The Benefits Of Cork In Shoes

Cork, besides its use to seal wine bottles, has long been a material for shoes. This strange, spongy, solid material seems like it would not make a good shoe material. On the contrary, there are some benefits to cork in shoes.

Cork Is Like an Inflated Ball

Cork is similar to an inflated basketball. When the ball hits down, the compression on the air inside pushes up. Likewise, cork, with its many air pockets inside, acts as a compressor of sorts. When your foot strikes down on the shoe with cork in the sole and/or heel, the air pockets in the cork push your foot back up off the ground. It gives you a little extra boost of power to push off when you are walking or running.

Cork Prevents Foot Pain

Other types of shoe materials do not absorb shock quite as well as cork does. Cork in the soles or heels of your shoes take some of the brute force of the strike shock, making each foot fall less jarring to your lower body and back. As such, you feel less pain than you would with most other materials that shoe companies use to make shoes. 

Cork Is Water-Resistant and It Floats

Despite its very spongy texture, cork is water-resistant. This is why it is used as the primary material for wine bottle stoppers. The wine cannot sink into the cork and get out of the bottle. Likewise, your shoes cannot absorb very much water, so your feet will not be quite so wet if it rains or you accidentally walk through a large puddle. 

Additionally, cork floats. If you ever have a need for something buoyant in water, your cork-soled or cork-heeled shoes can help. One shoe under each armpit may help you stay afloat if you are too tired to keep treading water.

Buying Low Cork Sandals for Sale (or Espadrilles)

Espadrilles have long since been the shoe most commonly associated with cork. Cork fills out the giant wedge-shaped heels of espadrilles, giving the wearer a lot of height. It is also an excellent dance shoe for folk dances, a fact that many natives of Mexico, Central and South America love. However, you might decide that espadrilles are not for you. That is okay, because there are many low-heeled and low-soled cork sandals you can buy that will give you all of the same cork benefits. Contact a company like The Dream Shoe Company to learn more.