Whitin shoes come with a zero-drop flexible outsole, but the insole has a heel rise. This extra cushion makes them great for beginners! However, we’d definitely recommend swapping the insoles for zero-drop ones as you transition to barefoot shoes. While you can remove the insole, it may make the shoes less comfortable to wear and too voluminous for your feet. Sizing & fit: Whitin provides a size chart with internal lengths and widths listed, and we find it to be true to size. Just remember to leave about 12 mm of wiggle room for your feet. These shoes are best suited for medium and wide feet and fit well to different foot volumes. If your feet are on the wider side, you can always size up to gain even more width. Because of these benefits, the MBT index Dynamic is the perfect balance between easily standing still and a perfect unrolling while walking. Flexible material: Conventional shoes – especially hard dress shoes and high heels – do not allow our feet to bend with each step as they normally would, preventing natural walking and running movement. Sizing & fit: Saguaro shoes have a foot-shaped toe box that’s best suited for medium to wide feet. They can be adjusted well to different foot volumes, but keep in mind that their beach and water shoes have a small tapering at the tip of the toes. Some of their kids’ shoes can also have tapering at the big toe.

Running is a different story entirely. While walking on concrete with barefoot shoes can feel normal within a few weeks (provided you walk enough), running will take a lot longer. The standard advice is to start running on soft ground for a while before you transition to pounding the pavement of your local town or city. Landing on the midfoot, as opposed to heel-first, is the key to running barefoot without injury. Key features – Sizes available: UK6.4-14 (men’s), UK4-8 (women’s); Colours available: 3 (men’s), 2 (women’s) (some colours may be unavailable in some sizes); Other key details: Lightweight and flexible, notably snugSplay is a US-based brand that offers some of the most affordable barefoot shoes for both kids and adults. Their collection includes leather shoes, slip-ons, and other styles for adults. Splay initially started with their kids’ collection and after its successful launch, they expanded their collection to offer several styles for adults. The latest addition to their collection is the updated version of their slip-ons and leather sneakers for adults. And remember to keep the runs short at first, then build them up slowly, so that the nerves, muscles, tendons and bones of your feet have enough time to adjust to the new and unfamiliar forces that will be passing through them. Are barefoot shoes just for fitness enthusiasts? The best barefoot shoes you can buy in 2023 1. Vivobarefoot Primus Lite III: Eco-friendly, minimalist vegan trainers Training with MBT improves: Coordination, Core Stability, Power & Speed, Running Style, Endurance, Flexibility, Recovery and Injury Prevention. Performing ata high level needs to balance all of your abilities. MBT makes training more effective, challenging and gentle to your spine. MBT for Medical & Therapy

For instance, my feet measure 26.3/10 cm, and I wear size 43 or 44 in Saguaro shoes (my “usual” size in barefoot shoes is 42). Their barefoot shoes have zero-drop flexible soles and come with two different insoles – one is zero-drop and the other has a heel rise. This makes them a great choice for both beginners and experienced barefoot shoe wearers. Cozy: less volume in the toes part and around ankles (same volume around the middle part of the foot)SIZING: Freet is a brand that offers a variety of barefoot models suitable for everyday wear and an active lifestyle. They use leather and vegan materials, as well as innovative materials like coffee grounds. While they may not be as affordable as some of the brands mentioned above, their shoes are still cheaper than most barefoot brands, and some styles offer great value for money.

MBT for Health and Well-Being

Naturally, if you have a medically diagnosed foot condition, such as flat-foot or a fallen arch, or have had any kind of foot surgery, you should consult a medical professional before proceeding with the transition to wearing barefoot shoes. How long does it take to transition to barefoot shoes? Certainly not. And not all barefoot shoes look like foot-gloves either, although that style of shoe features on this list. Anyone can benefit from wearing barefoot shoes, and there are many styles geared towards city living as well as outdoor fitness pursuits. How does the sizing work for barefoot shoes? Ballop Shoes is a brand that offers a variety of styles for both adults and kids, but not all of them are barefoot. To find their barefoot shoes, head to their “Barefoot” section where you can choose from several sneakers perfect for an active lifestyle. But that’s not all, as they’re always expanding their range of barefoot shoes. The MBT designs from the Dynamic Series are suitable for any situation. Both fervent walkers and people with standing professions choose the MBT shoes from the Dynamic series.

