Getting Shoes to Fit

I will admit it, I hate buying shoes. It's not that I don't like shoes, it's that I really struggle to find a pair that fits. So much so in fact, that when I find a pair that does fit, I have been known to buy multiple pairs - in the same color, but also the same shoe in several colors. I look with envy at the really fun and cute shoes that others wear. I want to be able to wear them too, but frankly, comfort comes first.

Recently, when a pair of shoes that I loved developed a hole (one of the seams simply came unstitched), I was forced to pick up a new pair of shoes on short notice. Of course, that same style was no longer available - you better believed I checked that first. I found a pair of shoes that seemed comfortable and they were leather, the problem was that the size 7 1/2 was a little tight and the 8, I slipped out of. I liked the way that the shoe fit and cushion of the insole. Despite being a little tight, they were the best that I had found.

I tried stretching them by wearing them with sport socks around the house in the evening - I am sure it was a sight to behold. This method of extended wear with bulky socks has worked in times passed, but with this pair, they just didn't seem to actually stretch though.

So, I decided to try something I had read once. The next morning, when I was drying my hair I took a break of drying my hair and aimed the hair dryer into the shoes - warming them on the inside. Then, I slipped them on with a pair of white socks, which are slightly thicker than the socks I wear with dress pants. For extra measure, I let the dryer blow over the tight spots for a few minutes. Then, I allowed them to cool.

When I finally took them off and put them back on with just dress socks, they fit wonderfully. The heat from the dryer allowed them to give and stretch just enough - and in just the right spots. It is so much better than having settled for the larger shoes and dealing with the inevitable blisters that would have developed from wearing them or trying to wear the shoes around the house for several days trying to get a little bit of stretch out of them.

Now that I know how wonderful this works, and how much quicker than trying to break them in for several hours, I might just try this trick on every new shoe before I wear them. Of course, if they aren't 100% leather, I'm not sure that it will work as well, but I will likely still try it.

Using a hair dryer to get shoes that fit, works for me!