Are your shoes hurting the back of your ankles? I have news for you. New work boots do not have to hurt. They do not have to blister your toes or your heels. Let me show you how to break in shoes that rub your heel.
Such a shoe can indeed feel like a death sentence, at least for your feet when they start rubbing. Or what would you say about a pair of boots that seems so determined to grill the back of your ankles like lobsters?
But all is not lost, it never is lost anyway. If you have bought yourself a pair of workplace shoes that rub the back of your ankles constantly, there is a solution for you.
But all is not lost, it never is lost anyway. If you have bought yourself a pair of workplace shoes that rub the back of your ankles constantly, there is a solution for you.
Blisters on back of heel from new shoes get even worse when they are caused by your work boots. If you have to spend hours on end on your feet, you know the heels blisters would turn into open wounds in a matter of days.
You can learn how to break in footwear that rub your heel at home. Even if it is your regular boots, you need to know how to stop them from sustaining blisters from heels.
But all is not lost, it never is lost anyway. If you have bought yourself a pair of workplace shoes that rub the back of your ankles constantly, there is a solution for you.
Blisters on back of heel from new shoes get even worse when they are caused by your work shoes. If you have to spend hours on end on your feet, you know the blisters would turn into open wounds in a matter of days.
You can learn how to break in shoes that rub your heel at home. Even if it is your regular shoes, you need to know how to stop them from hurting the back of your ankles.
What does break in new shoes mean?
Table of Contents
When you buy a new pair of work boots, even if they are true-to-size, it is recommended that you wear them for some time at home before wearing them to work. This gets the shoes to conform to your feet, thus becoming even more ergonomic.
If you wear a pair of boots to work straight out of the box, it can press your feet so hard, causing blisters on your toes and in the back of your heels.
When you buy a new pair of work boots, even if they are true-to-size, it is recommended that you wear them for some time at home before wearing them to work. Walk around in them until they are broken in. This is one of the ways to stop shoes that blisters heels.
Break in a pair of shoes gets them to conform to your feet, thus becoming even more ergonomic. With so many techniques to break in boots, you must find one that works for you.
If you wear a pair of shoes to work straight out of the box, it can press your feet so hard, causing blisters on your toes and in the back of your heels.
If you wear a pair of boots to work straight out of the box, it can press your feet so hard, causing blisters on your toes and in the back of your heels.
6 Techniques for how to break in shoes that rub your heel
With these six methods, you should be able to stop shoes from rubbing ever so easily.
1. How to break in shoes using heat
Heat makes the boots larger and stops shoes from rubbing. You will need:
- Dryer
- A pair of thick socks
If your shoes hurt the back of your ankle, use heat on them. Heat makes leather or suede malleable. The secret is to wear the shoes and start applying heat to the back of the heels while they are on your feet.
If your boots hurt the back of your ankle, use heat on them. Heat makes leather or suede malleable. The secret is to wear the shoe and start applying heat to the back of the heels while it is on your feet.
As the leather becomes hot, it turns malleable slowly. You can walk around in the shoe so that as they cool down, they will conform to the shape of your heel.
Such an ingenious process but wait, does it work on all types of work shoes? It does, as long as they are made of leather, cloth or suede. The good thing with this process is that it seeks to cure the root cause of the rub on heels – ill-fitting shoes.
If your boots hurt the back of your ankle, use heat on them. Heat makes leather or suede malleable. The secret is to wear the shoe and start applying heat to the back of the heels while it is on your feet.
As the leather becomes hot, it turns malleable slowly. You can walk around in the shoe so that as they cool down, they will conform to the shape of your heel.
Such an ingenious process but wait, does it work on all types of work shoes? It does, as long as they are made of leather, cloth or suede. The good thing with this process is that it seeks to cure the root cause of the rub on heels – ill-fitting shoes.
Other methods such as using moleskin on your heels works to prevent the heels from forming blisters or hurting, but it really does not ensure that the shoes will not hurt you in future.
Other methods such as using moleskin on your heels works to prevent the heels from forming blisters or hurting, but it really does not ensure that the shoe will not hurt you in future.
For the best heat effect, do it slowly as you test your work shoe. Heat the back of the boots until they are slightly malleable, test them on your feet while wearing the thick socks. If they still feel too tight, repeat the process again. It is best to let the boots cool down before you can have another go at them with your hair dryer. Rinse and repeat.
Heat is also one of the remedies for how to soften leather shoes. It works like a charm. However, be keen not to overdo it as it can make your shoe bigger than you intended. It is also possible to burn the shoes, so do not place the dryer too close to the shoes as you heat them.
Safety Tip: Heat can make the gum on some shoes melt, thus splitting them apart at the seams. This is why you should apply the heat slowly, keeping the dryer at a distance.
Other methods such as using moleskin on your heels works to prevent the heels from forming blisters or hurting, but it really does not ensure that the shoes will not hurt you in future.
For the best heat effect, do it slowly as you test your work shoes. Heat the back of the shoes until they are slightly malleable, test them on your feet while wearing the thick socks. If they still feel too tight, repeat the process again. It is best to let the shoes cool down before you can have another go at them with your hair dryer. Rinse and repeat.
Heat is also one of the remedies for how to soften leather shoes. It works like a charm. However, be keen not to overdo it as it can make your shoes bigger than you intended. It is also possible to burn the shoes, so do not place the dryer too close to the shoes as you heat them.
Safety Tip: Heat can make the gum on some shoes melt, thus splitting them apart at the seams. This is why you should apply the heat slowly, keeping the dryer at a distance.
2. Try Rubbing Alcohol to make the shoes bigger
Spray some rubbing alcohol on the exterior of the shoe. Wear the shoe as the alcohol dries and you are going to increase their size, albeit slightly. This method is only best for boots that just slightly tight. If you really want to know how to stop blisters on back of heel from new shoes, the heat method works like a marvel.
