So as to not hijack the toenail thread . . .
I have been using petroleum jelly for years on sensitive places on my feet/toes to help prevent blisters.
(Also using wool socks)
Anyone else use it (Vasoline) or alternatives?
So as to not hijack the toenail thread . . .
I have been using petroleum jelly for years on sensitive places on my feet/toes to help prevent blisters.
(Also using wool socks)
Anyone else use it (Vasoline) or alternatives?
I've used RooGoo all over with very good results.
Sorry...RunGoo
I can't imagine the mess that would be hiking in dusty places like deserts. I tend to use powder, it places well with dust and grit.
enemy of unnecessary but innovative trail invention gadgetry
Musher's Secret
I've been using Bert's Bees Res-Q- Ointment for yrs on trail for minor cuts, mild anti septic properties, scrapes, as a mild anti bacterial, moisturizer, anti friction properties, cuticle dressing, its appealing natural fragrance that many biting insects don't like, and several other uses. Berts Bees Res-Q-Ointment, a Salve, in the .6 oz cans goes a LONG way where the ingredients are based off botanicals - common herbal ingredients - all of which I know without needing a chemistry book. I usually buy several cans at a time to lower cost/per oz or buy a larger amount refilling the smaller .6 oz can. I like that it is very compact disappearing into my pack. Have you computed the $ cost per oz for some foot care products like anti friction products?...$10+/oz?
Only down side I find is that it is a thick almost waxy salve that attracts dirt.
Not big on petroleum products. Run Goo and Hike Goo are petrolatum based.
Two other products I'll recommend. One with similar attributes as Res-Q-Ointment is Bert's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. The second, which I've only started using so don't know many details about other than it's very good as an anti-friction/anti chafing cream, is SKIN made by BodyGlide. This is not the same as the solid Body Glide Sticks.
I like Sportslick
Springer to Katahdin: 1991-2018
Petroleum jelly doesn't add anything to your skin; it just lubricates and seals out the air so whatever moisture you would lose to evaporation stays trapped. Long term sealing leads to your skin sloughing off faster than normal.
I use an alternative: Coloplast Sween 24 once-a-day moisturizer. Has a similar feel to petroleum jelly when you apply it, but it's got no petroleum products. It's recommended for diabetics with circulation problems, which my Dad went through.
ColoplastCream.jpg
Indeed, long-term coating of the skin in heavy layers can have similar effects to petrolatum. However, dimethicone in thin layers retards moisture transmission rather than blocking it. Thin layers are all you need because it flows slowly to fill in coverage gaps over long periods (hours). I've had good results scrubbing my feet thoroughly (Dr. Bronner's and water) and massaging a bit of Coloplast cream onto the skin at bedtime. Ditto for thigh chafing the one time that was a problem for me. Once a day is all you need. And, as you indicate, more than that is counterproductive.
I have been using Foot Kinetics HikeGoo for a few years now and the only thing to say is "It works." You can also buy it at REI.
Blackheart
During my thru I would continue to get a blister on the bottom of my big toe. After rubbing in a small dab of Vaseline, before putting on my sox, I never got a blister again. It worked for me.
Grampie-N->2001
I've read of using the Aquaphor product. Or the Wally World generic. People seem to report it works. Can anyone confirm?
I've used it on winter dry skin (fixes a bleeding skin crack in my hands in one night!).
For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF
Philip Werner (Section Hiker Blog) recommends massaging Eucerin into your feet at night.
"It goes to show you never can tell." - Charles Edward Anderson Berry
The Aquaphor I've used I thought was just(primarily) a moisturizer. I've used it in the past because I can find it in small inexpensive traveler's size tubes for cracked skin mostly on heel cracks, elbows, and scaly knees. It was marginally OK for elbows and knees which aren't areas where it's a get it right or stop hiking scenario..at least for me. I thought other products worked better for addressing cracked heels once I had this issue. And, that's the primary concern as we're talking about feet, foot blisters, and hiking. When feet aren't happy it's not too long until it can deteriorate to the pt where it takes a hiker off their hike. FWIW, IMO proactively preventing cracked heels is a much better way to go and is what I currently do rarely to never having deep painful heel crack issues anymore. But that's not exactly what the OP was asking. He was asking about preventing blisters through a product. I do suppose Aquaphor MAY help prevent blisters(I'm not 100% sure either way though) through it's moisturizing but IMO that's better addressed in other ways like through a anti friction cream or powder.
Eucerin, like Aquaphor, are companies selling different products. From what I can tell, and why I've sometimes used Eucerin moisturizer in the past is to, umm moisturize. While, again, I do suppose this had some benefit to preventing blisters on feet it was generally a so so approach..in my experiences. And, again, I personally want more than a so so approach to preventing foot blisters when backpacking and hiking. I personally have found better ways to prevent blisters than either Aquaphor or Eucerin. Much of what was said about Aquaphor I find applies to the Eucerin moisturizers I've used.
^^^ Thanks for the insite! Aquaphor is MADE by Eucerin...(at least the jar I have, says in little letters from Eucerin).
For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF
Gold Bond Powder...embrace the burn!
"To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." - T.S. Eliot
Bert's Bees Res-Q-Ointment is used in similar ways as the long list suggests as advertised for Green Goo Healing Salve offered by Gossamer Gear. Here is a list of what something like these products can potentially similarly do in your kit avoiding wt and bulk redundancy and much added $ costs. http://gossamergear.com/green-goo.html There are many of the same ingredients in both. I can't honestly make a fair a comparison though as I have no experience with GreenGoo.