If you’re in a hurry and just want to know which toe pad would be the best for pointe shoe, then I would recommend,No products found., as your best choice.
Finding the right pointe shoe is hard enough. But as any serious ballet dancer can tell you, it’s only half the battle.
The padding you pair with your pointe shoes plays a big role in your ability to stay on your toes pain-free (or close to it) through classes and rehearsals.
When Second Skin squares alone won’t cut it, there’s a new generation of toe pads to provide relief.
In this article, we will review the following toe pads:
5 Best Toe Pads for Pointe Shoe Reviewed
1. Bloch Unisex Prima
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Chances are you’ve seen these pads (and the telltale blue putty that comes with them) on your Instagram feed. The Bloch Unisex Prima are actually customized molds that fill any spaces between your toes and your shoe vamp, and help reduce pressure on commonly irritated spots like bunions.
Though they’ve only been around for a few years, Bloch Unisex Prima has already gained a huge pro following, including New York City Ballet’s Sara Mearns, Royal Danish Ballet’s Holly Dorger, and Los Angeles Ballet’s Bianca Bulle.
Pros
- Customized mold fills the space between the legs
- Reduces pressure for bunions
- Reputable brand
Cons
- Pricey
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2. Gaynor Minden Dancers’ Dots
These tiny pink dots can be used on their own or in addition to your usual padding.
Created to reduce irritation and blisters, the dots are made from hydrogel, which has a cooling effect on the skin and is actually popular in the medical field for its ability to serve as a hydrating barrier to wounds.
You can buy ’em in bulk with their 90 piece jar, or test them out with their 20 piece packets (perfect for storing in your dance bag, by the way).
Pros
- Hydrogel dots provides extra cooling effect
- Easy to store
- Affordable
Cons
- Sizing issue
3. Pillows For Pointes Extra Long Gellows
The first ever toe pads specifically designed for dancers with longer toes (or bunions that need a little extra protection), Gellows’ have extended sides that can be cut to perfectly fit your foot.
Though they’re made with a layer of gel between two layers of seamless sock material, they’re still thin enough to let you feel the floor.
Pros
- Suitable for long toed dancers
- Extended sides can be cut to fit the toe
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- A little too thin
4. Capezio Pinky Pads
If it’s your pinky toes that seem to take the brunt of your pointe work, consider these conical-shaped pads.
Designed to slide right over your pinky toe (or really, any of your smaller toes), the polymer gel pad helps prevent blisters and corns.
This capezio pinky pad is mostly a suitable fit for dancers with small toes.
Pros
- Suitable for pinky toe
- Polymer gel pad prevents blisters
- Reputable brand
Cons
- Expensive
5. Eurotard Fashion Lite Toe Pads
Eurotard’s thinnest (and sparkliest!) toe pads, the Fashion Lites also include ventilated holes throughout to let your toes breathe.
The flexible material stretches to cover your toes and bunions, and can be trimmed for a customized fit.
Pros
- Ventilated hole for optimal breathability
- Made with flexible materials
- Trimmable for customized fit
Cons
- Not the best quality
How To Choose The Right Toe Padding So Your Pointe Shoes Don’t Kill You
How can ballet dancers know which are the best pointe shoe toe pads for their needs? Learn more about the various types of padding and protection that ballet dancers use to prevent blisters, chafing, and injuries while on pointe. Some methods work for beginners, others for advanced dancers. See which type will work best for you.
Pointe Work Can Be Painful
Are you a pointe student searching for the best type of padding for your particular shoe and foot type? One of the downsides to becoming a ballet dancer and wearing those pretty pink satin pointe shoes is pain. The inside of the pointe shoe can be very rough on the skin of the toes. Dancers also need to cushion their toes from the impact of their body weight on such tiny bones.
With all the choices of padding out there, it can be hard to decide which type is best for you. You can probably find your ideal padding by choosing one from the Best Selling Pointe Shoe Toe Pads online that have worked for many dancers.
If you are a young pointe student you may be confused about choosing the perfect padding. Well-meaning friends and other dancers in your class each have their own advice and personal favorites. Don’t worry. Ballet dancers learn to live with constant experimentation; sometimes day by day.
Pointe Shoe Padding Comes In Many Forms – Each Dancer Pads Her Toes According To Her Needs
When it comes to the ways that dancers protect their toes and pad their shoes, the varieties are as endless as the individual needs of the dancer. Some beginners find pointe work so uncomfortable, they need the thickest padding possible. You can find many beginners wearing pointe shoes that have been professionally fitted to include space for a thick toe pad.
As a student grows out of that “tender-footed” stage, she can advance to a thinner padding type. Many professional ballet dancers have such tough feet that they only apply tape to individual toes for protection. Some, of course, choose to dance on pointe with absolutely no padding whatsoever.
Most dancers need a little something to cushion pressure points inside the toe box of their shoes. For some, combining individual toe caps with taping works best. Others prefer traditional lambs wool. Some dancers wrap each toe in lambs wool, then wrap tape around them.
