Buttons & Pleats Wool Socks for Males & Girls Merino Thermal Heat Cozy Winter Boot Sock

These socks prevent blisters, hold sweat, don’t smell, and may reverse callouses.
I bought 10 quantities, and didn’t realize each quantity is 4 pairs, but I’m not complaining. Buy in bulk; these get expensive to buy in a store at $20-$30 a pair, and if your activity requires these socks, you’ll go through them faster than your casual socks. My socks arrived on-time and in new condition. The socks fit comfortably and feel thick all-around. Other wool socks have extra cushion around the toes and heel, but it’s not needed if your footwear fits correctly and you replace the inner sole regularly. Cushioning around the heel and toe areas are essential to preventing blisters.A bit of background for why I chose these socks: My job at a nuclear power plant involves walking, standing, climbing on steel ladders, and moving in tight spaces in boots for up to 12 hours a day. I put in about 10,000 to 20,000 steps a day (5-10 miles a day). This includes walking on gravel, rocks, hard concrete, steel grating, sand, and common tiles and carpet for a commercial building (some surfaces of which may not be stable), and climbing on plant equipment (scaffolding / ladders / valves / pipes / pumps / tanks, etc.). Temperatures are usually around 90F to 120F (even as high as 150F in stagnant areas around steam piping). The boots I wear are composite-toe boots, up to 9 inches high, and are water-resistant, heat-resistant, electrical-resistant, chemical-resistant, and puncture-resistant (Redwing Burner XPs). It also has metatarsal guards to prevent broken bones from dropped tools (or a solid-steel door). This footwear does not provide breathability for good reason; I do not want anything outside the boot to get inside the boot at this workplace. Because of this, my feet rub under the guard, on the toes, and the heel if I don’t have enough cushion. Walking around with sweat stinging torn skin and the boot rubbing blisters until they pop and develop blisters inside-of blisters, is no fun and can stop me from making money at my job.My feet get sweaty and hot, and I need socks that soak up moisture and prevent direct rubbing on my skin, which will cause blisters and torn skin / scabs. I’m not bothered with hot feet, since the work environment is very hot and I can go to a cooler office or stand under a ventilation duct’s vent. These socks absorb a good amount of sweat for up to 12 hours, and don’t smell horrible afterwards. I bring an extra pair just in case I need to switch out.Important care note: Follow the instructions EVERY time. Cold water wash. Air dry only. Use delicate cycle if your washer has it. You can get away with air-dry options of dryers, but only if the dryer or air isn’t hot already. Don’t leave these socks on a hot dryer, either. Use a hanger or closet rod if you decide to hang indoors. I recommend the hangers for bras; you can hang 5-6 pairs of socks on those. Hang it in an area with less than 40% humidity and they’ll be dry in less than 6 hours; this lets me dry them while I sleep in-between shifts, if I forget to wash on a day off.Note the loops on the inside of the socks on my comparison picture. The one on the left is the new sock I bought. The one on the right’s a REI 80% wool sock I bought 6 months ago. See those loops on the left sock? When those flatten out to where it looks matted, you can’t see the individual loops (the right sock), and the sock’s threads fray, replace the sock. Soon after that, the socks will thin, you’ll feel toe/heel rubbing and blisters will follow. Wool socks will wear out in 2-3 washes if you use hot water. These socks can handle water at room temperature, and will hold-out against a washer or dryer’s tumbling, but DO NOT use normal or heavy-duty cycles in the dryer; the lint trap will clog up with your new sock’s fibers, fibers will fray, and your sock’s cushion will be ruined. No more fluffiness. Again, thick-wool socks hate dryer-heat. I can’t stress it enough.Note on comfort and safety: Wool socks cushion your feet to prevent rubbing, minimize sogginess and the blisters that come with it. They will not fix back pain, hip pain, or heel / toe / arch pain not caused by rubbing. Your footwear must fit you; you must use in-soles that support your feet for what you’re doing, you must use proper posture for what you’re doing, and you must replace your insoles regularly. I replace my insoles every couple of months when they look flatter than when they were new, smell, have discoloration / flat spots near the toes and heel from rubbing. I replace my boots or the sole when I see the sole start to flatten or round to match my gait. If my boots looked like I could go bowling with them (sole is completely flat) or has cracks, I can slip, fall, trip, and get hurt. Your work place may be different, but at my place, there are hundreds of hazards I walk and work next to that can seriously hurt or kill me very easily. Wool socks won’t do anything about that.

Awesome socks!
Comfortable, warm,

Keeps my feet warm
Love these socks. I wear them even in the summer. They are very comfortable, and hold up after washing.

Soft and comfy
After follow the instructions to make it soften with dryer, it feel so warm and comfy in the cold nights. Love it!