Saturday, September 19, 2009

Tips on Wearing in a New Pair of Shoes


Slipping your feet into a pair of your favorite, well-worn shoes is a great feeling. If a shoe is really comfortable you will not even feel like you are wearing anything. This is most true for sneakers and running shoes. Because new shoes can lead to blisters, athletes prefer to wear shoes that have already been worn when in competition.

You will realize that you need new shoes eventually. Although some kinds of shoes don't actually require breaking in, nearly all shoes made out of leather and you have to wear them several weeks before they actually feel comfortable. There are some innovative tips that help to speed up the breaking-in process.

First things first: it is important to ensure that shoes fit your feet correctly when you are purchasing new shoes or footwear. They won't feel good no matter how much you try to break them in without following these steps. The shoes should have no more than 0.5 inch of clearance between your toes and the end of the shoe. The heel joint is where the back part should reach, also with just the right height. If it is too low at the back, it will not feel good for you to be able to walk in.

Conditioning the hide. The leather on your new set of shoes can be softened by walking around in them. There are a few pieces of the shoe that will loosen up, of course this is dependent on your own unique walking habits. If you wet newspaper or paper towels and stuff them inside the upper of the shoe for a few hours, the softening process will be accelerated. In order to relax the parts of your shoes that bend while taking steps, take them in your hands and pull them back and forth at those points. The shoes should be allowed to air-dry naturally, without heat. It is best to air dry leather shoes.

Stretching in different directions feels great. Some cobblers can help you to stretch out your shoes if you need. If you would prefer to take care of it at your home, you may always think about trying to soften the leather first, using the previously-mentioned technique. Another option is utilize a shoe expander. The leather can be expanded by putting wet balls of newspaper inside.

Thick socks can be worn as an alternative. Use socks suitable for sports such as running. Take a few hours to walk around the house in your new shoes.

Scuffing the soles. When walking on slippery surfaces, it is safer to use leather shoes with rubber-padded soles or heels. Leather soles are smooth when they are new and they are slippery even when broken in. Sandpaper applied to the soles of your new shoes will make them less slippery. Only the parts that touch the ground should be sandpapered. The sole and heel can be scuffed by walking on concrete pavement or by dragging your feet.

If you want your shoes to keep their shape and would like for the leather to maintain its suppleness, it is a great idea to keep the shoes in shoe stretchers once they have been broken in. You might prefer to wear some bandages on your feet so that you can be comfortable while breaking them in.


Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-on-Wearing-in-a-New-Pair-of-Shoes&id=2651918
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