Toe blisters

A strip of duct tape or athletic tape around the toe.

Try a piece of Moleskin with a diamond cut out in the center. Wrap this with a narrow strip of Leukotatpe.

+1 duct tape.
(I like the Gorilla Tape brand).

There's a lot of good information here:

http://fixingyourfeet.com

And this page (for runners) with step-by-step photos for taping just about any part of the foot:

http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Taping

I haven't needed either (yet) but bookmarked them b/c they seem so helpful.

All sorts of kludges get advocated.
But all they are doing is trying to unsuccessfully mask the fact that the shoes are too small. Very typical with women: they always buy shoes which are too small. Doesn't work when hiking.

Try her with some 1210s half a size longer and the next size up in width. Seriously. If that works, the cost is irrelevant. She might need a full size longer, but try half a size at first.

Me, I would skip the toe-socks as they can just add to the problem. Try some very light nylon liner socks (Gobi Wigwam are good) with the DTV socks (excellent).

Cheers

Per Rodger, check the shoe size. If correct, there are a couple of items worth trying. First, is the skin smooth or somewhat calloused? If not smooth, before the hike, smooth the skin down with a good wide fingernail file, like what you’d buy at Sephora. Next, use gaiters, like Dirty Girl Gaiters to greatly reduce the amount of dirt getting to the feet. Use a skin lubricant like Bodyglide to reduce friction between the toes. Also, after a couple of hours hiking, or say 5 miles, stop for 15 minutes, take the socks and shoes off and let them dry out as moist toes are more susceptible to blistering. It the socks don’t dry out, put on a fresh pair of dry socks. Personally, I don’t like putting on tape as for me the tape rubs the next toe and causes blisters on that toe.

Also, at what point is she getting the blisters? At two miles or fifteen?

Cut off that toe ? Problem solved ! :>)

And with Larry's idea she would save weight ;)

I have had same problem – blister under toe. More than that, toe-nails discolored.

I tried getting a size bigger – problem solved.

Then, on a couple trips I used my old boots that gave me blisters and now they don't.

So, very confusing. Maybe it's that when it's warmer me feet swell up and I get blisters.

Still, I agree with Roger, get a bigger shoe. Maybe a different brand – they have different "lasts" with different shapes that might fit different people better or worse.

Well yeah Roger's right: look into the shoe. Perhaps a brand with a wider toe box? Try Keens in- store to get a sense of what a really wide toe box is like, then go from there. And definitely size up.

Fixing Your Feet really is a great book.

Salesmen do this with women. I finally tried on shoes in ever increasing sizes and ignored the salesmen and his foot ruler, and ended up with mens 10.5 as women's are all too narrow for me even if a brand makes my size.

A fringe benefit – no more pink or purple.

Most womens shoes are pure fashion, terrible for their feet, and can cause foot abnormalities, like hammertoes. You might consider visiting a podiatrist to determine that the foot isnt the problem. Orthotics can correct some problems, but it takes time.

Lori has a good point. No more Womens fittings. They are all under-size and narrow.

Cheers

I also agree with Lori !

If a wider shoe that doesn't constrict the forefoot at all (base of toes forward) doesn't alleviate the toe folding under I would go to a good podiatrist.an x ray can be illuminating. when I started having foot pain I regret not going sooner. five days of a seven day trip would have been less tear-filled had I done so.

Toe box needs to be loose to accommodate swelling that happens as you hike. If it fits like a glove it's too tight. The bones need to splay and flex as you walk, so the foot needs space for that to happen.

Foot doctor might recommend an orthotic with a metatarsal arch support – she looks flat footed. The bones don't move correctly and malformation can result- in my case bunions.

Shoe size could be an issue. The current shoes might fit fine with a thinner sock combo. Using just the Injinjis is worth a try, as is getting rid of those horridly not-breathable Darn Tough socks and replacing them with a much thinner liner with less nylon content.

My feet do this occasionally (twisted toes due to years in climbing shoes), as do my wifes (years in pointe shoes), even with both of us wearing toe socks. Sometimes you just have to tape and HTFU.

"Using just the Injinjis is worth a try, as is getting rid of those horridly not-breathable Darn Tough socks and replacing them with a much thinner liner with less nylon content."

+1 Wigwam Ultimax thin liners work really well for me over the lightest weight Injinji toe socks. Haven't had a blister with them yet. However, as Dave said, proper shoe fit/size is worth taking a very close look at as well.

I wear wide men's shoes only. I got tired of my toes folding under each other. Over the years, and after two long hikes, my toes are all spread apart and now I couldn't wear a pair of women's shoes if I tried. Brands that work for me:

New Balance minimus – nice and tight around the middle and wide in the front, but kind of too minimal for some kinds of hiking (had a thorn go right through the bottom.)

Altra Running – I still have to get them a little too long in order to have enough room for my outer toes.

Keen – I like the floppy feel of the slightly too-large men's shoes I got, but it put a seam right over my big toe and I've lost my big toenails because of that. So I have to wear super thin socks if I want to keep my toenails. Otherwise the width is great and my little toes, which are the ones that are usually destroyed, do great.

Chaco sandals. I've backpacked all over the place in Chacos, even part of the JMT and PCT. I wear them with socks. My feet are always very happy. The don't have good traction and it sucks to walk in snow in them.