Socks are an essential everyday item that you are likely to put on in the morning and forget about until you throw them into the wash basket at the end of the day. That is until you have to deal with pairs that cause you problems such as falling down or slipping off your heel so they bunch up in the wrong places. Our hacks to keep socks up are going to help you understand the reasons why you may have a problem and help you to find ways to overcome the issue so you can forget that you are wearing them again.
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Why Do My Socks Not Stay Up?
Slipping socks that won’t stay where you want them to are actually caused by a number of different issues. This could be related to anything from lost elasticity in older socks to choosing the wrong size or even your washing and drying techniques.
Sock slide is an incredibly common but irritating problem but it can be fixed. We’re going to talk about the main reasons why your older socks may cause you a problem and what you can do about it including buying the right socks you need for your particular needs.
Choosing the Right Size Socks
When you are buying socks the first thing you need to think about is choosing the right size and design for your particular needs.
Many socks don’t come in exact sizes and often show a range of sizes on the packet. This means that you can often pick the wrong sized socks for your feet. Different brands also may size differently even though they may claim otherwise.
The key takeaway is that you should try and buy socks that fit your foot properly and that aren’t too large or too small otherwise you are going to suffer from sock slide.
Stop Buying Low-Quality Socks
One thing that most definitely helps is buying high-quality socks. Yes, supermarkets and cheap stores will often try and entice you with their bargain socks but the quality of the elastic material in the socks is likely to be inferior to high-quality brands.
When you buy quality no-show socks, ankle socks or even knee highs you are paying for socks that have better material and better elasticity and holding power. The fabric costs more and that is likely to mean that they are less likely to fall down.
Choosing the right fabric and quality in socks may cost you a little more but then you won’t have to deal with the frustration of dealing with falling socks all day. Check out these Nike Crew Socks on Amazon which have been specially designed to prevent slippage because they have high-quality yarn.
How Do You Maintain the Elasticity of Socks?
If you want to look after your socks and help maintain their elasticity you need to think about your laundry routine. Think about washing socks at a temperature of 30 degrees or even in cold water rather than using high heat. Where possible avoid using a tumble dryer and don’t wring your socks to remove excess water. Instead use a flat dryer rack to allow them to dry naturally so that they maintain their shape.
How to Keep Ankle Socks From Slipping Down
We have already talked about choosing the wrong-sized socks which is particularly important for no-show socks or ankle socks. Ankle socks slip because there is less elastic holding them in place higher up the calf so it doesn’t take alot for them to start to slide down.
There are however particular types of ankle socks that are less prone to this problem. Buying socks with these features means that you are likely to stop socks from slipping on your foot.
The first feature is to choose socks that have tabs at the back of the heel. So what are tab socks? Well, these are socks that have extra fabric on the back of the sock by the heel which is designed to prevent friction and blisters. Ankle socks that have this feature are less likely to fall down.
The next thing to look for is Y-stitched heels. This is just a stitch in the shape of a y that helps prevent your socks from bunching up around the heel area which causes the socks to fall down.
These Eallco socks have both features making them great ankle socks to use if you are prone to socks falling down and you want a permanent solution to the problem.
How to Keep No-Show Socks From Slipping Off Your Heel
In our list of hacks to keep socks up, we felt that we had to deal with the problem of no-show socks which can be prone to causing problems.
No-show socks fit low on the ankle which gives them significantly fewer places to grip than even ankle socks. That means to prevent socks from falling down in low-cut shoes you need to take some simple steps.
Firstly make sure that if you are buying any no-show socks you make sure that you buy ones that contain a silicone grip.
The silicone grip is usually situated around the rim of the sock where you slip it onto your feet. No-show socks with a good silicone grip are more likely to stay up and less likely to bunch in the heel area.
Remember that silicone grips need to stay clean if you want your no-show sock to stay up. So try and keep them away from dirt and avoid putting too many products on your feet before wearing them otherwise they may fall down in your shoe.
These no-show socks by Eedor are a perfect example of socks with silicone grips that won’t slip when you are wearing them.
How to Stop Knee Socks From Rolling Down
If your socks fall down regularly and the elasticity has gone but you don’t want to part with your socks then elastic is your friend.
A really simple solution is to hold your knee socks up with either an elastic band or with a large hair bobble. There are however two possible problems with this approach to stop socks from slipping.
Firstly the elastic band has to be exactly the right size for you to get your socks to stay up. Too tight and the elastic band will start to cut off your circulation and too loose and they will start to fall down again.
Secondly, elastic bands will look terrible if you are wearing anything where the tops of your socks can be seen so are really only suitable when you are wearing trousers.
A better DIY hack would be to use a piece of elastic that is cut to the exact size you need and sewn into the inside of the sock that won’t stay up.
How to Keep Socks From Rolling Down By Using Sock Glue
Another of our hacks to keep socks up involves the use of sock glue.
Ok so most people have probably never heard of sock glue but this is a genuine product to help you stop socks from slipping down.
Jobst It Stays is one brand of sock glue that tends to help socks stay in place all day. This is a liquid roll-on that you place on your skin. The liquid is tacky and sticky so when you place the sock fabric on it the sock should stay in place when you are moving around.
Sock glue is a particular favorite of Irish Dancers as well as people who have problems with keeping their socks in the right place.
What To Do When Your Socks Slide Down In Boots
If you find that your socks slide down when you are wearing boots and you have tried some of our other methods then the next thing you could try are sock liners.
Sock liners are thin and lightweight socks that are usually worn underneath your other socks in order to reduce friction and prevent blisters. Whilst these liners are great at protecting your feet they can also help prevent socks from falling down.
If you don’t want to wear sock liners but wear tights then placing your socks over them can also have the same impact.
Using Sock Stays to Keep You Socks From Falling Down
If you have never heard of sock stays or sock garters then you are not alone as they tended to be more common many years ago. Yet they might just be the solution you are looking for if you want to keep your calf-length socks from falling down.
Sock stays tend to be used on mid-calf socks. The stays either come as a band that is placed just below your knee that clips to your socks to keep them up. Or alternatively, the stays clip on to your shirt if you are a man and have a piece of extendable elastic that extends all the way down your leg and attaches to your socks.
Whilst these shirt stays or garters can work if you want to solve the problem of socks bunching around your heel they do look odd to some people. However, shirt stays, in particular, can not only solve the problem of your socks bunching but can also prevent your shirt from coming over the waist of your trousers.
Buying Socks That Don’t Fall Down
When socks fall down regularly and you have tried all our hacks to keep socks up then it might be worth considering taking a different approach and that is buying an entirely different type of sock.
Wearing compression socks is a possible solution as these are usually made with a higher nylon content which means they are more likely to stay up.
Compression socks tend to be incredibly supportive as they are designed to help reduce fatigue and improve circulation therefore they are the perfect type of socks to wear if you have issues with your socks falling down.
As the benefits of compression socks are something that people are waking up to they also come in a good range of colours and designs.
These Charmking Compression Socks are a case in point as you have lots of designs that you can choose from.
More Articles About Socks
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The Benefits of Wearing Socks at Home
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