How To Make Heels More Comfortable?
Introduction
Undoubtedly, heels look stunning, but do they offer comfort also? That’s why most people ask ‘how to make heels more comfortable’ or “how to make strappy heels more comfortable”?
Well, it’s a perplexing question based on a list of factors. No matter what, we all don’t want to compromise on the attractiveness and femininity that heels let us embrace! While most brands are designing the most comfortable heels on this globe, the market is still loaded with heel styling icons that prioritize fashion over comfort.
The foot problems such as sore arches, bunions, and painful blisters are a conclusion of prioritizing fashion over comfort. And, we can understand that you don’t handle it enough now with those towering stilettos!
Luckily, specific handy tools or products are available that you can easily enjoy, along with the benefit of wearing your favorite pair of heels. And the best part is that these products help you make your heels more comfortable while not compromising aesthetics!
Thus, if you’re wondering about “how to make heels more comfortable”, we’ll guide you through different products or proper ways to wear heels comfortably.
How To Choose Perfect Heels?
Now, it’s time to look great yet comfortable with the strap heels! These heels allow for versatile, stylish, and elegant factors while walking. However, what’s not to embrace is how difficult and painful walking with them is.
Strappy heels present two main kinds of problems. Firstly, your feet tend to slide forward in the heels, which is a very common scenario with other heel types as well. However, we will list three tweaks or tricks to alleviate painful feet from the strappy heels.
Secondly, the thin straps of the heels that once signified that ‘cool girl’ look further insult the pain injury. Due to the informal shape or lousy production, the straps dig into your tender ankles, further causing your feet to wobble while you walk.
Sounds familiar? You don’t need to worry, as we’ve some solutions below!
1 – Look for that perfect fit!
You don’t need to find the right but the fittest pair of heels for you. We know we’ve already stressed this point a lot, but it must always be! We can guarantee you that buying a fit pair of heels won’t hurt you except for the first few days, which are common if you wear them for the first time.
The next tip for looking for perfect heels is to try them on at the end of the day. You may feel super comfy in the morning when you’ve bought them, but the scenario sometimes gets reversed when you try them after a while.
You can also look for the heel’s alignment with the shoe heel’s alignment. Don’t go for them if they are not properly aligned! This should be checked to avoid the situation of toe overhang.
Even though it may sound appealing to go a size up or down, we’re against this norm, especially during the peak of sales season. This way, you will not only buy the fit heels but also compromise on one of the factors required to make your heels more comfortable.
Lastly, to check the fit properly, you can look for straps and analyze whether they allow you free movement. Watch the movement or placement of straps while you walk with strappy heels!
2 – Create your grip
It’s usual that you feel like slipping or wobbling in your heels while you step forward. For this purpose, you need to get or create your grip to prevent you from this slip or fall feeling.
You can also use these heel cushion inserts to create a comforting grip. Or, you can invest in some grip liners for your pair of high strappy or even regular heels. You must note picking the softer materials only while buying these heel accessories.
3 – Are they made from cushions?
Especially when your heels are new, they can be super hurtful. And they are painful also because they are built with hard materials. So, you need to check the availability or placement of cushions over the shoe heels. In this case, the only secret is the heels’ grips or inserts.
Want To Wear Heels Properly? Keep the below factors in mind!
It’s time to stop tottering or experiencing pain while wearing heels! Instead, you need to spend some time learning how to wear heels properly, and that’s also without having any kind of pain. The tips below will help you alleviate the tottering and any kinds of foot blisters you get with heels.
1. Fit is a must obeyed criteria
It will be easier to walk in with shoes that particularly fit you. The shoes used to always slip on your feet are dangerous. With them, you have the risk of either going over your ankle or the risk of the foot going out of the heels right away.
It’s also easier to wear and walk with the fittest shoes. And, you can’t even find substitutes for the fit stilettos. We’ll also discuss various products below to know how to make heels more comfortable.
2. Break your shoe heels in!
Have you ever tried them inwards? We mean that you should first wear your heels first within the house before you step them out of the home. Try to learn to walk in heels at home, see some tutorials, catch some poses, and maintain that level of body posture.
