How To Break in High Heels Quickly

How To Break in High Heels Quickly

Who doesn’t love a gorgeous pair of heels that you know will look great and give you that killer leg shape that you crave? The problem is the pain that comes with that beauty!

As soon as you get the heels, start taking action to break them in for the first day you wear them out. Keep reading if you want to learn how to break in high heels quickly.

Tips for Breaking in New Heels

Tips for Breaking in New Heels

If you’re wondering how to break in high heels quickly, it can take some time. However, from the moment of purchase until your heels feel good enough to walk around without any pain doesn’t have to take up too much of your time. Softening and stretching your shoes a little each day will produce the desired results.

Walk Around the House

Grab a thick pair of socks (not too thick) to wear with your heels. The point of this tactic is to stretch out the material by making your foot seem bigger than it actually is, which stretches the material. If you have a few chores to do around the house, you can throw the heels on and walk around with them on to begin making it a less tight fit.

The socks will protect your feet from getting blistered, sliding due to sweat, and damage to the heels themselves. You have to do some of the other tips on the list carefully because they could ruin your shoes. This method is safe because it only stretches the shoes without anything other than your foot.

You may experience a little pain from doing this for the first few days, but it should dissipate after that, leaving you with roomier shoes.

Pro tip: Those silica gel packets that come in your shoes are more beneficial than you may know. They absorb moisture and prevent shrinkage.

Put the packets of silica gel in your shoes when you’re not wearing them to keep them from shrinking back down to size after you’ve done your best to stretch them. You can also ask for extras at the store when you make your purchase.

Buy a Shoe Stretcher

Try a shoe stretcher to increase your shoe’s width and length.

  • Use a spray inside your shoe for the best results, but this step isn’t necessary.
  • Place the plugs on parts of the shoe that need additional stretching.
  • Put the shoe stretchers into both of your high heel shoes.
  • Begin turning the knob until you feel tension, indicating that your shoes are starting to stretch.
  • Leave your shoes stretched for at least six to eight hours or even overnight.
  • Try them on after this trial period to see if you got the desired results. If not, perform this process again.

Be careful with this method of breaking the heels in because you don’t want to damage your shoes or overstretch them. Stop stretching the shoe to avoid irreparable damage if you see it coming apart at the seams. The video below shows how to break in high heels quickly at home.

Grab Some Potatoes

This step may seem silly, but it works! You can break your heels in with potatoes. Look for a few that are slightly bigger than your shoes. They shouldn’t be too big that you can’t stuff them into the heel, but not so small that they have no stretching effect.

Peel the potatoes and put them inside your heels. Leave them in there overnight and take them out in the morning. Wipe down/rinse the inside of the heels and allow them to air dry. This tactic is helpful because the moisture in the potatoes makes the leather softer and therefore stretchier.

Try Moleskin

Moleskin is a hidden gem when it comes to wearing heels, even after you’ve broken them in. Cover your toes with moleskin, especially the big toe and second toe, and the baby toe. These toes take the brunt of blistering and rubbing when wearing your heels.

After applying the moleskin, soak your feet in water and let the material soak up the water. It expands when it gets wet, which will make the toes area softer and more pliable when you’re wearing them.

This tip is best for when you need the heels sooner than the recommended three to four weeks that it takes to fully break in a pair of heels. It minimizes pain and makes the heels temporarily stretched in certain areas.

Use a Blow Dryer

Another method to employ is the use of a blow dryer. Concentrating the heat from the blow dryer onto a particular section of your high heels can cause the materials to become more pliable. If you execute this method properly, you may be able to twist, bend and manipulate the high heels to get more room without having to break them in by walking in them.

There are certain kinds of leather susceptible to being treated in this way; however, try to keep the dryer at a distance from the dryer at first; too much heat can scorch the leather and leave unsightly marks. It could at least cause the shoe to need a polish or, at worst, ruin the shoe altogether.

Applying a blow dryer to your shoe has the potential to work as well as any DIY option. However, there’s one caveat, keep the hairdryer from the bottom of your heels. The material at the top is amenable to heat, but the bottom of the heel shouldn’t be made soft or pliable.

If a heel is heating to the point of going soft, it can compromise the shoe’s integrity, causing it to bend or buckle under your weight, causing permanent damage. When you try the blow dryer method, you should use your hands to stretch your shoes each time.

Stuff Your Heels

Instead of using your feet to break your shoes in, you can stuff them. Your shoe can be entirely synthetic or leather, and you can use something solid to stretch your heel in place of your shoe.

This method is perhaps most commonly used in the world of fashion, and it has the added advantage of not depreciating the fashion value of the shoe. This approach is sure to break your heels over time without compromising the integrity of the style and without you having to wear them yourself.