The duration of the transitional period depends on a number of factors, including your activity level, weight, gait and the terrain you walk and run on. Some individuals naturally walk with good form, landing on the midfoot (as opposed to heel striking) even with conventional shoes, and it will take them less time to adjust to the movement. For the majority, walking outdoors with barefoot shoes can feel a bit like learning to walk all over again – it certainly did for me. The shoes from the Performance series are characterised by well-rounded soles, which continually force the body to find its balance. Although these shoes require a certain amount of practise, they also deliver the best results: a perfected distribution of pressure over the entire foot and a relief of the conventional pressure points of forefoot and heel. Sizing & fit: Ballop Shoes uses one size chart for all their styles. While the internal length of the shoe is true to the size chart, it’s important to be careful when choosing your size. For example, in some styles like Pellet, you might lose some length due to the heel shape. So, we recommend sizing up a whole size or two (depending on your foot width) to get the perfect fit. In others, like Tilava, choose your regular size with recommend 12 mm space in front of your toes. The Vapor Glove 4 are still ultra-lightweight and flexible, however, so they will still give you a similar sense of barefoot freedom when running on the trail. All materials, from the Cordura and TPU upper to the breathable mesh lining, are fully vegan-friendly, and Merrell has included M Select FRESH antimicrobial agents that can help keep shoe odour at bay for longer.The Mobiliser can restore lost movement in spinal joints and MBT's can develop the core muscles to take full advantage of the new easy spinal movement. Most of their styles are sneakers made from synthetic materials. All of their shoes have flexible soles that bend in all directions. However, some of their models (for both kids and adults) have insoles with a raised heel. If you’re new to barefoot shoes, keep them in during the transition period. But we recommend replacing them with thin, zero drop insoles once you’ve transitioned well to barefoot shoes. The same goes for your kids! You’ve probably seen the Vibram V-Run before. They’re the most well-known and well-loved barefoot running shoes around. Their five-pronged glove-like design allows your toes to slot right in for the snuggest possible fit, while allowing each toe to keep its normal range of movement. Getting the correct size is critical with Vibram FiveFingers, much more so than with other barefoot shoes, and some people complain that the toe slots are either too short or too long. Despite the added protection, they maintain a minimalist construction throughout the uppers, with breathable mesh fabric. For someone who wants a go-anywhere adventuring trainer but doesn’t want to compromise their barefoot experience, these shoes are a perfect choice. They’re also environmentally friendly, constructed from vegan-friendly recycled materials and Bloom Performance algae insoles. As an added eco-bonus, they are recyclable again after use through the Revivo programme. Merrell has a few barefoot shoes in its range now, and this edition of the Vapor Glove is one of its most minimalist models. They use a Vibram TC5+ Outsole and has a ‘Barefoot 2’ construction with zero heel drop to bring about more natural movement patterns. The shape is somewhat conventional compared to the options from Vivobarefoot and Vibram on this list, especially in the toe box area. There’s not as much room for toe splay, so they can feel snug compared to a typical pare of barefoot shoes.

Key features – Sizes available: UK6-14 (men’s); UK3-9 (women’s); Colours available: 4 (men’s), 5 (women’s) (some colours may be unavailable in some sizes); Other key details: Rugged sole, 100-day trial The width of their shoes can also vary from model to model. For instance, new models like Tilava have a wider and more foot-shaped toe box shape, making them suitable for medium-wide feet. On the other hand, you might notice some minimal tapering at the big toe in some other models like Pellet and kids models. It’s worth noting that their shoes are wider than the values listed in the size chart. The Actulum chair creates balance and vitality while sitting, but most of our clients are still too inactive in their daily life. MBTs increase the energy used in walking and particularly develop the core muscles, thus restoring a more nomadic lifestyle without giving up the day job!As with any sort of shoes, sizing varies by manufacturer, but obviously barefoot shoes don’t have the same snug feel as standard shoes due to the minimal materials and wide toe box. Unlike regular footwear, barefoot shoemakers want the toes to be free to splay as they would if you weren’t wearing shoes at all. So why should you use them? Barefoot shoes are designed to promote freedom of movement while also strengthening your feet, which grow weak over time due to the excessive cushioning and cramped toe boxes found in most normal shoes. Humans didn’t always wear shoes – for most of evolutionary history we’ve gone barefoot. Top teams, world champions and olympic medallists use MBT for training and testify the positive impact on their training and performance. Xero Shoes is a well-established barefoot shoe brand that offers a wide variety of shoes for all occasions, including some affordable options. Keep an eye out for their regular sales to snag a great deal on a pair.