This Page

has been moved to new address

how to break in your shoes in less than 2 minutes

Sorry for inconvenience...

Redirection provided by Blogger to WordPress Migration Service
coffee, light & sweet: how to break in your shoes in less than 2 minutes

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

how to break in your shoes in less than 2 minutes


My new flats were a bit too tight in the toes. So I tried this incredibly simple and neat trick from The Observer via Lifehacker for stretching out the area. And guess what? It worked!

Put on socks  and slip on your shoes. 
Aim the hairdryer on the tight section for a few seconds (wiggle and stretch your feet inside the shoe for maximum benefit).
Keep the shoes on while they cool.
Remove the socks and test out shoes.
It should be stretched out, but if you need more room, then repeat the process.

See? Told you it was easy.

Photobucket






56 Comments:

At May 23, 2012 at 8:48 AM , Blogger rooth said...

Ooh, great tip! Thanks!

 
At May 23, 2012 at 9:01 AM , Blogger sherri lynn said...

Oh this is just the tip I need! I bought these really cute red flats a while ago, and I wore them once and they were so tight they gave me blisters that I had for weeks! I haven't worn them since which is sad because they're really cute. I'm so excited to try this method - and be able to wear all of my tight shoes again!

 
At May 23, 2012 at 11:20 AM , Blogger Why Girls Are Weird said...

Awesome, totally going to try this out!

 
At May 23, 2012 at 2:38 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

That's so neat! I've done the sock trick, but adding the blow drier makes total sense! Great tip :)

 
At May 23, 2012 at 8:47 PM , Blogger Shoko said...

I just bought a few new pairs of flats and my heels are red and blistered from trying to break them in. Can't wait to try this!

 
At May 23, 2012 at 10:22 PM , Anonymous Anni said...

This is awesome, thanks for sharing! I hate the first week blisters from ballet flats!

 
At May 24, 2012 at 12:03 AM , Blogger Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

awesome tip!!! will remember this in case i get shoes that are too tight!

 
At May 24, 2012 at 1:36 AM , Blogger jkd said...

I am totally going to try this!

 
At May 24, 2012 at 5:41 AM , Blogger Nicole Marie said...

umm cool!

 
At May 24, 2012 at 12:12 PM , Blogger Alexa said...

Oh my gosh that is the neatest trick. Going to try it out!

 
At May 24, 2012 at 2:27 PM , Blogger A Crimson Kiss said...

Genius! I used to put new pointe shoes in the oven to warm up the glue and stretch them out, but they always came out a bit dirty–what I wish I'd known then!

 
At May 24, 2012 at 5:16 PM , Blogger Regan said...

Cool idea!!

 
At May 24, 2012 at 8:12 PM , Blogger Ashley said...

whoooooaaaaaaaa...I've been enlightened!!

 
At May 28, 2012 at 11:49 AM , Blogger Marissa said...

This is brilliant! I was going to bring a pair of sandals to the cobbler to have them stretched, but I'm trying this first!

 
At May 28, 2012 at 2:29 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Great

 
At May 28, 2012 at 5:45 PM , Anonymous AC said...

Pretty fantastic.

 
At May 29, 2012 at 4:20 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am so stoked that I stumbled across this. I need to stretch my white satin wedding shoes and didn't want to bring them into a shoe repair place to have it done in case they got dirty. This could just be the ticket!! :D

 
At May 29, 2012 at 5:29 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sounds good but who has tried this and worked? Hope to hear the success stories! Thx.

 
At May 29, 2012 at 5:57 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh my thank you! Going to try this with my new tap shoes.

 
At May 29, 2012 at 11:33 PM , Anonymous Ren said...

This is an age-old tip. Heat and stretching always works for any sort of shoe. To the Anonymous who wanted success stories, go for it. It works. I've done this with everything from court shoes to ballet flats to stilettos to work boots.

An extra tip for those with shoes where the leather is thicker, apply a little leather conditioner while the leather is still warm - but do not heat the leather after you put the conditioner on as you'll ruin the shoe. The conditioner helps to relax the fibres in the leather and mold it to your foot better. You can get it at any good shoe store.

 
At May 30, 2012 at 7:41 AM , Blogger Jillian said...

Hope it works out for you!

 
At May 30, 2012 at 7:43 AM , Blogger Jillian said...

Besides me, I'm not sure. Although, if you click on the links provided, it will direct you to the original source. It looks like Sian Berry of The Observer has tried it and it's worked out pretty successfully for her.

 
At May 30, 2012 at 7:44 AM , Blogger Jillian said...

Love that extra tip! Very helpful indeed.

 
At May 31, 2012 at 9:02 PM , Anonymous Faith said...

I've always done the cold version of this: fill sandwich baggies with water and insert into shoe, tip shoes at an angle and freeze overnight. The water will expand as it freezes and stretch the shoe. This seems a lot quicker, and doesn't involve cold feet! (Har har har.)

 
At May 31, 2012 at 11:32 PM , Blogger Kimberley Hebert said...

Can't wait to try this! Thanks
http://crosscountrystamper.blogspot.com/

 
At June 20, 2012 at 7:56 AM , Blogger Jillian said...

