One of the most common troubles when putting on shoes is sweating your feet.
Looking at a tall construction of cowboy boots, you know that you can avoid that problem for sure. However, that’s not the end of the world!
We are here to help you with that.
Together, let’s find out how to keep your feet from sweating inside cowboy boots! Let’s go!
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What happens if your feet sweat in cowboy boots?
One of the most obvious things is that sweaty feet will greatly affect your comfort during a hard working day. More importantly, they can also directly harm your health.
Humidity creates a suitable environment to grow foot fungus. Plus, it also affects the durability of boots over time and causes unpleasant odors.
1. Discomfort
Of course, your feet will feel uncomfortable when swimming in sweat. The wet feeling is not what you want.
It also affects your confidence while walking or working. You will be distracted as all you want to do is take off the boots.
2. Affect foot health
A damp environment is no good for your feet. It causes fungus and affects your foot health.
You can also experience foot skin exfoliation with sweaty feet. (I also encountered this situation a lot on hot days).
3. Deteriorate boot quality
This is no doubt. Leather or suede don’t like moisture.
They easily get damaged and deteriorate. The damp environment grows bacteria, fungus and mold – which is no good for boot health.
4. Stinking feet and boots
Sweat is always the top reason for bad odor. This is the worst and can happen in any closed-construction footwear.
5. Slip inside the boots
Since the inside of the boots is quite smooth, you can’t avoid slipping with sweaty feet. This will affect your stability on the road.
How to keep my feet from sweating in cowboy boots?
You can’t avoid sweating when working, or farming in hot conditions. Moving in cowboy boots for a long time can also lead to perspiration.
Let me get this straight. What you need to do is keep both your feet and your boots dry and away from moisture. Just that!
Now, you’ve got the tips, let’s see how to do it!
1. Choose ventilated boots
- Material
If you are a sweaty person, you should consider this aspect first.
Cowboy boots offer a variety of leather to choose from. Here are our tips:
Premium full-grain leather can give your feet more fresh air than faux leather.
No leather can beat the breathability of ostrich skin. Lizard or goat leather is also a fair choice for you.
Ideally, you can take suede boots as your companion. This material is more breathable than leather for sure.
- Not waterproof
Waterproof cowboy boots might not be as ventilated as regular types.
But if it is rainy or cold season, you have no choice but to wear waterproof cowboy boots.
This is totally fine, you can still solve sweating problems in more ways below.
- Fit
If your feet are tight in cowboy boots, they will be constrained in movement and sweat more. So choosing the right fit can solve this.
You should pay attention to the toe box and the ball of cowboy boots. This is where the boots should have decent room for your feet to breathe and flex.
- Weight and height
Also, a pair of lightweight boots won’t get you much energy to lift off the feet than their heavy counterpart. Thus, it reduces the chance of perspiration.
Regarding the height, you can consider ankle boots with short shafts. They don’t occupy your legs much, just the feet, thus bringing you more ventilation.
2. Pay attention to the lining
This is also a crucial factor as the lining is the part that directly contacts your feet. This part covers the inside of cowboy boots and cushions your feet and legs.
A small tip for you is that fabric lining is way more breathable than a leather one. Fabric lining can absorb moisture and dry quickly, it is also easier to care for than leather lining.
3. Pick moisture-wicking insoles
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Insoles are in direct contact with the bottom of your feet.
If you are a sweaty person, choose yourself a pair of moisture-wicking insoles. They can support your feet, absorb sweat and keep your feet dry.
However, you may avoid gel insoles at this point as they can cause your feet to sweat.
Above all, you should clean and change insoles regularly before they start to stink and make your feet uncomfortable.
4. Wear absorbent socks
Socks are obviously an essential item when wearing any footwear. Socks can keep your feet clean, prevent moisture, and odor and maintain foot health.
This is a perfect method to prevent your feet from sweating inside cowboy boots. There are a lot of moisture-wicking socks on the market. You can pick a pair of them with breathable materials.
