Does your new shoe feel too tight on your feet? Are you looking for a way to make it a perfect fit and comfortable to wear? Then you need to know how to break in shoes.
Buying a new shoe can be exciting but that excitement will be cut short if the shoes feel tight on your feet. Well, you don’t have to panic or take it back.
Most shoes have leather, which is an organic material that can stretch for frequent wearing. With time, the leather adjusts to the size of your foot. The period is the break-in period.
This article will educate you on the best way to break in shoes, how to break in new shoes without getting blisters, and how to break in shoes fast.
The Best Way to Break in Shoes
New shoes made from leather will always give you stiff troubles. They present many hassles to shape them into your foot so they would feel comfortable.
Why go through all this stress to “break in” your shoes?
Stiff shoes can cause blisters and sore feet. You don’t want to rush home in the middle of an important meeting to get a new pair of shoes.
Why do stiff shoes cause so much pain? The materials are not soft. They are hard and need to get used to your feet.
How do you break in your shoes? The following tips will show you have to break in shoes in the comfort of your living room.
- Get a hairdryer and use them on your shoes for about 2 minutes.
- Put on a thick cotton sock.
- Once the shoe is warm and soft, put them on.
- Stroll around your shoes until the shoes cool down.
You can do this a couple of times until the shoes get comfortable on your feet.
How to Break in New Shoes Without Getting Blisters?
The process of breaking in new shoes doesn’t have to be a painful one. No matter the type, a shoe shouldn’t ruin your day with pain and blisters.
Here is how to break in new shoes without getting blisters:
- Start by not wearing the new shoe for a long time or whole day. Take a spare slipper when staying out for long.
- Moisture is important- A dry skin will cause friction between the shoe and your feet, which results in blisters. In contrast, hydrated skin will rub less, reducing the risk of blisters.
- Insert a shoe shaper in the shoe and leave it overnight. It helps to expand the shoe for perfect fitting.
- Wear your shoes with socks: Shoes that require socks can break in without the foot getting hurt because the socks help to stop friction.
- Heat helps in expanding shoes, especially leather shoes. It makes the footwear flexible and easy to break-in. You can use a hairdryer. Place it under the sun or next to an indoor heater to achieve this. Afterward, put on the shoes and walk around in it after heating.
- A shoe stretcher helps in expanding shoes. Insert a stretcher and let it sit for some time, let’s say overnight. You can make use of chunky socks if you don’t have a shoe stretcher.
How to Stop New Shoes from Hurting?
Wearing new shoes without breaking them in can leave you walking in pain. Here’s what to do to avoid that from happening.
- Apply anti precipitant on your feet. This helps to prevent foot sweat that worsens blisters, especially during summer.
- When you wear a new shoe, you can feel the part where it pains the most. Applying surgical paper tape or sticking plasters to those areas helps prevent blisters, especially for runners.
- You can use deodorants on your toes, heel bone, and lateral area of your foot before wearing the shoes. It helps to stop new shoes from hurting.
- Give your feet a break by taking spare comfortable slippers along to your office. Most times, wearing a new shoe for a long time without a break can hurt the foot.
- You can use Silicone insoles in the shoes to prevent them from hurting your foot. You can use a full-length insole or half ones, depending on your preference. You can use Silicone heels to erase irritation around the heels. You can get these in orthopedic stores or shoe stores online.
- Plastic bags: Place two plastic bags filled with water in the toe of each shoe. Afterward, place it in the freezer and leave it overnight. Once the plastic bag freezes and expands, the shoe does the same. Remove the plastic bag and wear the shoe, and you will notice it expands.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Long Does It Take to Break in Shoes?
This depends on how tight or loose you want the shoes to feel on your feet, the type of leather, style, and sole of the shoe.
Depending on how often you wear your new shoes, the time it takes to break in shoes can be between 3 to 4 weeks. But, to shorten the time, wear them often to enable your feet to adjust to fit perfectly.
What Does It Mean to Break in Shoes?
Breaking in shoes means your feet are getting used to a purchased pair of shoes. When a shoe is new, the time it takes to conform to your feet size is known as a break-in.
You might feel too uncomfortable when you put on footwear without a break-in. This discomfort can lead to blisters due to friction between the footwear and the shoe. Moisture helps reduce friction; hydrated skin will rub less than dry skin.
Why Does It Hurt to Break in Shoes?
New shoes feel tight around the heel, toe, and lateral area of your foot and leave you to wobble around in pain. The break-in period comes with pain caused by friction. Your leg and shoe rub against each other, causing abrasions and blisters.
It occurs until the foot is in harmony with your shoe. To prevent this, use some of the hacks listed above to break in shoes without getting hurt.
How Do You Break in Shoes Fast?
Is your wedding or a special occasion close and you don’t want to break in shoes because you don’t have enough time? You can’t wait to rock those new shoes you recently bought to the office or church.
Here is what to do to break in the shoes fast:
- Blow hot dryer air to loosen the area where it feels too tight.
- Place Freezing plastic bag in the shoe to expand it.
- Use a shoe stretcher or stuff up the shoe with chunks of socks to expand it.
- Wearing the shoe around often after any of these helps too. The longer you wear them, the faster your foot conforms to the shoe in harmony.
Wrap Up
Breaking in shoes is no big deal if you know the right tricks to use. Many people destroy their shoes due to not having the right idea by trying out short tricks like putting the shoes in a microwave.
But by learning how to break in shoes with the guide above, all it takes is patience and the right time. This piece is all the best way on how to break in shoes within a short time. Good luck.
