Zero Adhesive
Removes without reopening blisters.
Guard-Tex peels off damaged skin without tearing healing tissue — because there's no adhesive bonded to the wound. Critical for dancers who tape and re-tape daily.
Protect — Ballet
Guard-Tex wraps the toes and pressure points that pointe work destroys — blocking friction, cushioning impact, and protecting raw skin without adhesive that tears healing blisters open when removed.
Pointe work concentrates the dancer's entire body weight onto an area the size of a silver dollar. The toe box compresses toes together, creating friction between bones and fabric on every relevé. Blisters form on the big toe, pinky toe, and between toes. Bunions develop from lateral pressure. Toenails bruise and fall off. The top of the foot blisters from the box edge. And it happens every class, every rehearsal, every performance.
Adhesive tape and Band-Aids are the default — and they make it worse. Removing adhesive tape from raw blisters reopens the wound. Adhesive shifts inside the shoe, bunching into new pressure points. Foam toe pads add bulk that changes shoe fit. Gel spacers shift under load.
Removing athletic tape from my blisters after class was worse than the dancing. Guard-Tex peels off without touching the blister. My feet finally started healing between classes.— Professional Ballet Dancer, Company Member
Guard-Tex wraps toes with zero adhesive on skin. It removes without tearing healing tissue. The thin cotton sits inside pointe shoes without changing fit or feel. It blocks toe-to-toe friction, cushions box contact, and protects bunions from shoe pressure — all while maintaining the proprioception dancers need to feel the floor through the shoe.
Zero Adhesive
Guard-Tex peels off damaged skin without tearing healing tissue — because there's no adhesive bonded to the wound. Critical for dancers who tape and re-tape daily.
Big toe and hallux protection. The big toe absorbs the most force in relevé. Guard-Tex over the toe pad and nail bed cushions vertical pressure while protecting against box abrasion.
Pinky toe and lateral toes. Lateral compression crushes the pinky toe against the box wall. Guard-Tex wraps the pinky for friction protection and cushions the bone-to-fabric contact that creates blisters.
Between-toe friction. Toes pressed together create bone-on-bone friction. Guard-Tex between toes eliminates skin-to-skin contact that causes inter-digital blisters.
Bunion protection. Bunion prominence contacts the inside of the box on every plié and relevé. Guard-Tex over the bunion creates a cotton barrier that reduces friction without adding bulk that changes shoe fit.
Top-of-foot protection. The box edge creates a friction line across the top of the foot. Guard-Tex along this contact zone prevents the horizontal blister band that develops during long rehearsals.
| Feature | Guard-Tex | Adhesive Tape | Bare Feet | Toe Pads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blister removal pain | ✓ Zero — peels off clean | ✗ Adhesive tears healing skin | N/A | ✗ Adhesive on some |
| Shoe fit change | ✓ Minimal — thin cotton | ✗ Tape bunches, shifts | N/A | Adds bulk |
| Proprioception | ✓ Feel floor through shoe | ✗ Reduced by bulk | ✓ Maximum | ✗ Reduced |
| Between-toe use | ✓ Conforms, stays positioned | ✗ Adhesive sticks toes together | N/A | Not applicable |
| Re-taping frequency | ✓ Quick, painless daily | ✗ Painful, tears blisters | N/A | Varies |
Tape toes dry before putting on pointe shoes. Big toe pad, pinky toe, between-toe separators, bunion coverage. Two passes each.
Pro tip: Develop a consistent taping routine. Same wraps, same order, every class. Consistency prevents the spots you forgot.Guard-Tex holds through 90-minute classes and 3-hour rehearsals. Cotton stays positioned inside pointe shoes without shifting or bunching.
Pro tip: For performance days with multiple acts, check tape during intermission and add passes over worn areas.Peel off after dancing. Zero adhesive bonded to blisters or raw skin. The tape comes off without reopening wounds — critical for dancers who tape daily.
Pro tip: This is Guard-Tex's most important advantage for dancers. Daily adhesive tape removal on healing blisters prevents recovery. Guard-Tex allows daily taping without daily wound reopening.Guard-Tex protects during class and removes clean after. Skin gets uninterrupted healing time between sessions instead of adhesive damage compounding the blister damage.
Pro tip: Apply healing ointment after tape removal. The clean wound surface (not adhesive-torn) absorbs treatment better.
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Self-adhering, non-stretch cotton. Zero adhesive on skin or equipment. One roll lasts weeks of use.
Shop Now"Removing athletic tape from my blisters after class was worse than the dancing. Guard-Tex peels off without touching the blister. My feet finally started healing between classes."— Professional Ballet Dancer, Company Member
"I tape my toes every day — twice on double-class days. Guard-Tex doesn't tear my skin open every time I remove it. After 15 years of adhesive tape, that's revolutionary."— Ballet Instructor, Conservatory
"My bunion was raw from box friction. Guard-Tex over the bunion thin enough to not change my shoe fit but enough to stop the friction. No adhesive irritating the already-angry skin."— Soloist, Regional Ballet
"I put Guard-Tex between my toes to stop the bone-on-bone rubbing. It stays positioned through a full class. Adhesive tape stuck my toes together and made it worse."— Ballet Student, Pre-Professional
Many dancers use self-adhering tape like Guard-Tex because it removes without tearing healing blister tissue — unlike adhesive tape that bonds to raw skin.
Yes. Guard-Tex is thin enough to fit inside pointe shoes without changing fit or feel. It provides friction protection while maintaining proprioception.
Wrap high-friction zones (big toe, pinky toe, bunion, between toes) with Guard-Tex before each class. The cotton absorbs friction before it reaches skin.
No. Guard-Tex contains zero adhesive. It bonds only to itself and peels off damaged skin without tearing healing tissue.
Yes. Guard-Tex conforms between toes and stays positioned during dancing. Unlike adhesive tape, it doesn't stick toes together.
Fresh tape each class for optimal protection. Removal is painless, so daily replacement doesn't compound skin damage.
Self-adhering tape. No adhesive on skin or gear. Made in Elk Grove Village, IL since 1935.
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