Blisters: How To Wear In New Shoes Without Getting Them

I’m a fiend for comfortable shoes for two reasons.

1. I walk a lot. Like everywhere.

2. I’m the Hermione Granger of getting blisters. I always succeed at it.

No matter how comfortable the shoes are supposed to be or how many nurses/teachers they have on their ads, new shoes ALWAYS give me blisters. Even shoes like Kumfs and Zierras. There’s a very hefty wearing in period for any shoes I buy, which is probably why I don’t buy new shoes that often because it’s just too painful. Having said that, my beloved Toms wore out this season and they needed replacing so I went back to my beloved Funkis clogs. I got them for Christmas and it’s taken a few weeks but they’re finally worn in. So worth it.

Wearing

Dress from Cos

Shoes from Funkis

Here’s how to avoid blisters when you’re breaking in new shoes…

1. Wear them around the house 

I danced as a teenager and whenever I got new ballet shoes, I’d just wear them around the house until they got all soft and squishy. The same thing works with regular shoes and high heels. Plus you have the added bonus of feeling SUPER fancy while you do the washing up.

2. Wear them for a little while and pack some flats

I’m not stupid enough to wear brand new shoes when I have to walk around all day but a big day of walking is an excellent opportunity to wear in some newbies so what’s a lass to do? Pack your comfy shoes in your bag and do the old switcheroo when the newbies start to hurt. I love the little Dr Scholl ones you can grab at chemists. They’re so small you can just pop them in your bag and swap shoes when you start getting really grumpy.

3. Wear them with really thick socks in front of the TV 

This only works for leather shoes that will stretch but it works a treat. I wear Mr Smaggle’s chunky Explorer socks with new shoes for an hour or so a night for a few nights and it stretches them without any pain at all. You can stretch synthetic shoes a little bit but this method works best for leather.

4. Have them professionally stretched 

You can take leather shoes to shoemakers and have them stretched up to half a size. Hot tip: If you have a friend with slightly bigger feet than you, you can get them to wear them around the house for a few nights. I used my size 9 feet to stretch my bestie’s size 6 shoes for her wedding day. It was extraordinarily painful but I’m not one to give up an opportunity for my big feet to be useful. Plus she got me wasted on G&Ts so it wasn’t all bad.

5. Use blister pads

I’m fond the old band-aid but when a classic plaster won’t cut it, you’ve got to go for blister pads. They’re usually pretty expensive but so worth it if you want to make it home without crying from pain. Compeed, Band-aid and Dr Scholl all make them and they’re really much of a muchness in my opinion. Hot tip: Always pop a few in your bag to take to weddings. Even if you don’t use them yourself, you’ll almost definitely end up saving a bridesmaid or even the bride from wedding shoe pain.

This outfit was worn for a hectic week of getting back into the swing of things. It’s always the way when you’re a business owner, the aftermath of holidays is hardly worth taking a holiday for. I’m going to have a quiet recovery weekend and potter about sorting out my new office and making meals for next week… what are you up to?

Do you have any awesome blister avoiding tips? How do you wear in new shoes?

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