottom


Thanks To Vibram Italy HQ for FiveFingers descriptions.