When you start walking with the heels on, try not to step down on the balls of your toes or feet first. We’d advise you to invest in wider heels first to make your foot comfortable. Thinner heels are not at all designed for newbies!
3. You can consider pairing wedges too!
Wedges are your best friends if you feel it is hectic and challenging to walk in heels! If we compare them with shoes, they can give us a lot of height. Along with the extra arch support, they can be the most comfortable kinds of high heels you will walk with. Also, they’re an excellent starter in the journey of you wearing heels.
4. Always be prepared!
Whenever you wear a pair of heels, make sure you are prepared for it. You must be equipped with gel pads, band-aids, or an extra pair of folded flats just in case you will meet with a heel mishap in public.
We included this as a tip for wearing heels properly because ‘prevention is better than cure.’ Also, you can try this hack of roughing up the soles of heels first so that they will provide you a better grip than slipping off firsthand.
5. Let the heels contact the ground first!
Well, it comes by practice that you learn how to walk correctly in heels first. One of the ways is to let them contact the ground first. Simply notice how you walk while wearing your flats, sneakers, or simple regular shoes.
You need to adopt a similar way of walking with heels. As mentioned earlier, check out some tutorials on how to walk effectively with heels. Below is the reference for your help! All in all, you should never forget to practice wearing your heels.
6. Platform soles or thicker heels can do the trick!
It’s high time to consider wearing platform sole heels if you’ve never considered them before. They might not look like traditional stilettos or give a similar thinner heel vibe, but they can offer you comfort and ease of walking.
And, if you are primarily looking for balance which most people go for initially, choose thicker heels over thinner heels first. They can provide the most needed balance you are looking for!
7. Go with the baby steps
We know it’s been a lot that we have advised you to practice walking with the heels on! You probably must wait patiently before you master walking with heels with total confidence.
And the gap is filled by taking baby steps. You can’t initially run or quickly march in high heels. That won’t work! But, you can try walking with the little steps while swinging your arms to the side like you’re doing army training. Also, you can mirror yourself while doing all this to check your progress.
How To Make Heels More Comfortable
If high heels have already taken a toll on your feet, you shouldn’t worry! We’ve some tips for you below on how to make high heels more comfortable.
Note: Some of these are generic tips that can be applied to any length of heels.
A – Never compromise on the heel quality
Opting for breathable and high-quality leather materials will help protect your feet from blisters or being too sweaty. And, if you’ve chosen that plastic-y or lower quality materials, they will make your feet less flexible and even rigid for breathing.
B – Maintain your heels
Simply investing in a pair of high-end heels isn’t enough; you must regularly maintain them. They will embrace you only when you also take care of them.
To keep your toes in tip-top shape, ensure you’ve conditioned the leather in your heels and maintain them properly, just like you take care of your car or hair regularly. Moreover, you can invest in a pair of heel pads to avoid pain and make them more comfortable.
Never compromise on heel taps, either! Heel taps are generally used to protect your shoes. They are little pieces of plastic inserted into the bottom of heels to stop wearing them in specific areas.
Cobblers can insert adequately, and you should take their help. They will help protect your heels from the area they get burnt as you step forward. So, these tapes will wear instead of the heels themselves.
C – Tape toes
When it comes to wearing high heels for an extended period, taping your toes might be a good idea! Any wild guesses? Well, you guessed it right if the ballerinas come into your mind right now.
Similarly, you can tape the third and fourth toes together to remove the pressure from the feet. This will help you alleviate the pain you experience, especially while you wear heels for an extended period and your soles feel beating badly.
D – Consider your walk direction
Things might go hard for you in certain places if you’ve not worn a chunkier heel. Unless you are walking on grass, concrete, or surfaces like gravel, going out with choosing chunkier heels is the lousy decision ever.
We are trying to convey that the direction and surface you are walking on should also be considered. You must be aware of the heels you wear on different surfaces while making them comfortable.
