If the biggest function of socks isn’t keeping warm, then what is it?

Is the most important function of socks to keep warm?
❶ Sweat absorption

How much sweat do people's feet produce every day? According to Wikipedia, it is 240 ml - one pound in two days. Scary?

So the primary function of socks is not to keep warm, but to absorb sweat and help the sweat evaporate better. This is the main reason why people prefer to wear cotton socks rather than nylon socks even in summer - nylon does not absorb sweat.

❷ Warmth

The so-called "cold starts from the feet". Whenever the weather gets cold, the golden season for socks sales is here. Whether it is clothes, bedding or socks, the basic principle of keeping warm is to slow down the heat exchange between the skin and the outside world through the air barrier formed in the fabric. So generally speaking, the thicker the socks, the warmer they are (nonsense...), and among the fabrics commonly used for socks, wool has the best warmth-keeping effect.

This is not just because wool is very thick when it is woven, but more importantly, the fiber structure of wool can maintain a certain air barrier even when it is wet. It is well known that air conducts heat much slower than water - this gives it a warming effect that is difficult to match with ordinary fabrics.

The left picture shows the microstructure of cotton, and the right picture shows the microstructure of wool

Off topic, I once heard an old hiker say that the golden solution for professional mountaineers to deal with extreme cold + high-intensity sports scenes is a double-layer combination of inner silk socks + outer wool socks. I haven't verified it myself, but it should not be used much in general urban life.

❸ Ease friction

Everyone has experienced this. Therefore, sports socks are often woven very thick. Here we can think of a corollary: if the socks are too thin when wearing leather shoes, it is generally not comfortable.

❹ Good-looking

For men, wearing a pair of suit socks in serious occasions is a basic requirement, and showing a pair of sexy socks when relaxing or even exercising is a good plus.

For women, stockings are very tempting, but it is also good to follow the trend and show some style and taste in socks and leggings.

It is said that "Socks with Sandals" is popular this year.

In terms of fabric, are pure cotton socks the best?

❶ Cotton

For socks, cotton is the most mainstream fabric. Generally speaking, the better the cotton yarn used, the more comfortable the socks will be. Here is a common misunderstanding: "Pure cotton" is not necessarily really good! Because natural cotton yarn has poor elasticity, if you want socks to be comfortable to wear and have good weather resistance, it is very necessary to blend a certain proportion of polyester fibers (such as spandex). If someone sells you socks claiming to be "100% cotton", it will 100% not fit.

❷ Wool

Wool is another common material that is characterized by excellent warmth retention, but it is relatively expensive. It is generally not used at work, but it is a good choice as home socks in indoor places without heating.

❸ Polyester

Polyester fibers, such as nylon, spandex, polyester, acrylic... They are characterized by good elasticity, but poor sweat absorption, and some will produce odor. Therefore, it is not recommended to wear socks woven with a high proportion of polyester fibers (except silk stockings, because there is no better way). A certain proportion (such as 5%-10%) of polyester fiber blended with cotton or wool is necessary. Generally speaking, socks blended with spandex/lycra are of better quality.

❹ Other common materials

For example, silk and bamboo fibers are smooth and shiny, but have poor wear resistance; modal (essentially a cellulose regenerated fiber) has a good luster, but poor sweat absorption; some high-tech fabrics developed specifically for sports scenes have hollow fibers and may have better sweat conduction performance; and some merchants promote various unheard-of fibers, which are not necessarily useless, but often the marketing component is greater than the product itself.

Generally, you can see the description of the ingredient ratio on the sock label.

Socks label

Some tips for buying
❶ About size

Many domestic brands distinguish between men's and women's socks, and no longer subdivide the sizes. Japanese brands are often divided into 2-3 sizes, and European brands are sometimes divided into 3-4 sizes. The suggestion here is that if you buy a brand that divides the size, of course, try to buy the right one, but the brand that does not divide the size is not a big problem. High-elastic fabrics can generally fit most adult feet.

❷ About weaving

If you pay attention to comfort, you might consider socks that use "terry" weaving on the soles. The soles of these socks are similar to towels. By weaving cotton yarn into a ring shape to increase the contact area with the skin, the sweat absorption capacity is enhanced, and it is also more comfortable and wear-resistant. However, because more natural fibers are in direct contact with the skin, more cotton scraps will generally fall off.

Schematic diagram of terry weaving

❸ Some details

For example, the seams of the socks have a process called "hand-made meshing", which makes the joints completely free of inward or outward bulges, and will not rub the feet when worn in narrow-toed leather shoes; for example, the right-angle connection (which is MUJI's iconic process), the bend at the ankle is not the common 120° but 90°, which is more suitable for the natural angle of the ankle joint; for example, some socks are easy to fall off at the heel when worn in shoes, and some socks are specially set with soft rubber damping there. These details will significantly increase the manufacturing cost in actual factory operations, but they can really improve the comfort when worn.