Rubbing alcohol is safe on shoes, so they should not sustain any damage. If you are daring enough, you may even soak a pair of thick socks in alcohol and then wear them with the boots. As they dry up, the boots are going to stretch.
This method will work on cloth footwear, as well as leather and suede. It seems less sure than the heat method. However, the good thing is that it does not really cost you anything. You may repeat the process a few times. However, if the shoes fit too tightly, use a different technique.
3. How to soften the back of new shoes with shoe-stretching spray
You will find many shoe-stretching sprays in the market for leather shoes. They are specifically made for stretching leather, so you can use such with confidence that it can help in how to break in a shoe that rubs your heel. There is not much really required, except the spray itself, and a thick pair of socks.
Spray the back of the shoes thoroughly and then slip your feet into the boots with the thick socks on. As the stretcher solution dries up, walk about the room with your shoes on.
That should make the leather to stretch out and conform to the shape of your foot. However, please note that like the rubbing alcohol method, using a leather stretcher is recommended for shoes that pinch just a little. If the shoe fits really snugly, you may want to try the heat method.
Out of curiosity, just how does a stretching spray work? It is actually very simple. It is a solution that penetrates the leather, relaxing the fibers. When you wear your boots when the stretching solution has penetrated the leather, it will stretch. The solution cannot break the leather, so your boots are safe.
It is important to follow the instructions of the manufacturer for using the leather stretching solution. Use the recommended amount. There is no need to relax the leather too much, since you do not know its breaking point.
This method of softening shoes causing blisters on back of heel works like a marvel, many times better than the heat method.
4. Use Moleskin to protect your heel
If you the boots fit just slightly tight, you may not even need to use a leather stretching solution on them. Just wear them and they will soon conform to your feet. However, the first few days can be nasty on your heels. To prevent that, you can use moleskin, which you can buy from the local stores.
Moleskin is cotton fabric with adhesive on one side. It should keep your heel well protected from blistering. In fact, in many resources like this one, moleskin comes highly recommended for how to break and stop shoes from rubbing your heel.
Get a pair of scissors, trace the shape of the heel with a pencil and then cut your moleskin to fit that size. You can then stick the moleskin pieces to the interior of the back of the shoes and wear them. They should keep your heels well protected, blister-free and comfortable. Within a few days of wearing your workplace shoes with moleskin, they will start conforming to your feet.
You may even attach the adhesive to your heels and then wear the, It stops shoes from rubbing. However, only do this if you are sure that the shoes are only slightly tight since it might not help with very tight shoes.
5. Get better insoles to give you more lift
This is especially good for work boots since they have more height. When you use insoles, your feet go higher meaning that the part of the heel that was in contact with the boots is lifted.
If you get good insoles, they will also help reduce the movement between shoes and foot, thus reducing friction between heel and shoe. Insoles also make the work shoes more comfortable, something that you definitely need if you spend hours on your feet.
6. Take it to a cobbler to break in shoe
Finally, when you fail in how to break and stop shoes from rubbing your heel at home, or maybe you do not have the time, take them to a cobbler.
Normally, a cobbler will spray the shoe with a stretching solution to penetrate and relax the fibers. He will then place the shoes on a stretching machine. The shoes are placed on the stretching machine when they are still wet. They will stay there for hours as they dry, allowing them to conform to the altered size.
Taking your boots to a cobbler to stretch them for you has many benefits. One of them is that the cobbler can stretch them lengthwise as well as sideways. He will also stretch the toe box section of the shoes. However, if you have steel-toed work boots, there is not much that can be done about the toe box.
The best thing is to know when you should take the boots to a cobbler for stretching. If you have tried how to soften leather shoes with a stretching solution, you have walked with the boots on while wet several times and they did not change, take them to a cobbler.
FAQs
To keep your feet comfortable in a pair of boots, they need to fit just right, without rubbing the toes or the back of your ankle. Here are a few questions that most people ask regarding the boots rubbing their feet.
Why do my shoes rub the back of my heel?
Socks will not stop shoes from rubbing your heels. So why do you experience painful shoes heels rubbing? It is because your footwear does not fit right. If your footwear is a bit large and your feet cannot stop slipping inside as you walk, apart from rubbing the back of your ankle, they will also cause your toes to hit against the edge of the toe cap. If the boots fit too tightly, they will pinch your toes, your heels and other parts of your foot. When they are too large, they cause rubbing, resulting to blistering.
How do you break in the back of a shoe?
Once you notice that your pair of shoes keeps rubbing the back of your heel, it is time to stop it. You can do that by breaking in the heels area of the boots. the first thing to do is to get thicker insoles.
They will lift your foot in such a way that the area that was experiencing rubbing is elevated. That way, only a small area of the foot area that was rubbing the back will be in contact with the shoes.
If that does not work, wear a pair of heavy socks and slip on the boots. You can then blast them with medium heat from a dryer, without spending too much time on any one part. Keep your feet in the boots and walk around in them.
Why do shoes rub at the back?
Snugly fitting shoes will hardly rub your foot as we have seen in recent posts we have covered before. However, when they are too large, it will be hard to prevent blisters. Even wearing heavy socks will not stop shoes from rubbing. Actually a thick sock worn with a large shoe can cause, rather than prevent blisters. Basically, your shoe rubs your foot because it is too large.
In conclusion
Do not wear workplace shoes without breaking them in. Doing that could put your heels in danger. After outlining the techniques for how to break in and stop shoes from rubbing your heel, you need not suffer any more. Remember, breaking in the shoe is paramount since you will be spending many hours standing.