Yes, I've heard of this one before! I haven't tried it yet, but I've seen a bunch of Youtube tutorials that have shown its success.

 
At June 28, 2012 at 3:15 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Does this work on Canvas shoes too?

 
At June 29, 2012 at 7:41 AM , Blogger Jillian said...

Hm, I'm not sure. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it and see. Just don't keep the heat on for too long!

 
At July 3, 2012 at 1:06 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey, thank you for this tip, I will try this with my crocks - you see, even in germany shoe addiction is sometimes painful :-))

 
At July 5, 2012 at 9:03 AM , Blogger Angel Eyes said...

GREAT IDEA! My daughter has a pair of shoes she loves that her Dad got for her. They are just to tight at the baby toe. This will make her so happy! Thanks!!

 
At July 5, 2012 at 4:27 PM , Blogger Jae said...

Cool idea.

 
At July 6, 2012 at 3:30 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why not buy shoes that fit?

 
At July 6, 2012 at 7:22 AM , Blogger Jillian said...

Hope it works for you!

 
At July 6, 2012 at 7:23 AM , Blogger Jillian said...

Because I got tired of return shipping shoes back to Zappos. So I just made them fit, haha.

 
At July 6, 2012 at 11:40 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear other anonymous- I had feet that were just over a size 10, which is the biggest size most cute shoes come in. I couldn't buy 10.5s, because they simply weren't available. I had a baby a little over a year ago, and my feet grew about a half size. I now wear an 11. Stretching shoes that I find in stores is often my only option.

 
At July 6, 2012 at 11:55 AM , Blogger Jillian said...

What a great point.

 
At July 6, 2012 at 6:23 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Awesome my flats are a bit tight i will definately try this!!

 
At July 6, 2012 at 6:52 PM , Anonymous Natalie said...

Great tip! I need a wider-fitting shoe, so this is a brilliant tip to ease the pinch!

 
At July 6, 2012 at 10:10 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone do this with heels or only flats?

 
At July 7, 2012 at 10:59 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have a similar issue as anonymous #2. I had a baby and while my shoes fit length-wise, they are tight in the toes. I can't wait to try this. :)

 
At July 8, 2012 at 8:40 AM , Blogger Alexandra A. said...

Thank you a thousand times! i finally larged my flats! i have some cute black flats and didn;t managed to properly break them in. Now they seem beautifully adapted on my feet. hope they will stay this way. tonight i am going to wear them! thanks! i will share this tip further if u don;t mind!

 
At July 8, 2012 at 8:42 AM , Blogger Jillian said...

I've only done it with flats. Not sure about anyone else. I'd imagine it will work the same on the toe area. Not sure about the back part, since heels tend to have a really hard back.

 
At July 8, 2012 at 8:43 AM , Blogger Jillian said...

No problem! I'm glad they worked for you. Share away!

 
At September 1, 2012 at 6:59 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Any heat applied to crocs will shrink them. Big time.

 
At September 8, 2012 at 6:56 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Does this work with toms ? Bought a pair of the canvas wedges and they are very tight!

 
At September 16, 2012 at 9:44 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Won't the socks stretch the rest of the shoe? I just want the toes stretched.

 
At September 16, 2012 at 8:51 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

It works!!! Holy! Thank you for the tip!

 
At September 23, 2012 at 4:23 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

If the shoe isn't actually tight, it's just rubbing the wrong way because you need to break it in, use underarm stick deodorant and rub it where you'd get a blister. You'll never get another blister again

 
At September 26, 2012 at 11:26 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do you think it would help with leather knee high boots that are too tight around the calf?

 
At November 17, 2012 at 11:59 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just did this to a pair of suede stilettos and it worked! Thank you so much!

 
At November 20, 2012 at 12:29 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Never thought of it for pointed shoes!

 
At December 13, 2012 at 8:19 PM , Blogger katherinelynn_04 said...

The problem isn't going to be solved by a blister stick or this method; you simply need to purchase heel inserts to stick in the back of the heel. I have this problem, and it is an immediate fix.

 
At December 14, 2012 at 12:24 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Former dancer = try moleskin (Dr. Scholls' line has some great adhesive-backed kind, in the drugstore foot care area, and also, try some spray deodorant or blister stick (Band-aid makes a great one) or even chapstick on areas you typically get blisters on to help ward them off. For flats, or sneakers, you can always try rolling the shoe up in your hands if the material is malleable enough, just to get a head start on breaking them in, but usually waiting until the evening is the best way to shop for shoes. Online-wise, try to stick with brands you know will fit. Arch supports & orthotics can change your life & Dr. Scholls makes a terrific low-profile gel-insert with a smidgen of heel & arch support made specifically for heels. I love them! Promise I don't even work for them. Just remember, love your feet. You get what you pay for. Always!! This hairdryer trick is nice but tread lightly, with materials & whatnot... Good luck!

 
At February 1, 2013 at 1:56 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just lose weight

 
At February 2, 2013 at 4:44 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is also great for those of us with wider feet.

 
At March 25, 2013 at 2:40 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Can it work with made rubber dollshoes?? also??

 

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home