Share your shoe-comfifying secrets!

[musey]

I was in Vegas with friends last weekend, and when we got home from a club my friend kicked off her heels and I saw all kinds of inserts arranged inside of them!

She said she always buys her heels 1/2 size up, then fills them with a bunch of cushy inserts. Brilliant! Of course, it adds a good $20-60 on each pair. Worth it to have comfy-all-night heels, imo.

I asked her if she had a go-to assortment and arrangement, and she said she just plays around with them with each new shoe.

Any PSers do something similar?

 

[sunnyd]

I once band-aided my feet to preempt the owies I knew I would get at a wedding once. Didn''t work so well, I ended kicking the shoes off anyway and then had to peel all 6 band-aids off. Not pretty!

 

[fieryred33143]

Can I share a horror story?

I bought the Dr. Scholls inserts for a pair of shoes that I

but that bother my heel a little.

When I got home from work it had been raining so I left them outside.

Let's just say that ants love the inserts

I have wide feet so I have the shoe expander at home and use that. For shoes that I know will scrape, I use peds.

 

[Maisie]

If I buy shoes that are a little bit snug I wear them around the house with sports socks on. It stretches them nicely but really makes me look stupid

 

[elle_chris]

Good topic.
I always have to break in new shoes, and heels.. omg, the only time i wear them is to the cab, then sit all night, then cab back home.

The buying larger would scare me. even with inserts i''d feel like my foot would come out.

 

[aprilcait]

I have slightly narrow tootsies, so I use the rubber cushy shoe inserts that sit underneath just your toes and ball of the foot to keep my foot from sliding down in the shoe. It works pretty well, unless I walk a ton one day and the shoes start to expand or if it''s super chilly in my office and my feet "shrink" from the cold.

I just started using different kinds of peds (i.e.: the ones meant for open back/open toe shoes and the ones meant for open back/closed toe shoes. They work pretty well... though the slipperiness of the material sometimes makes my feet swim around in the shoe a bit. Still, I''d rather deal with a little slip-and-sliding inside a shoe than blisters and chaffing. Yow!

 

[snlee]

I like using Dr. Scholl''s For Her Heel Liners so my shoes don''t rub my heel area. That''s the most common problem I have with a new pair of shoes.

 

[FrekeChild]

Dr. Scholls. Swear by them. And I will usually buy an 8 if the 7.5 is the least bit snug and fill in with cushions. However, the Jessica Simpson "Brenda" shoes (I have two pairs-gray alligator and pink nubuck) were bought in a 8.5 because otherwise my feet would shrivel up and DIE in them because they are so uncomfortable.

Keep in mind that the normal difference between sizes is 1/8 inch. So one pad that''s 1/8 inch will make it the right size AND cushier.

Speaking of putting cushions in...I bought some the other day that need to be added to my newish gold Steve Maddens...

 

[Blair138]

I use Band-Aid brand Blister Block. It is like runner glide for feet. It comes in a small little deoderant-like container and I rub it on m feet where my shoes rub. It does not stain but does need to be reapplied. I like it for work because I teach and am on my feet but have breaks. It needs to be reapplied too much for a night out though

 

[kittybean]

Great thread!

Aldo, which has had some very cute shoes for the last couple seasons, sells padded inserts for the ball of the foot area on heels. They have been awesome in making a couple of my heels more wearable, plus they have the bonus of being pretty incognito, so they can work for strappy sandals.

 

[miraclesrule]

I soooooooo miss the scented Dr. Scholl''s inserts that you had to cut to fit your shoe size.

Now, you have to spend a fortune on those inserts that have the adhesive on the bottom and when you want to replace them from your shoes, they rip and you have a long sticky line of crap on the insides of your shoes....Blech....

I now use the non-scented ones that are for "men or women" and cut them to put them into my shoes. Especially the ones that can get pretty stinky, like my leather pumps.

I do like the petals and the new clear pads for under the ball of the foot that prevent you from slipping. But they can still hurt from pressure after a long night of dancing or walking.

 

[Hera]

Buy the proper size. Like clothes, people get stuck on size. "I AM a size 7 yet I''m in denial and I''m going to smash my foot into a size 6"

 

[Tuckins1]

I don''t buy my shoes too big, but I do use gel inserts and arch supports in almost all of my "cute" shoes... Even my ballet flats! I''m a teacher and am on my feel ALL DAY and it doesn''t matter what kind of shoes i''m wearing, my feet hurt at the end of the day. I also wear those little corn pad things on my pinky toes sometimes, because my toes spread wide when I walk. (I know- TMI but it''s true.) I also will sometimes put bandaids on my toes if I know that a pair of shoes rubs on a specific spot.

 

[bebe]

I just spent 2 weeks trying to find comfy, but stylish shoes to take to NYC with me. I failed. My feet are not only narrow but have little depth as well.
I can try on 5 prs. of shoes and nothing will fit right. They either rub under the ankle because my foot is not "tall enough" or they rub the bony parts.

I refuse to wear athletic shoes with nice clothes. I ended up buying a pr. of black patent flats with lots of inner padding and also a pair of Merrell zip sneaker type shoes.
I''m not crazy about either, but I know I will be walking and on my feet all the time, so these will have to do.

I always buy an arsenal of padding. I already have a baggie loaded with all sorts of options to take with me. I removed the sock liner from the Merrell''s and added
a liner that offered more cushioning. I hate it when I can feel my shoes! I will twist and bend a new shoe to break that baby in before wearing them. I have also
rubbed soap around the inside edge to soften it up. But I don''t think that really works. I have stuffed the toes with tons of paper to stretch them. I also bend the heel
down to break it in. Isn''t it crazy what we do!! Why can''t we just wear flip flops!!

 

[FrekeChild]

Because flip flops are actually really bad for your feet.

Doesn''t mean I''m going to stop wearing them though.