I'm Ready To Rock Your Socks Off
No more pruney, slimy toes this summer 🧦
For today’s newsletter, I vetted 100+ brands to curate these 26 pairs that are 81-100% natural fibers. A real feat ;)
SILKY: luxury natural fiber socks that happen to be plastic-free (cashmere, cotton, hemp, silk) including the no-show socks I want this summer
SCRUNCHY: mostly natural fiber socks that contain less than 20% plastics like nylon, polyester, polyamide, spandex
CRUNCHY: 100% natural fiber, plastic-free socks, including the $8 ones that come in 25 colors (alternative to the fun-but-plasticky UNIQLO colorful sock)
This email might cut off, but you can read at https://silkycrunch.substack.com
Sometimes, when everything feels difficult— a tiny, actionable change can provide immense satisfaction.
This time, it was tracking down some plastic-free socks. I dunno why I got fixated, but it felt like a little change I could make: not covering my feet with plastic every day, better for my health and the environment.
Studies from the past two years confirm that wearing plastic on your skin is not great, with one study showing microplastics and nanoplastics can be absorbed through skin:
“percutaneous absorption of PBDEs upon skin contact with MPs was evident, highlighting, for the first time, the potential significance of the dermal pathway as an important route of human exposure to toxic additive chemicals in MPs.”
Sweaty skin is even more likely to absorb potential toxins, like flame retardants. No tip-toeing around it, all our feet are sweatier in the summertime.
That said, finding healthful socks is more of a hobby quest than health imperative for me. They’re finding microplastic toxins in the Arctic in areas with no human activity, whereas I live between a highway and a superfund site. Skin contact is lower on my list of concerns than say, inhaling polluted air or ingesting microplastics. (Though if I had children, I would be more concerned.)
But when I’m pounding the pavement and sinking my body weight into each step, natural fiber socks are a tactile, palpable pleasure. It feels great to have dry toes when you’re getting your steps in 😤
You might assume your socks are cotton. Annoyingly enough, most “cotton” or “wool” products on the market are less than half cotton or wool, and mostly synthetics.
Anyway, today I’ve curated socks that are Silky, Scrunchy, and Crunchy. The brands are in alphabetical order within the sections.
In the Bra Post, I allowed for up to 20% plastic in the Silky finds ‘cause that’s what was available. I found enough fancy, plastic-free socks for the Silky section this time though 🤠
Silky Crunch may earn a lil commission if you purchase through some of these links.
SILKY: luxury 100% natural fiber socks
Comme Si Agnelli Sock ($35) the saguaro green is so pretty
Donni Cotton Cashmere Socks ($67) Head over heels for these!
Gammarelli ($29) 100% silk, merino wool, or cotton isle socks.
I found about the Pope’s socks from this Shop Rat post, though there’s also great piece in the New Yorker from 2018. Emily declared the Pope socks “flaccid,” but I still want them!
Gammarelli will be the first stop should I ever end up on a Roman holiday. Every Jesus-loving human in my life would receive a pair of knee-high white Pope socks for Christmas. Or maybe the red Cardinal ones?
Lucciollotta Hemp No-Show Socks ($49 for 3) Ships from Italy 🇮🇹 Would be so perfect for my Hereu loafers 😇
Sandy Liang Ribbed Cotton Sock ($38, or $98 for 3) 100% cotton.
I scored a $14 pair from the Sandy Liang sample sale. I regret only buying one pair, because they’re perfect! I emailed a month ago to confirm it’s really 100% cotton, with no response.
SCRUNCHY: 80-100% natural fibers
Surprisingly, many of the crunchiest brands— the ones that sell 100% unbleached cotton t-shirts and underwear— use a dash of synthetics in their socks. That’s because they don’t want to chemically treat the natural fibers, and might not have the technology for weaving a tight knit.
Here’s how one brand responded to my inquiry (declined to be named):
“Some other brands treat their cotton to make it more elastic. But we don't treat our cotton with chemicals. Some other brands also use chemically treated fibers that start off as "natural" but then are so chemically treated, they essentially aren't natural anymore but those chemical processes are not disclosed on the label and clothing companies are extremely opaque about how those materials are processed.”
This checks out. From my research, most of the low-intervention, dye-free crunchy brands (like Harvest & Mill, Maggie’s, Unbleached Apparel) used some elastic (6 out of 10 brands).
Anonymous Ism Cotton Dye Socks 94% organic cotton 5% polyester 1% spandex. Made in Japan, fits large feet sizes 9-12.
Comme Si The Cashmere Sock ($98) 90% cashmere, 10% elastane.
My feet are always cold, so this feels like something I’d be wearing in the summer, especially if the AC is blasting for everyone else.
GAP Quarter Crew Socks ($18 for 3) 81% cotton, recycled polyester 10%, polyester 5%, rubber 3%, spandex 1%
Probably the only mall brand socks with a greater than 80% natural fiber content. I wear them to work out. Don’t love that there’s recycled polyester in there, but the price can’t be beat.
Harvest and Mill ($11, $30 for 3) 88% organic cotton 10% stretch nylon 2% elastic. They sent me a pair of these unbleached socks in Small, and they fit perfectly. This quarter ankle length looks cute with shorts and sneakers!
Hessnatur Knee High Socks (49,99 € for 2) 80% virgin wool, 18% cotton, 2% elastane. These would be great for hiking. Wool is better than cotton at wicking moisture (ships from Germany 🇩🇪)
Jungmaven Hemp Crew Socks ($26) 45% hemp 35% organic Cotton 15% polyamide 5% spandex.
KOTN Crew Socks ($12) 80% long-staple Egyptian cotton, 17% polyamide, 3% elastane.
Ships from Canada 🇨🇦 But they also have a store in Manhattan that smells like incense
Le Bon Shoppe Boyfriend Socks ($14) 85% cotton, 13% polyester, 2% spandex. So many perfect colors! Made in Korea.
Maggie’s Organic Socks ($30 for 3) 98% cotton, 1% spandex, 1% nylon
Natural Lab Toe Socks via Etsy ($13) 98% cotton, ships from Australia 🇦🇺
I love toe socks.
Unbleached Apparel Sally Fox Socks ($22 for 3) via Etsy. 85% organic undyed cotton, 10% stretch nylon (outer foot, for strength), 5% elastic, rubber core covered with nylon (inner top, for elasticity).
I ordered these for research! Foot pics coming soon. Oh and they also make 100% cotton, unbleached Ankle Socks ($12)
If there’s one takeaway from this letter, it’s this: try a pair of socks with more natural fiber content than your usual this summer.
If any of these recs were useful, would you <3 this post? It would mean so much 🥲
CRUNCHY: 100% natural fibers
Warning ⚠️ socks with high natural fiber content will not cling to the curve of every toe. If you want your arches to look (and feel) compressed à la the Hervé Léger bandage dress, I respect that! This section is not for you.