E – Use blister-prevention products
Before you start getting blisters, ensure you have incorporated all the ways to protect them. You can keep the blister-prevention products handy to help guide your heels throughout.
The products such as Dr. Frederick’s Original Better Blister Bandages help prevent and recover your feet’ blisters. While these bandages offer a soft cushion to your feet after a blister is developed, they can also be inserted into the shoes directly.
However, you should use these prevention products before a blister is formed.
F – Check how thick your heels and soles are!
Skinny heels or thin soles can look fantastic, but they will compromise comfort for sure. Also, skinny heels may not also go with every single event or outfit.
Thus, you must go for thicker heels and soles to get all the comfort you need. Why the thicker soles? It’s because the more the shoe is between the ground and the ball of your foot, the more it will offer you comfort!
The best examples of such heels are platform heels, which will be a plus if they are offered with extra padding over the insole and at the ball of your feet.
How can I prevent blisters while wearing heels?
- Choose well-fitting heels made of soft, breathable materials.
- Use gel inserts or padding in areas prone to rubbing.
- Gradually break in new heels by wearing them for short periods.
- Apply blister prevention products like moleskin or blister cushions.
- Keep feet dry and use antiperspirant to minimize sweating.
- Alternate heel heights and styles to reduce repetitive stress.
- Consider opting for lower heels or flats when possible.
What are some quick fixes for heel pain during an event?
- Take short breaks to sit down and alleviate pressure on your heels.
- Perform gentle calf stretches by flexing your feet or standing on your toes.
- Apply an ice pack wrapped in a towel to the affected heel for 10-15 minutes to reduce inflammation and numb pain.
- Take over-the-counter pain medication as directed for temporary relief.
- Use heel cushions or inserts for additional support and cushioning.
- Switch to lower heels or more comfortable shoes if feasible.
- Massage the bottoms of your feet to ease tension and improve circulation.
Final Words
We hope our discussion on how to make heels more comfortable is helpful to you. If you want to know the types of heels check out this complete guide. You should consider that we’ve detailed a common scenario after looking, in which you may not experience pain or hurt in your feet. So, keep looking at those concerns and keep the accessories like inserts, gel pads, or grip liners handy!
Slay and stay stylish:)
Some Useful FAQs
Q. How do people survive in heels all day?
Ans. The main reason people can walk in heels all day is how they wear and walk with the heels on! They already know all the above-mentioned tips, such as investing only in fitted shoes, breaking them indoors before going outdoors, and so on. Check all our tips above so you can survive in heels all day long!
Q. How long does it take for heels to stop hurting?
Ans. If you’ve also met with an accident of wearing the wrong pair of heels or something similar, and your heels are hurting like death now, then it may take around two to three weeks for this pain to disappear completely.
Q. How do I stop my heels from rubbing?
Ans. You must use grip liners or cushion inserts to stop your heels from rubbing over the soles of shoes or heels.
Q. What is flip-flop syndrome?
Ans. The term flip-flop syndrome is generally used by doctors, specifically Dr. Ellianne Nasser. When people put away their boots and take up flip-flops in the summertime, they usually go to the foot and ankle surgeons regarding their foot pain. And it’s the reason doctors call it the season of flip-flop syndrome!
Q. Why can’t I walk in heels anymore?
Ans. You may not be able to walk in heels anymore because the pain worsens. There could be a list of reasons we’ve already mentioned because the pain gets severe, and you may not be walking in them anymore.
Q. At what age should a woman stop wearing heels?
Ans. There isn’t any question of age as your desire, comfort, and style matter! Women, even 80 years of age, are wearing high heels, so age doesn’t make any difference unless you have any severe pain or disease you’re suffering in old age.
Q. What are hidden heels?
Ans. Hidden heels are nothing but heels explicitly used within the shoes to increase their height. So, the term is not related to high heels but shoes that use hidden heels to increase their height.
Q. Why do models wear high heels?
Ans. They wear high heels to make them look slimmer and taller and to get an extra confidence boost while modeling gracefully on the ramp.