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For example, cotton might not wick moisture better. You can opt for other materials such as polyester, merino wool, and nylon for better wicking moisture.
Lycra and Coolmax are also great materials for absorbing moisture.
Note that you should change your socks often to keep your feet hygienic and avoid getting unpleasant smells.
If you have hyperhidrosis, you may want to change your socks every time you take them off. Buy yourself a dozen socks and change them every day.
The last note is that you should pick thin and light socks in the hot weather.
If you wonder what are the best socks for your cowboy boots, here are the best 10 socks picked for you!
5. Use household powder to dry cowboy boots
The household powder is also a reliable assistant to keep your boots from moisture. There is a lot of powder you can use at home. They are cornstarch, baby or talcum powder.
Sprinkle the powder into your cowboy boots to create a dry environment for your feet to put on. Then, you can comfortably wear your cowboy boots without sweating.
Or, you can apply the powder directly to your feet and put on socks. The powder can absorb sweat from your feet.
This household powder method also prevents bacteria or mold from harming foot health.
6. Apply foot powder/ antiperspirant to feet
This is a lifesaver for sweaty feet. These products can be applied to those who have hyperhidrosis (a symptom of excessive sweating).
They prevent bacteria and absorb moisture, thus also preventing sweating on your feet.
For powder, apply and spread it all over your feet for a thorough application.
If you don’t like the feel of powder, you can switch to using antiperspirant spray.
First of all, clean your feet and ensure they are dry. Then spray the antiperspirant on your feet. This method is really quick and can absorb moisture on your feet well.
Don’t confuse deodorant with antiperspirant. Deodorant can only help in removing odor while antiperspirant can control perspiration and thus chase away unpleasant smells.
For that reason, antiperspirant is what you are looking for in this case.
Note that it is not recommended to use foot powder and antiperspirant at the same time.
7. Maintain cowboy boots the right ways
I have said this many times, but this step is just what you should keep in mind when you own a pair of cowboy boots.
Proper care can prolong their lifespan and maintain their foot health.
Always keep your cowboy boots clean, and remember to insert boot trees or boot shapers into them. Your cowboy boots will stay dry and in shape then.
And don’t forget to clean inside your cowboy boots! Your feet will be grateful for your effort of protecting them!
Even if you don’t have sweaty feet, your feet are still not happy if wearing dirty boots, am I right? They will argue with you by sweating a lot. 😉
So, take care of your cowboy boots, you can prevent perspiration for sure.
8. Give your feet and your cowboy boots a break
If you wear cowboy boots in hot weather or wear them throughout the day, chances are you will sweat even with socks.
So, it is better if you take off your boots and let your feet enjoy the fresh air. Your cowboy boots can also benefit the ventilation in this case.
This is what I always do. Whenever I have a break at work or have a chance to sit down, I will get my feet off the boots.
After a while, my feet are refreshed and they can bear the boots again.
Note: Be cautious when slipping off cowboy boots, as you don’t want people to smell a strange odor from your feet.
You can check out how to deal with the smell of cowboy boots here.
Do feet sweat in cowboy boots?
Yes. You can guess this. The tall and hugging shaft can increase the heat for your legs. The closed construction may make your feet feel stuffy a bit. As a result, perspiration happens.
To be fair, your feet will sweat in any footwear, not just cowboy boots. This is due to many reasons. You might choose the wrong boots for the weather and conditions. Or your cowboy boots get dirty.
To solve this sweating problem, you can scroll up to read our methods above.
Conclusion
Having your feet sweat inside the footwear is no strange thing.
However, you can still avoid perspiration by choosing the right boots, taking care of them and applying what I show above.
Wish you have happy feet in cowboy boots!
Howdy y’all, and welcome to From The Guest Room, your ultimate guide to all things Western! I’m Jay Gatz, a lifelong cowboy boot enthusiast with over 5 years of experience in the Western style world. I’m excited to share my knowledge with you and help you discover the perfect cowboy boots and western gear to elevate your style. Let’s explore the rich history and timeless appeal of Western fashion together!