Short answer is, “No…Barefoot shoes and Grounded shoes are not the same thing, though some shoes are both barefoot and grounded shoes.”
What’s the Difference Between Barefoot Shoes and Grounded Shoes?
It’s easy to confuse barefoot footwear with grounded shoes…Both are designed to mimic the experience of being barefoot. However, each embodies a different aspect of the barefoot experience.
Think of it as a “structure vs function” or “fit vs function” distinction…Barefoot design provides a structural experience, or “fit,” that’s akin to being barefoot, while grounded shoes offer the functional experience of grounding, as if you were barefoot.
Let’s unpack that a little, starting with grounding…
GROUNDING SHOES OFFER SOLE CONDUCTIVITY, regardless of shoe style
Depiction: absorbing Earth energy through Harmony 783 Walker-style grounding shoes
Also known as Earthing, grounding is absorbing Earth’s natural flow of electrons or energy, usually through direct skin contact. (For an introduction to Earthing, click here). It’s a simple lifestyle practice that you can do every day.
Why get grounded? Research highlights numerous benefits to health and wellbeing, including better sleep, relaxation, less pain, improved cardiovascular markers and faster immune response. Perhaps most importantly - since chronic inflammation is at the root of most degenerative diseases, grounding is thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect on our bodies.
How does one ground? One of the easiest ways is to stand barefoot on a natural Earth surface like grass or sand - think walking the beach or being barefoot in your yard. Rich in sensory receptors, the feet are excellent conduits of Earth’s electromagnetic energy, easily absorbing and attuning the rest of your body to it.
But you don’t need to be barefoot to connect with Earth energy. Other ways of absorbing it include gardening with bare hands, embracing a live tree, and using a grounding device indoors. Of course, you can also ground by standing on a natural Earth surface in grounding shoes (also known as Earthing, or grounded, shoes).
Grounding shoes are similar to regular shoes in that they all provide protection against injury, pesticides and uncomfortable environmental conditions like extreme heat or cold. However, unlike most regular shoes, grounding shoes do not block Earth’s natural, restorative energy from entering the feet. Instead, they are specifically designed to conduct that energy through the soles.
Grounding shoes accomplish this functionality in several ways. Some have conductive copper rivets or polymer plugs penetrating the soles. Others contain conductive carbon in the outer soles which connects with conductive metal stitching in inner sole layers. A few grounding shoes simply have leather soles, which are naturally conductive. And some brands utilize a combination of these methods, for example with copper rivets embedded within leather soles.
Regardless of particular grounding technology, grounding shoes all contain conductive elements which maintain the connection between the Earth’s electromagnetic energy and our feet. Thus, grounding shoes function as if you were barefoot atop a natural earth surface such as grass, dirt, river, ocean, and even unpainted concrete. This functionality is completely independent of the shoe style, which is where we differentiate grounded shoes from barefoot design shoes.
BAREFOOT SHOES are structured to MIMIC BAREFOOT MOVEMENT, REGARDLESS OF CONDUCTIVITY
Barefoot shoes are about minimalistic structure or “fit” – one that protects the feet against injury, but encourages freedom of movement and ultimately trains the lower body musculature to perform as if shoe-free. Instead of having cushiony soles with arch support, for example, barefoot shoes have soles that are flat, flexible, and zero-drop, which means there isn’t any height difference between the heels and toes.
Barefoot design shoes also usually have wider toe boxes than regular shoes, which permit the toes to spread out naturally. Overall, barefoot design is thought to naturally strengthen the feet and promote better mobility and stability, while enhancing “ground feel.”
Diagrams above made by Groundz, illustrating the barefoot design of their slip-on leather grounding shoes.
To sum up the difference between barefoot shoes and grounding shoes, barefoot footwear offer a “fit” that trains the feet and legs to perform with barefoot flexibility and freedom of movement, while grounding shoes allow Earth energy to penetrate the feet.
CAN YOU Get Barefoot Shoes that ARE Also GroundING Shoes?
In our experience, most barefoot-design shoes (especially sneakers) won’t ground you because they have non-conductive rubber soles that block Earth energy from entering the feet.
Conversely, some of the grounding shoes we wear and recommend – like those made by Harmony 783 - are not barefoot design. Instead, these grounding shoes are traditional-fit with thicker soles, comfort cushioning, arch support, and narrower toe boxes.
All that said, many grounding shoes are also barefoot design, which means they contain some form of grounding technology in the soles that conducts Earth energy while also offering thin, flexible, zero-drop soles and toe-freedom.
Here at Grounded.com, we recommend a handful of tried-and-true grounding shoe brands, some of which offer barefoot design shoes that are grounded:
Groundz
All Groundz shoes are both barefoot design and grounded. Styles include leather slip-ons, boots and sandals with copper rivets, as well as featherweight BIOS sneakers with carbonized rubber soles (shown above).
Bahé
Offers grounded + barefoot design styles for women and men, including Revive performance running shoes (shown above), Rediscover waterproof hiking boots, and Respire sandals. All are vegan.
Raum
All styles are both grounded + barefoot design. Raum offers a lovely collection of all-natural, leather slip ons, lace-ups, and slide sandals with copper rivets, as well as Meccas with carbonized rubber soles (shown above).
Earth Runners
Offers USA-made, adventure-ready, waterproof, barefoot-design grounding sandals for adults and children, and barefoot design grounding sneakers for adults.
Softstar
Not all styles are grounded, however all are barefoot design, and handmade of leather. Grounding styles include Roo Moccasins, Ballerines, Lace-Up Chukkas and Fireside Slippers with conductive leather soles. Adults’ and children’s shoes available.
BUYER BEWARE: SOME BAREFOOT DESIGN SHOES MAY APPEAR “GROUNDED” BUT AREN’T…
I want to caution readers to be very careful when searching online for grounding, or grounded, shoes... We’ve recently learned of a few barefoot shoe companies whose names or product descriptions include the word, “grounded,” but their products won’t actually ground you…
For example, a company named “Grounded Footwear” sells barefoot-design, rubber-soled shoes that are devoid of grounding technology. Confusing, right? But an online search for “grounded shoes” will likely result in your finding this company. You might also see sites rating the best barefoot shoes which use the word “grounded” in their marketing despite the fact that the shoes they recommend are not grounding shoes. Through further searching, I discovered numerous barefoot shoes advertised as “grounded” that lacked any grounding functionality.
It all comes down to how one defines “grounded.” Those familiar with the Earthing / grounding movement know that “grounded” means “connected to Earth energy.” Those in the barefoot design world apparently view “grounded” as “offering better ground feel” through a thin sole. Whichever way you slice it, such dual use of this word is a recipe for consumer confusion.
If your intent is to find barefoot design shoes that will connect you to Earth energy, online searches can yield a wild west of results. Hopefully the info here will help you source the best shoes for you. Rest assured, all shoes we recommend at Grounded.com are grounding shoes, and many are also barefoot shoes. Whether you’re looking for barefoot fit or not, we’ve done the work for you!
Wondering about wearing socks while grounding? Click here.
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