NOK Cream (Blister help)

[Tina M.]

My husband and I are going to do our second Camino leaving Sept. 7 from St. Jean. My first Camino was in 2015 from St. Jean to SdC and my husband's was in 2016 from Pamplona to SdC. I had some issues with blisters as my feet are soft and no matter what I do, I can't seem to toughen them up. I came across this cream, Akileïne Sports NOK Anti-chafing Cream, and wondered if anyone had any experience with it. I don't want to have the issues I had before. Thanks for any advice you have. Buen Camino!

 

[Canuck]

My wife and I have been using NOK to avoid blisters for the last 12 years with excellent results. Highly recommended.

 

[lt56ny]

I would love to hear from others about this product. I remember talking to a couple of French Canadians in Roncesvalies 6 or 7 years ago about an anti chafing and blister preventing product that they said all French people swear by. They said it was not available in Spain. That is was only available in France. I live in Mexico and the cost on Amazon Mexico is $80US!!!! I will be walking the Norte and was wondering if I can buy this in San Sebastian? I will not be in France at all.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have attached a photo of it. Is this the miracle cream these people were referring to?

 

[trecile]

What works for me is Omnifix tape applied to hotspots. It's available at most farmacias is Spain.

 

[trecile]

I would love to hear from others about this product. I remember talking to a couple of French Canadians in Roncesvalies 6 or 7 years ago about an anti chafing and blister preventing product that they said all French people swear by. They said it was not available in Spain. That is was only available in France. I live in Mexico and the cost on Amazon Mexico is $80US!!!! I will be walking the Norte and was wondering if I can buy this in San Sebastian? I will not be in France at all.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have attached a photo of it. Is this the miracle cream these people were referring to?

There are tons of antifriction creams, balms, etc., such as Body Glide, Nok, etc. Decathlon stores have one too. And many people use Vaseline.

 

[lt56ny]

There are tons of antifriction creams, balms, etc., such as Body Glide, Nok, etc. Decathlon stores have one too. And many people use Vaseline.

I use vaseline and it works very well. I have only had 2 or 3 real blisters in 3 camino. I was just wondering if the hype of the product was worth the price. Thanks for your input.

 

[Telelama]

I would love to hear from others about this product. They said it was not available in Spain.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have attached a photo of it. Is this the miracle cream these people were referring to?

On my first Frances, I had a terrible time with blisters. I finally bought some trail runners at a store in Leon and the sales person suggested this product. I did buy it - so yes it is available in Spain (at least back in '14) - and I've used it on every Camino sense. Works great, love it, would not walk without it.

Buen Camino!

 

[Deleted member 67185]

My husband and I are going to do our second Camino leaving Sept. 7 from St. Jean. My first Camino was in 2015 from St. Jean to SdC and my husband's was in 2016 from Pamplona to SdC. I had some issues with blisters as my feet are soft and no matter what I do, I can't seem to toughen them up. I came across this cream, Akileïne Sports NOK Anti-chafing Cream, and wondered if anyone had any experience with it. I don't want to have the issues I had before. Thanks for any advice you have. Buen Camino!

Perhaps some information from this posting I had previously made might also help?

Strategies for the prevention of shear force friction have changed and matured over recent years.

1. A properly fitting shoe. In brief, it needs to be long enough and wide enough to accomodate any insoles, orthotics, metatarsal pads, etc, PLUS the socks that you will be wearing, PLUS the increased pressure on the feet from wearing a loaded pack.
2. Light padded Merino wool sock designed for walking or backpacking, or the same type of sock in a good synthetic blend. A heavy pad on a sock allows potentially more movement against the skin, takes longer to air out, and takes longer to dry when washed.
3. A sock fit that is snug. Not excruciatingly tight. You want the shear force to be between the sock and the interior of the shoe, not the sock and the skin. A snug fitting sock will help to make that happen
4. Allow the sock to move a bit in the shoe. By keeping the shoes a bit looser on the feet, the sock will take the brunt of the shear force. If a shoe is tied snug, then that forces the foot to move more in the sock, which means the sock and skin are absorbing the shear force. An exception occurs on long downhill grades; the shoes need to be tied tight enough to keep your toes from hitting the front of the shoe which can cause injury and trauma to the nail bed and toe joints.
5. While there are foot lubricants, from Body Glide and Hiker's Goo to plain old vaseline, the have a fairly short viable working span as the material rubs of the skin and is absorbed by the socks. For prophylactic protection from shear force friction, a long lasting barrier is the better option. The placement of tapes, like Leukotape P, or moleskin-type products, if adhered correctly, will last the whole day. You clean off the area of application with a bit of alcohol to remove grease, dirt, and body oils; cut a piece of your chosen barrier material to fit the area you want protected; be sure to cut rounded corners rather than square in order to help the material from rolling up away from the skin; place the barrier on the area, taking care to not handle the adhesive; spent a bit of time rubbing the material to create friction so that the adhesive will heat up and adhere more firmly; at the end of the day, remove the barrier and use some alcohol to wipe the area that was covered.

