How to deal with uncomfortable footwear?

Tips - how to break in new shoes...

1. Break in your shoes

New high heels for a friend's wedding? Or maybe hiking boots? If you bought shoes for a special occasion, be sure to wear them in before the event. Don't write them off right away. We recommend wearing them several times around the house or for a walk. Thanks to this, you will adapt them to the shape of your foot, break them down and reduce the risk of them rubbing on you next time. You can always decide on plan B and wear the tight-fitting model over thick socks or ask someone with slightly larger feet to walk in them for a while. Then the shoe will break in and be more comfortable.

2. Use shoe inserts

This is one of the most popular solutions. If the shoe model does not fit your feet well, is too loose or improperly shaped, choose appropriate shoe inserts. Choose ones that will perfectly match your footwear - they cannot bend, wave or stick out. The material is also important. For warmer days, we recommend models made of lambskin or gel inserts, while for autumn and winter, thicker variants are better - e.g. made of felt, wool or aluminum sponge. A perfectly fitting insole is the key to success when you want to achieve comfort for your feet.

3. Half-insoles and heel socks may also be a solution

Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to footwear and other models will guarantee comfort. If the insoles do not guarantee your comfort, you may need a solution that will properly support the ball of your foot or heel. For this purpose, we recommend checking the half-insoles and heel cups. These are particularly popular among women who love wearing high heels. Unfortunately, this positioning of the foot often causes metatarsal pain, which is the result of lack of adequate support. It is also worth using half-insoles, especially in shoes with thin soles, which will cushion the foot well while walking. How to deal with uncomfortable footwear when sharp edges bother you? When shoes are made of hard leather, for example, they can compress the Achilles tendon and cause discomfort, so shoe heel pads will be helpful. These lift part of the foot, which places the edge of the footwear in a less sensitive place.

4. Breaking in shoes at the shoemaker's

This method is very popular when you buy shoes that are slightly too small or when you have a disproportion in the length of the insole in both legs. Then, all you need to do is commission a shoemaker to cut your shoes so that he can adjust them to the dimensions you want - by about half a size at most. However, the condition is that they must be leather shoes. Then it is possible to impose them on the so-called shoemaker's last so that they spread apart. Other materials may be resistant to such treatments and may even be damaged. The cost of the project is small - from a few to a dozen or so zlotys, and the effect may please you.

5. Shoe stretching spray

Another way to deal with uncomfortable footwear is to use a specialist spray. The chemical mixture is intended to penetrate the structure of the material, expand it and make the shoe comfortable to wear. The spray includes alcohol, water, a special plasticizer and a conditioning agent. Here, however, we emphasize again that this method will work for natural leather. Sprays are suitable for all types of rough and smooth leather, but should not be used on patent leather. The method of use is simple - you spray it on your shoes, put it on your feet and wear it for at least 30 minutes. Materials moistened with the preparation stretch and precisely fit the footwear to the leg.

We hope that our tips will be helpful and that you will now be able to easily deal with the problem of uncomfortable footwear. Remember to measure your shoes using the socks you usually wear and choose the size according to the table. However, if you already have shoes that are not very comfortable - follow our advice and maybe the situation can be fixed. Good luck!