Question from Deanna McFarlain
Hi Debra,
Like many of your readers I have been searching for non toxic shoes for years. Finding a shoe that is both healthy for our feet and non toxic is quite a challenge.
Recently I have been on the hunt for barefoot shoes & found a few promising brands. I plan on purchasing Camper barefoot shoes for school but am now looking for a summer sandal for my family.
One option is xeroshoes.com. I like the concept but want to be sure they are safe for my famiy. I emailed them about material of their soles xeroshoes.com/feeltrue. They replied that their “exclusive FeelTrue rubber is a synthetic rubber called SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber). We chose this rubber due to it’s durability, flexibility, and that there are no reported allergies or side-effects, which can not be said for the latex in natural rubber. We have thousands of customers who have worn our shoes for a number of years with no issues with this material.” I worry the shoe would be a problem with bare feet even if we kept them out of the sun.
Another is www.vivobarefoot.com/us. I called the company based out of London inquiring of the exact materials used in a few of their shoes in their children’s line. They said they would send the question over to the right department and email me but never did.
I was excited as it is affordable & outsole material is fine but concerned with the inside as my son will be wearing them without socks. I found materials listed here in this description www.6pm.com/vivobarefoot-kids-ultra-toddler-little-kid-black-white. I am concerned with the “Antibacterial microfiber lining”. And I looked up Dri-lex™ & found this info: www.faytex.com/technology.html looked www.dupont.com/products-and-services/fabrics-fibers-nonwovens/fibers/brands/dupont-sorona.html.
I’m sure many like-minded parents agree that its so hard to find a healthy barefoot or minimalist shoe that is also non toxic & isn’t close to 100$ like softstar shoes so I was hoping these would work. What do you think?
Thank you for your time! For many years your book and website have been such an inspiration & helpful resource for my family 🙂
Debra’s Answer
First I want to say that I have two pairs of Camper shoes and love them both. I bought them almost ten years ago. I can walk in them all day and still have happy feet.
Regarding Xero Shoes, SBR is a synthetic rubber. It’s one of the most toxic plastics to be manufactured and it’s also toxic to health (search on health effect SBR) and you get toxicity of rubber tires.
Regarding Vivo, I would be concerned about the antimicrobial lining.
The safest shoe I’ve seen is Po-Zu Shoes, which I have recently added to Debra’s List. Here’s what I wrote about them.
These amazing shoes are made from organic cotton, wool, coconut husks, natural latex, cork, and leather. “All our materials come from naturally renewable sources and are responsibly harvested. They contain no pesticides, bleaches or toxic dyes and are locally sourced wherever possible. We use organic cotton in our shoes and all our leather is chromium-free. You can read about our materials in more detail here.” Every shoe has a complete materials description (click on the “materials” tab on each product page). Great styles! This company is based in the UK. I don’t usually recommend websites out of the country, but I’ve never seen anything like these shoes! You can even have them custom-make shoes to your own design specifications.
They don’t make children’s shoes, but you might contact them and see what they can do for you.
I am new to thinking about this particular aspect of toxicity, so please pardon me of this is a question with an obvious answer to those of you who have been researching this for a bit.
What about Earth Runners? Might they be a better option since they offer the hemp or leather footbed between the foot and rubber sole?
(For some reason it won’t let me link their blog post that discusses this, but you should find it quickly if you search for “earth runners non toxic”.)
I’m not connected to the company and don’t own a pair. Just looking for a barefoot shoe that’s non toxic and appreciate any additional wisdom y’all can offer in this constantly changing market.
This looks like an option that is better than most. The sole is made by Vibram, which is a brand of sole that is used in many other types of footwear. It is made of an EVA blend which a type of plastic. While the sole is no less toxic than a lot of other footwear, the footbed and GOTS certified dyes make it a better choice than most.
I have looked for hours.
I found the two places below. Veja sells kid and adult shoes and they seem good. You do need to read product description but natural rubber and organic cotton is used on some with vegetable tanned leather. I did find a pair for my kids with just those here items listed and am trying them
http://www.veja-store.com/fr/module/paypal/submit?key=bd0c867454062f8266b77e7c3938ac8d&id_module=126&id_cart=408292&id_order=151994
The second company for kids is The Natural World in spain. They did ship to USA and were very affordable for canvas and rubber shoes. These I liked more but I’m having an international friend buy them and ship them to me. Much more affordable. Looks like they shipped to USA then stopped. Write and ask them to start again! These are perfect!
would the SBR outgas if left in the sun?? s
I bought 3 pairs of Xero Shoes this year, one pair are the Z-Trek Sandals. I wanted to love them and wore them pretty much daily for May and June while I taught Kindergarten. I am allergic to latex having discovered that 8 years ago when I spent a summer washing dishes at a Greek restaurant and wearing latex gloves. I just realized this week that my painful burning feet are not suffering from plantar fasciitis or some other soft tissue injury from overuse but rather from an allergy to the materials in the soles. A week ago I stopped wearing them thinking the problem was a lack of arch support and started wearing a 6 year old pair of Keen sandals. This morning it occurred to me that maybe it’s my skin sensitivity and that if I can’t tolerate latex, maybe the soles are the issue. I wore my Dr. Martens shoes today with socks and the pain is 80% gone. Ugh.
