Shoes turning your feet colors

I've owned a couple of shoes that will turn your feet colors after wearing them, but most of them stop doing it after a number of uses. However I have a pair of la sportiva toras that just won't stop after a year. I really like how they fit and they're in too good of condition to just toss. I've tried soaps and soaking them in water but that didn't work. I've thought about sealing the leather, but I think the additional sweat would just may them slippery and gross. Any ideas?

Cover your feet with tats

I had some 5.10 Pitons that turned my feet green forever and found out by accident when trying to get the dead cat smell out of 'em... Soak them with a little bit of clorox in some water (like a capful in a gallon or two). It will not take the smell out (dammit), but will fade the dye enough to where it won't pretty up your feet anymore.

I had a buddy who had some La Sportivas that did that he said when they stop turning your feet colors thats how you know its time to get a new pair of shoes! Its a wear indicator :-)

In 1994 I rode the South Face of Half Dome down for quite the whipper. I was trying out the 5.10 Lynx. Broke my ankles and the rescue crew thought my feet needed to be amputated, the Lynx was a pink and purple shoe and my feet looked unreal. Kinda funny how purple feet would josh the NPS.

I would really worry when the whites of my eyes take on the shoe color.

Hank
That is not a fast or easy place to get out of even being so close to the Valley, hope it was by air.

Tats are out, but the bleach idea is good, would it mess up the leather though?

Hank, great story, mine turn my feet bright red, so people have thought I was bleeding.

To people who make shoes: If you want to charge us $100+ for them at least use a decent dye, or hell, leave it out, I don't buy my shoes for the color.

I have a pair of moc's that after five resoles still turn my feet red on a warm day.

Ahhh, behold the everlasting perils of rock climbing. It just depends on the particular color, and shoe. Yellow and white dye are much harder to detect on your feet than say red. I feel ya Brian, my mocs have always done this, hence is why I let my wife wear them now. With shoes, try looking into a pair of lined shoes i.e. a sewn plain leather interior as opposed to a single ply of dyed leather. Great story Hank, glad to know you still have your feet. Did it require a "NO-NO-NO! IT'S JUST DYE FROM MY SHOES!!!! REALLY!!!"

Don't worry about the color fading onto your feet, just the task at hand....., it will wash off.

I have never had a pair that hasnt done this. I thought they were supposed to do this... It makes your feet look cool in berkies, right?

stop tying them so tight, I'm sure the blood will flow back into your feet eventually :) Does your feet turn spotty white when you touch them with your fingers? HAHA

Why am I not concerned about getting shoe dye on my feet?? Maybe I'm the weird one. Or maybe it's just more MP nonsense. Why does one give a shit? We should be worried about sending the gnar and managing risk! Stopping shoe dye is not a step forward in progression! When I see my feet stained red from my Anasazis, makes me happy that I've been climbing! My climbing gear is my baby! 

Santiago Castro wrote: I went outside in the rain and got super wet, Than i came home at least 2 hours and went to the bathroom to take a shower. My feet are stained blue( same color as my shoes) I didn't wear socks. How do I fix my problem?

You signed up for this forum, and dug up a thread over a decade old just to ask how to get leather dye off of your feet? I'm very interested in how you ended up here...

The only thing I'd recommend for skin is alcohol + some sort of pumice/abrasive soap. There are stronger solvents, but not anything you really want on your skin.

To anyone who is still wondering WHY this happens, there are multiple parts. Going to be very top level since leather tanning and coloring is a super deep topic
1. The process in which leather is dyed, there are multiple ways to skin that cat, forgive the pun. This relates to #4 in that there are chemical salts of one kind or another in the processes used for shoe leather.
2. Poor color fastness of brights that are in most climbing shoes. The fact that those brights require a lot of dye to get them to that color means there is more to leach out
3. Mostly suedes and nubucks are used in climbing shoes. Which means LOTS of dye stuffs in the leather to leach out, and more surface area for it to do so.
4. An environment that prime for pulling out dyes (wet, hot, pressure, and salty).

Santiago Castro wrote: I went outside in the rain and got super wet, Than i came home at least 2 hours and went to the bathroom to take a shower. My feet are stained blue( same color as my shoes) I didn't wear socks. How do I fix my problem?

Just dye the rest of your skin the same color

Apologies for reviving a long dead thread but wanted to follow up on this. I have a pair of Muira VSs that I've had since 2019. I wear them pretty often and especially in the summer they dye my feet blue every single time I wear them. Not like a little blue, a lot blue. I'm to the point where I'm considering a different shoe - despite showering my feet will stay blue for days afterward. I've written to La Sportiva about this and got this response: 

Hi Amelia,

This issue is not something that is covered under warranty.

The dyed blue leather can leak when the shoes become hot and sweaty inside.

Has anyone found a solution? Does the bleach soak work without damaging the leather? 

Also if anyone from La Sportiva is reading this, please please make the Muira VSs a different color :( 

Easy Cheese wrote:

Also if anyone from La Sportiva is reading this, please please make the Muira VSs a different color :( 

Buy the mens

that guy named seb wrote:

Buy the mens

Fair - does the mens VS fit the same as the womens?

Easy Cheese wrote:

Fair - does the mens VS fit the same as the womens?

I believe so, la sportiva subscribe to same fit for men and womens just different midsole and rubber. Expect a slightly stiffer shoe. 

Sometimes they have higher and lower volume shoes but I think that is stated. 

Just checked, only difference is the sole, 4mm of xsedge on the mens instead of the 3.5mm of xsgrip2 on the women's. You will have a slightly stiffer shoe but you can resole them once you have worn them out. 

A comment up thread suggested soaking them (the shoes, not the feet) in water with a cap or two of bleach. Has anyone else tried this? I’ve still got a couple pairs of the old hiangles that turn your feet blue, and would be curious to try.

Edit: oh nevermind you mentioned that comment in your post…

Hson P wrote:

A comment up thread suggested soaking them (the shoes, not the feet) in water with a cap or two of bleach. Has anyone else tried this? I’ve still got a couple pairs of the old hiangles that turn your feet blue, and would be curious to try.

Edit: oh nevermind you mentioned that comment in your post…

If you decide to experiment lmk how it goes! I may try to find a pair of the mens at Neptune or R+R in my size to see how they feel compared to the lady-versions.