Use Frozen Water

If you can procure some small bags of water and have some space in your freezer, you can place the bags of water inside your shore and allow them to freeze. The freezer will cause the water to expand, and the shoes will stretch. Once you’ve stretched them, remove the bags and allow your shoes to warm to room temperature, and wear them when you see fit.

This is a great way to break your shoes in comfortably without the risk of damaging the condition or fashion value of the shoe. You can stretch multiple shoes simultaneously if you have the space to do so.

Twist the Heels

Although this may ruffle the feathers of those people who are fashion connoisseurs, you can simply twist the shoes. It can help mold the shoe into a better shape that loosens them and allows you to fit them more comfortably.

This method is a great DIY option that eliminates you from having to break your heels in with your feet which is a painful endeavor in and of itself. Trying this method requires caution so that you don’t damage your shoes. It’s even possible to break off the heel if you accidentally grab it.

You will want to remove the store tags before twisting your shoes. Store tags are difficult to pull off, and if you get them wrapped around your heel during the twisting process, this could cause you a great deal of pain. Tags can potentially cut into your fingertips, so it’s best to remove them beforehand.

Use Shoe Stretching Spray

You can use shoe stretching spray to help you break in your shoe much easier. Shoe spray works by making the leather in your shoe more pliable—helping to break your heels in much faster.

If you wish to break in your heels faster, apply some shoe stretching spray to your shoes with other viable methods, such as stuffing them with socks and wearing them around the house.

To use this product, spray it into the area which needs it most. Repeat this process until you feel like your shoes are exactly to your liking.

If you don’t have access to shoe spray, you can use 50/50 rubbing alcohol and water instead and use a spray bottle to apply or a cotton pad.

Additional Tips to Alleviate Pain

Additional Tips to Alleviate Pain

Below are several tips to help decrease the pain of wearing heels:

Use Bandages

You can place band-aids on the top of your toes and the back of your heels. It will give your skin a protective barrier between your heels and delicate skin. Make sure that you buy small bandages so that they do not protrude out from your heels as you wear them.

Deodorant Stick

If you can reduce sweat and moisture from causing your heels to slide, you could save yourself a lot of pain. Having less friction between your skin and your heels means far fewer blisters. Rub a deodorant stick on the top of your toes, the side of your feet, and on the back of your heels. Apply deodorant to any other blister problem areas.

Use Gel Inserts

Take the inserts and ensure they are placed inside each shoe correctly. For full coverage protection, place the inserts at the bottom of the shoe near the toe and the back of the heel. These will make your feet feel comfortable while preventing your feet from sliding simultaneously. Gel inserts are available at shoe stores and even drugstores.

Sandpaper

The sandpaper will give you that much-needed grip. New high heels typically have smoother bottoms making them more prone to slip as you walk. Take a sheet of sandpaper and rub it on the bottoms for a minute until they appear rougher. Rougher bottoms make walking in a new pair of high heels much more manageable.

How Long Does It Take To Break in Shoes?

How Long Does It Take To Break in Shoes

How long it takes to break in your high heels will depend on a few factors. For starters, what kind of heels are they? Short and chunky, tall and thin? Are they made from genuine leather or patent leather? Is the sole of the show slippery?

Lastly, how you prefer your shoes to feel is a significant indicator of exactly when you’ll be ready to take them out for a night on the town. In general, look at three to four weeks before they are fully broken in.

Why Do You Have To Break in Heels?

Why Do You Have To Break in Heels

So, there is the concept that you have to break in your new shoes from time to time, even if they aren’t heels, but most commonly, heels are the shoes associated with pain if you don’t break them in.

Sometimes you can have a pair of tennis shoes that may feel a little tight, but it’s not like the pain of having blistered feet by the end of the night from a pair of cute heels. They are notoriously difficult to endure. This factor is especially glaring when you don’t have experience walking in them.

You have to find a way to make your feet feel more comfortable inside the heels. That starts with stretching them out. There are numerous tips on how to break in high heels quickly, but we’ve selected those that have shown the most promise based on personal and anecdotal evidence.

With a few everyday items that you likely have lying around the house, you could be on your way to a more comfy pair of heels that won’t destroy your feet.

How To Break in High Heels Quickly, Closing Thoughts

How To Break in High Heels Fast

If you don’t know how to break in high heels quickly, try one or two of these methods until you find the one that works best. With so many options, you’ll find one that gets the job done.

Remember, everything works better when you buy the right size and if you know how to walk in heels properly. So be sure that you have these bases covered first before trying to break your heels in.

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