Best socks

2 brands that are excellent are SmartWool and Darn Tough socks. I have not used Darn Tough socks. I have many SmartWool socks. SmartWool makes a variety of styles. So, you can find what you need for a specific need. Examples: city walking or work socks, various hiking socks, short ankle style or longer styles, various thicknesses and padding. SmartWool is not cheap. But, they last a very long time and are comfortable. If you have specific questions about SmartWool, I will answer them as best I can. It’s my go-to brand.

Not sure what you mean by sensitive (material? style?). I use Bombas and Smartwool brands for no-show cut, like these and these, and I have a pair of Smartwool crew cut similar to these. I am sensitive to wool (itchy) and the Smartwool brand does not bother me. You can also wear them multiple days without them getting smelly.

Thanks for the suggestions! I think it’s the texture. Too much texture and it hurts my feet. I can’t even wear sandals that have the brand, etc., embossed in the heel. It’ll make a blister..

SmartWools are comfortable, tackles foot sweat, durable. No itchiness and soft. If wet, can be squeezed out and hung to dry. The question is more - what style do you need. For hiking boots? Casual shoes? Athletic shoes? There’s a SmartWool for every type of footwear and activity that involves socks.

I’m a fan of Wrightsocks. Multiple styles available but my favorites are Cool Mesh ll either tab or quarter socks for walking shoes and crew for paddock boots. They’re double layer for anti-blister.
https://www.wrightsock.com/

I have too fussy feet and find that Falke London Sensitive socks work for me. They’re very soft, fairly thin 96% cotton with soft, non-elastic tops, and are specifically shaped to fit each foot, so each is marked ‘L’ or ‘R’, which always amuses me.

After buying a bunch of pair of Smartwool socks I decided I was allergic to them. Yep, they're merino. Yep they are not supposed to be itchy. Welp, my feet think otherwise.

I've gone to Injinji toe socks. They keep my toes separate although if you are not used to it that might amp up your sensitivities. I have the Women's sizes in both the no-show and the mini-crew. The only caveat is that when packing you need to make sure you have your pairs matched up because there are left and right socks. (Uh, voice of experience when I got to Paris one time and discovered I only had 2 full pair of socks, not 3...)

https://www.injinji.com/shop.html

I've been given several pair of Darn Tough socks and unfortunately I have big calves and they just don't work for me.

Cuddl Duds makes a really soft sock. Various places sell them, in stores or on websites. I bought my first pairs of these at Sam's Club. Here is the official site cuddlduds.com

When I think of soft fabric, I think of bamboo. Bamboo socks you can probably find on Amazon - Cariloha is the only brand name I know. I had a couple of polo shirts from them and yes, they were very soft.

Yeah, I probably would not go with Smartwool socks as they do feel textured. They’re good socks, although I don’t wear them now as much as I used to because they wear out so fast, but I think that for someone with very sensitive feet, they probably would not work.

I would go with Stan’s suggestion of socks made of bamboo fabric, which is very very soft. Or go to a sporting goods store like REI or Dicks, and ask them for recommendations. There are some good sports socks out there that have really good wicking fabric that are very comfortable.

One pair of socks that I have worn and loved are Balega. They are probably the most comfortable socks I’ve ever worn. They are snug, but feel very comfortable and not textured.

I like Sockwell socks. There are many styles similar to those mentioned for other brands. The ones I wear are over the calf moderate compression ones. I'm another person who can't wear wool anywhere else but their typical blend of 32% Merino Wool, 31% Bamboo Rayon, 32% Stretch Nylon and 5% Spandex is very comfortable for me. Based on my experience, I find this quote from their website accurate:

"Sit + Stand + Travel + Recover.
Slip on a pair of our Graduated Compression socks to help energize your step so you can feel your best, no matter your lifestyle!
Every Lifestyle Compression sock for women includes four zones of graduated compression, an ultra smooth toe close, and feature-rich construction for an all day fit. Plus, our custom-crafted yarn blends help to keep feet dry, prevent blisters, and regulate temperature."

I wear them regardless of weather. They keep my feet dry and warm or cool as needed. I've never developed a blister of any kind when wearing them. The fun colors and patterns are a bonus and over the years I've collected many of them. I recently sent 6 pair from my sock drawer to a friend who was complaining about her feet sweating in the cotton socks she was wearing as she worked 4-hour shifts mostly walking and standing. The Sockwells helped with her stamina and kept her feet dry. They are expensive but worth the money whether you get them from Sockwell, Amazon or somebody else.

I understand your description of sensitive feet. I can't wear Crocs or any kind of unlined sandal without socks. The shape of my legs just doesn’t work with anything except these or ankle socks. Anything in-between digs into my lower leg in an intolerable way.

Here's a link that goes to Sockwell Moderate compression socks for women. Note at top of the page there are links to other socks for specific needs.

I typically wear one pair on the plane and pack 2 others on my trips. I haven't bought any new ones in some time, but they still carry some of my favorites. This style is the practical one I wear or pack most often. I love dragonflies and wore pink ones like these with my flats at our daughter's wedding last year.

It sounds like the soles of your feet are sensitive to abrasion from the surface they rest on, whether it is the loopy surface of a cushioned sock, or the footbed of a sandal worn barefoot.

I am similarly sensitive, and must be very careful buying sandals—no textured plastic surface (like most Tevas and Chacos) for me. A suede footbed works best. And I recently made the mistake of taking a long walk on a hot day wearing my normally reliable Taos sneakers with thin “no-show” socks. The soles of my feet were painfully abraded and sore for days afterward. I had not noticed before that the insoles of those sneakers have a textured surface that rubbed my feet raw through those thin socks.

Merino socks have worked well for me for many years. Both Smartwool and Icebreaker make styles with a smooth finish, such as the PhD line:

https://www.smartwool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/VFSearchDisplay?catalogId=11701&storeId=7501&langId=-1&searchTerm=phd%20socks

For hiking I have cushioned socks that fit well, so my foot does not slide around inside the sock and get rubbed. The Icebreaker ones are actually made in a left and right (marked R or L on the toe) for a good fit.

I avoid the Smartwool casual socks that have a texture such as cables, ribbing, or diamond pattern texture.

Bombas socks are very soft and comfortable, but they are not durable—they quickly develop holes in the heel.

I've been happy with The Injinji Trail Midweight Mini Crew Toesock, which I discovered before my RSE Best of Switzerland Tour in 2022 that entailed some light hiking. There is no skin-on-skin friction because they are toe socks, they are slightly padded, and are moisture wicking in case you are sensitive to your own moisture ( I am). In wearing them, a slightly larger toe-box may be needed in your shoes. For that I go with WooLooMooLoo merino wool sneaker-type shoes which are naturally water resistant and very lightweight; made in Australia. Thus, I put the wool (which I'm sensitive to) over the top of my socks in the form of shoes. For my recent RSE tour, I did not have foot trouble with this winning combination, traipsing around on marble and cobblestones (Berlin,Prague,Vienna 2023). (I tried the Injinje Lightweight no-show toesocks, and the material did not work for me). Different things work for different people, just a thought...Good luck!

So I have a friend with a similar issue and she has actually moved to Allbirds because they’re lined with wool and she doesn’t wear socks you might give it a try?

I’m currently in Budapest and have been traveling 2 weeks. 3 pair of socks, one pair of trusty old smartwool knee highs, but the new pair this trip is by Duluth Trading Co. Men’s compression knee high…35% wool 30% coolmax 27% nylon etc . Very soft, very comfy, dry overnight. I definitely can recommend them!