Any outfit looks great with high heels, which are a fashion must-have. They may, however, also be uneasy and challenging to enter. So how to break in high heels?
Shoes that you haven’t yet broken in can leave you with sore feet, blisters and hobbling home in the wee hours, potentially having ruined your day out.
Read on to find out how to break in heels overnight or more quickly. These tricks will work with leather heels, suede satin and more high heel materials.
How to Break in High Heels?
Try below methods to break in your high heels.
1. Use a Shoe Stretcher to Break in Heels
A tool called a shoe stretcher is used to help you lengthen and widen your shoes. It’s a semi-professional way to break in heels. All types of shoes, including those with high heels, can be stretched with shoe stretchers.
If you have feet that are particularly wide or unusually shaped, having this device at home is a great idea. If you seem to need extra time and effort to break in your footwear and heels, it will save you time.
Stretchers can be made of metal, wood or plastic. Of course, the ones made of wood and plastic are frequently more robust. To help them fit better inside the opening, there are shoe stretchers designed specifically for women’s shoes and high heels.
Even smaller shoe stretchers that resemble bulkier cufflinks are available to widen the toe-box region of heels.
Related Reading: How Should High Heels Fit?
2. Put Heels in the Freezer
One of the most underrated methods to break in heels is to put them in the freezer overnight. However, it goes much deeper than that!
One of the simplest ways to break in your heels is using a freezer bag. All you need are some sealable plastic bags like Ziplock bags and water.
The water-filled bags should be inserted inside your heels where they need stretching. After that, to protect them from the freezer’s contents, put the heels in a cloth or plastic bag.
Place them in the freezer for the evening. Then, to ensure that they have sufficiently broken in, take them outside and wear them around for a while.
Read More: How to Keep High Heels from Slipping Off?
3. Wear Your Heels at Home
I rarely ever wear new heels to an event right away. Simply put, the danger is not worth it! All of my shoes fall into this category.
There are many ways to break in your high heels so that they fit better and feel more comfortable. One method is to wear them around the house for brief periods each day until your feet start to feel better.
Doing this in the evenings is best, as everyone’s feet swell during the day. Additionally, heels break in much better on larger feet!
4. Blow Dry Your Heels
There are numerous ways to break in heels, and in this section I’ll show you how to stretch out shoes with a blowdryer as well as break them in.
1. Your shoe’s heel should be placed on a towel, and you should hold it there with one hand. You could also wear a pair of thicker socks with your heels as an alternative.
2. Point the blowdryer at the area of the high heels you want to loosen up by turning it on at a medium or hot setting. Holding the blowdryer about a foot away, perform this task for no longer than 10 seconds. Don’t let the shoe get too hot or the material will be damaged.
3. Continue doing this until you feel that the heel has stretched enough for you to wear the heels comfortably without socks. Most shoes that rub your heel and result in blisters should be easier to break in after doing this.
5. Use a Potato to Break in Heels
I’d never have thought of breaking in heels with a potato, but here we are! Locate a few potatoes that are slightly bigger than your shoes, peel them, and stuff them inside your shoes.
Potatoes should be left overnight in your heels. Remove the potatoes in the morning, then wipe the inside of your shoes and allow them to air dry.
How does the potato method work? The potato’s moisture will soften the leather or other shoe material, making it simpler to break in your heels.
6. Use Shoe Stretching Spray
Breaking in heels can be made easier with the help of shoe stretching spray. The shoe stretching spray will make the leather more pliable and will also help to break in the heel faster/
Shoe stretching spray can be used in conjunction with other techniques, such as wearing heels indoors, donning socks, or using a shoe stretcher, if you want to break in heels quickly.
Spraying this product inside the part of the shoe that needs it most and wearing them is the best way to use it. Continue doing this until you are satisfied that your heels have broken in sufficiently.
No spray to stretch shoes at home? By combining rubbing alcohol and water 50/50, you can make your own that is just as efficient. Apply with a spray bottle or a cotton pad.
7. Wear Socks With Heels
The process of breaking in heels with socks is simple and one of my favorite methods. It’s easy to do at home, inexpensive, and efficient!
Put on your new heels with socks and walk around for a while, or wear them intermittently throughout the day for 10 minutes at a time.
The additional padding provided by the socks will encourage the heels of the shoes to break in more quickly. To help your heels adjust even more, wear two pairs of socks.
8. Stretch Your High Heels With Ice.
You can stretch your shoes by using ice since water expands when it is frozen. It only takes a few minutes to fill Ziplock bags with water and seal them after ensuring that they are completely empty of air. Place the bags in your shoes, then put them in the freezer.
Leave them there for 4 to 8 hours. When the water has frozen, remove your shoes from the freezer and leave them out at room temperature until the ice has thawed enough for you to be able to remove the bags from inside your shoes. Once stretched out for more comfortable wear, your shoes should work perfectly.
9. Bend Your Heels to Break Them In
This is a great way to break in new high heels without having to wear them for hours on end. This can be achieved by walking-like back-and-forth twisting of the outsole’s middle. This will increase the material’s flexibility and make it more comfortable to walk in.
Gently twist or bend your shoes to avoid weakening or damaging the areas that need to be more rigid. Not all shoe soles bend, which is something to keep in mind. I don’t recommend these types of heels, as they are most likey to hurt your feet.
9. Take Your Heels to a Professional
I always end my shoe care posts with a section about going to a professional. Your delicate high heels will be handled in a way that we are unable to by a trustworthy local cobbler.
Depending on how busy the cobbler is, it will cost slightly more and take about a week.
But for those who prefer to avoid DIY options or don’t have the time, it’s the most secure way to break in heels and completely hands-off.
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- How to Break in Loafers?
Conclusion: How to Break in High Heels
Your new high heels may look fantastic, but you won’t want to wear them if they’re too uncomfortable! That’s why it’s so important to break them in as soon as you buy them.
There are so many methods to breaking in heels. I’d love to hear the methods you prefer or any that I might have missed.
FAQs
How Long Does It Take to Break in Heels?
Your new shoes shouldn’t start to feel more comfortable for 3 to 4 weeks on average.
How to Stretch Out Heels Fast?
You can use shoe stretching spray in conjunction with other strategies, such as wearing heels around the house, if you want to quickly break in heels.
How to Break in Shoes That Rub Your Heel?
To make the heels softer, use soap.
