In the beginning, wear the shoes for about 10 minutes at a time. Walk around, climb steps, and try other activities. Other methods to break the shoes in quickly include heating the shoes with a hair dryer or stuffing them with water-filled bags and freezing them.
Day One: Wear your new shoes for 30 minutes inside, walking around in the afternoon or evening when your feet are the most swollen. Day Two: Wear your shoes for 60 minutes inside and outside. If your shoes are particularly tight—especially dress shoes—you can wear thick hiking socks to stretch them out further.
Stretching your shoes with shoe stretchers can take anywhere from one night to 48 hours to complete.
Typically shoes loosen up naturally as you wear them from place to place, but that entire process could take weeks of tiptoeing around with crunched toes and blooming blisters. But walking in shoes that pinch is something you can totally avoid.
Apply ice to reduce pain and swelling. Keep your painful foot elevated as much as possible. Reduce your activity until you feel better. Wear shoes that fit your feet and are right for the activity you are doing.
A good rule of thumb is to break in shoes over the course of a few days. Three at a minimum, but ideally five days! What you want to do is wear them around the house first, gradually increasing the time in which you wear them. Try a few hours the first day and then increase by two hours each consecutive day.
Try the sock and blow dryer method
An age-old hack to breaking in a stubborn pair of shoes is to use a little heat. Put on a thick pair of socks (or two) and put the shoes you're trying to break in on. Then, hit them with a little heat from your blow dryer.
Many people feel that a shoe needs to be tight on the heel when they are new. There is no such thing as heel width. This fallacy causes many people to buy their shoes too small. A properly fitted shoe may slip on the heel slightly when new.
“Wearing worn-out shoes can lead to foot pain from plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, stress fractures and shin splints,” Dr. Rottman said. “This is because worn-out shoes lack the padding and support needed to protect our feet from damage.
Calluses – Due to the constant friction and pressure between your feet and tight shoes, sections of the skin around your toes, ankles, or any other part of your foot may thicken. These lumpy things are sometimes painful and can cause discomfort, especially if you put pressure on them while walking in tight shoes.
Shoe stretchers work, but they are not working miracles. Therefore, you should be patient in the process. Do the stretching once, wear the shoes along with a pair of thick socks, and walk around for several hours. Come back and stretch them again if the pair is still tight.
A common question is “How long do you leave a shoe stretcher in?” We recommend leaving the shoe stretcher in your shoe for at least 6 to 8 hours. Anything less will not give sufficient time for the material to set in its new stretched form.
Stuff your shoes with newspaper
Make sure the newspaper is just slightly wet, but make sure it's not soaking. Water can damage the inner sole, Victoria explains. Stuff each shoe with enough paper until it is sufficiently full and slightly stretching. Let the paper dry and remove before the next time you wear.
All you need is a thick pair of sports socks, the shoes, and a hair dryer. Use the hair dryer to blow warm air into the shoes first, then stuff your feet in the shoe. Blow more hot air onto the shoes, then walk around until the shoes are cold. After they cool down, the shoes will be broken in to in no time!
Is it better for shoes to be tight or loose? Shoes that are on the tighter side are likely to rub, and since this friction can cause blisters, it's best to have a bit of wiggle room.
Tight shoes restrict your blood flow, causing poor circulation that damages your feet in the long run. They may also cause foot pain that could become chronic. Over time, you may notice calluses, blisters, ingrown toenails, and corns on your feet.
Ice can be just as effective as heat for fixing a tight pair of shoes. Partially fill a sandwich bag with water and place it in the area where the shoe is snug. Put the shoe in the freezer. As the water freezes into ice, it'll expand and help stretch the shoe out.
Place them in the freezer
Cooling new shoes can make them more comfortable for you to wear. To cool new shoes, fill two freezer bags with water, seal them tightly, then place the shoes in the freezer. Once the water freezes completely, remove the shoes from the freezer and let the water thaw.