 

[John Crawford Howell]

I have commented elsewhere on this forum regarding shoes and feet. To save a search, I'll recap: I wore Saucony Peregrine 6 Trail Runners. I broke them in for about 100 kilometers on the hills here on Fidalgo Island while wearing a pack. On the Camino, I had a twice per day ritual of rubbing Vaseline (vaselina in Spanish) into my feet in the morning and after showering at the end of the hiking day. I wore a silk liner sock under a medium weight Smart Wool sock while hiking. I did not have a single blister much less a hot spot. Shoes, like my trail runners, including regular running shoes, have about an 800 kilometer life span. Good for one Camino Frances. Because feet tend to swell from the constant day after day walking, I bought my Sauconys a full size larger than I normally wear. If you are fortunate enough to have an R.E.I. (Recreational Equipment Inc.) store near you, the shoe folks are familiar with Camino adventurers and can offer expert advice on what to wear. Happy, but tired feet at the end of the day are preferable to cranky, and tired feet. I took along an extra pair of shoe liners, but did not need them as the Everun cushioned liner that comes with the shoe was excellent. I took them out of the shoes to air them every night. For those who elect to use Vaseline, and run out, ACOFAR DERM (vaselina pura filante) is a fine Spanish brand widely available in Farmacias throughout Spain. One year ago today, June 9, 2017, after 4 relaxing days in Santiago, I boarded the train for Hendaye, then on to Paris. Farewell Spain. Until next time. Hasta pronto.

 

[Bodi]

In Canada, NOK cream is available at Mountain Equipment Co-op stores.

 

[txema]

Combined with foot preparer lotion "Tano" since a few weeks before start walking it´a must for me to prepare my Caminos. During the walking days, twice a day after the shower and before sleep.
Highly recommended!!

 

[TaijiPilgrim]

My husband and I are going to do our second Camino leaving Sept. 7 from St. Jean. My first Camino was in 2015 from St. Jean to SdC and my husband's was in 2016 from Pamplona to SdC. I had some issues with blisters as my feet are soft and no matter what I do, I can't seem to toughen them up. I came across this cream, Akileïne Sports NOK Anti-chafing Cream, and wondered if anyone had any experience with it. I don't want to have the issues I had before. Thanks for any advice you have. Buen Camino!

Hi, Tina. Are you the pilgrim Anne and I met at Corazon Puro on our first day and hiked with over the Pyrenees and down to Roncesvalles in May 2015? If you are, one of the French pilgrims we met at Orisson used and swore by NOK. I tried it but did not feel it made an exceptional difference. I used a combination of vaseline and taping the toes I knew were prone to blisters. I also bought some ENGO patches, which I do think have helped. You apply them to your shoes, not your feet, and you can search online to purchase. They are expensive. Let me know if you are my peregrina friend from Florida!

 

[Tina M.]

Hi Meg!! Yes, I am the Tina that you and Anne walked with the first few days in 2015. It's so good to see you here. I'll send you a message updating everything here.

 

[Phil Smith]

Friend of mine introduced me to Gehwol. Probably similar to the product you referred to in your post, but I can testify to the efficacy of Gehwol. Also, for my last venture I got some Injinji liner socks after someone on the forum recommended them ... a great buy. No blisters on the last two legs of my Camino.

 

[John Crawford Howell]

Injinji socks coupled with my very light weight "thong" Crocs represented my evening foot combo around town. I did not use them as liners. My physical Rubics Cube was the daily attempt to get all the toes into the right toe holes. Those of you who trog Injinjis know what I mean...