Lambswool is affordable, formed pads cost a little more, but they are more convenient to put on and take off.
Foam Rubber With Gel Core Toe Pads – Can Be Trimmed To Fit
One of the most popular types of toe padding for full protection is the classic Ouch Pouch. This product is a foam covered gel pad that is versatile enough for many dance students. It can be trimmed to fit perfectly inside of shoes with different vamp lengths. The basic skin-colored ouch pouch shown here is one of the best-selling products for new pointe students, but they come in other great colors too.
These products are made for maximum protection and are thicker than gel pads. Choose this style if you are a beginner with tender feet until your skin and toes become tougher, as they will.
Thin Gel Padding – For Dancers Who Want To Feel The Floor
There are many reasons why some dancers choose the thinnest padding that they can tolerate. Pointe work is an intricate combination of grace, strength and athleticism. The ballet dancer has to make contact with the floor and she has to feel where she is. The less a dancer needs to pad her shoes, the more secure she will feel while dancing.
Thin padding made of gel materials forms a good contour inside the shoe as the body heat warms the gel. This type of padding is also less bulky and more comfortable for demi-pointe work. Gel-based padding is popular because it cushions and protects without a lot of bulk. One of the most important aspects of dancing on pointe is being able to feel the floor. Gel-based padding contours inside the toe box with body heat creating a comfortable barrier without removing sensation.
Lightweight Gel Pointe Shoe Padding – Use A Thin Gel Pad For Less Bulk Inside Your Shoe
Eurotard FeatherLites are one of the most popular gel pad products sold on Amazon.com. They work well for dancers who need to feel the floor and dislike the bulky feeling of foam rubber. The thin, flexible materials are better suited for those who have already toughened up their feet with pointe training and are able to lift up and out of their shoes.
Taping Problem Areas Can Prevent Friction
Do your pointe shoes rub you the wrong way? Getting bunions, corns and calluses can cause a lot of discomfort during pointe work. If you wear traditional paste shoes, the rubbing and friction can cause feet to bleed during class. Learning to use protective taping methods on your toes can go a long way when it comes to caring for your feet. Some dancers choose cushioned tape that is made by medical companies and others prefer brands that are made by dance supply manufacturers.
Soft And Cozy Protection From Pointe Shoe Pain
Did you ever wonder what the ballerinas of yesteryear used to pad their shoes before foam rubber was ever invented? Anna Pavlova did not use Ouch Pouches or Gallows, Ballerinas have been protecting their feet with good old-fashioned lambswool for hundreds of years. If you are a die-hard ballet traditionalist, you can’t go wrong with soft, cozy lambswool. You can make it as thick or as thin as you like. This fluffy material even comes in different colors. Padding your pointe shoes in lambswool can be fun when it comes in more colors than white.
Lambswool Is Extremely Versatile – Use A Little Or Use A Lot
Bulk lambswool is not only handy to have in your dance bag or academy locker, it comes in handy for non-dancers as well. Because of the soft, cushy texture, lambswool can be placed in high-heel shoes, stiff boots, or any shoes that rub your feet the wrong way.
Bulk lambswool is not only handy to have in your dance bag or academy locker, it comes in handy for non-dancers as well. Because of the soft, cushy texture, lambswool can be placed in high-heel shoes, stiff boots, or any shoes that rub your feet the wrong way.
Is Choosing The Right Toe Pad Hard?
Don’t be afraid to experiment-try a little bit of everything
All dancers that go on pointe eventually learn what works to keep them as pain free as possible. Protecting the toes from pressure and friction while dancing is a lifelong commitment. Be prepared to purchase many different types of padding, tapes, ointments, spacers and other comfort products throughout your ballet career.
Just as a dancer changes worn out pointe shoes, each new shoe or new performance will call for a unique toe-protection tweaking. Consider that one of the realities of pointe work.
Which Type Of Pointe Shoe Toe Pads Are The Best?
Is there such a thing as the best pointe shoe toe pad? Yes and no. Yes if you find what works exactly for you. No if you try to protect your toes with a product meant for some other dancer. Just like it takes many years for a dancer to find pointe shoes that fit her like a glove, it can take a lot of experimenting to find the right products for padding.
Ballet is a performing art where the dance student always strives to move to the next level. Pointe shoe padding needs will change constantly. Most professional dancers vary the types of toe protection methods they use depending on the health and strength of their feet at that particular time in their career. There is no BEST toe pad. There is only the best type of padding for you.
Taping And Wrapping Individual Toes
Once a student graduates from stuffing her shoes with as much cushioning as she can stuff in her shoes, her feet have probably become calloused and hardened enough to slow down on the padding. Over-padding is a big no-no as a dancer must be able to feel the floor.
Final verdict
Hope you found value in this best toe pad for pointe shoes. Our top pick is the Bloch Unisex Prima.
This toe pad is actually customized molds that fill any spaces between your toes and your shoe vamp, and help reduce pressure on commonly irritated spots like bunions. All the products reviewed are top notch and unique in their different ways.