I bought the Lena shoe and the sole has a rubber type odor. Did you own that style when you had the reaction?
I just stumbled across these kids shoes which encourage barefoot walking while doing a personal search for non toxic jikatabi shoes (which I don’t think I’ll find). I have not studied it, but it sounds like they care about using non toxic materials (many styles are vegan) and designing a shoe that’s actually good for kids’ feet to keep the muscles from degenerating. Prices are in Euros and I think they’re made in Germany. Almost everything is currently out of stock, but sounds like new fall/winter items will be added soon.
http://wildling.shoes/en
Debra – I am also interested in checking out the Mephisto shoes and Camper shoes you mentioned as non toxic. Where can I best do that? Thanks
Both are online, but I bought them at local shoe stores. Usually on websites they tell you what stores carry their shoes.
I bought my Camper shoes at the Camper store in San Francisco about eight years ago. I get my Mephistos at a store called Happy Feet, which has several locations in the Tampa Bay area.
Hi Debra – I am interested in checking out the Po-Zu shoes. Where is the best place to purchase them? Thanks
Online.
I agree with what TA said about Soft Star shoes:)
I’ve been pleased with Soft Star Shoes. I don’t know what sizes your children are wearing, but for my young child, shoes are not $100 (though for my adult shoes they are). I agree they aren’t cheap, but I prefer them because they allow for proper foot development, they use safer dyes in their leather (and no formaldehyde), and my little one has only one pair at a time, which is used for everything (I have one pair also). They offer a choice of soles for some of the shoes; we’ve purchased the ones with Vibram soles (synthetic) because they provide better traction, are very durable, are still incredibly flexible (proper foot movement and development), and the foot is not in direct contact with the rubber. They do also offer leather soles on some of their shoes, so you might be interested in those if you are seeking to avoid the rubber altogether. I know they offer the leather sole on some of the adult shoes, and suede soles on some of the child shoes. However, they make it very clear that the leather soles on the adult shoes are potentially very slippery on some surfaces (wet surfaces, I believe); this is a situation where I choose synthetic rubber soles because it seems less hazardous to me than risking a head injury or other injury from falling due to slippery soles. And the rubber (which isn’t in contact with the foot) is also preferable to me, compared to the antimicrobial chemicals, etc, which are in direct contact with the foot in some of the other brands. Their moccasins (available in all sizes) have the suede soles. I believe those are technically not recommended for rugged outdoor use, it appears from some of the customer photos on their site that some children are playing outside in them (though when I emailed them to ask, they said they recommend the more durable soles for outdoor use). At any rate, they have options. 🙂 I have also looked at some of the other brands including the ones you mentioned, but I keep coming back to Soft Star. I prefer one piece of rubber as the sole, rather than the whole shoe made of synthetic materials with antimicrobial treatment, or a variety of materials which I might have never heard of, etc. I’ve been content with formaldehyde-free leather with safe dyes.
I will also add that they have been the best shoes I’ve worn, personally. I’ve spent years (decades, really) trying to find shoes that work for my feet, my back issues, etc. I don’t know if I can ever go back to anything else after wearing these barefoot-style shoes. I’m very concerned about toxics, and have chemical sensitivity issues, but I’ve found that being able to wear shoes that don’t add to my pain and that allow me to go for walks with my child without causing foot/back pain adds great value to my life and daily experience, so the rubber soles is a trade-off I am willing to make. Having shoes made of organic soles but wanting to avoid wearing them would feel less healthy, in my opinion, than wearing something that makes it easier for me to get moving, to encourage my feet to work more properly, to enjoy being outdoors with my child, etc. Everyone is different, of course, but I just thought I’d share my experience. By the way, I do notice the smell of the rubber when the shoes arrive, but after airing out for a short time, they are fine. Also, the “elves” (as they call themselves) at Soft Star always respond to email and are available by phone, so that has been helpful when I’m trying to decide on what to buy for my son, or to figure out what might work best for my own feet. Thus far, I’ve had success with only one style for my own feet (I wish I were in their area so I could go to the store the try them on in person!); but they accept returns. I’m okay with one style for now, though, since I’ve hated trying to buy shoes for so many years and now don’t mind putting these shoes on. One is better than none. 🙂