Breaking in shoes: any ideas?
- Thread starter rosa
- Start date
pembrokestephen
New Member
This breaking in shoes thing is a bit of a misnomer: what you're actually doing is to break in both the shoes and your feet!rosa said:
Wear 2 pairs of thin socks, for a start - that way, the socks will take up a certain amount of the rubbing, which at least eases the blisters.
Wear the shoes for short periods of time - in the past, before my feet turned into solid rock that never blister, I would wear them for periods of 10-20 mins around the house.
Use dubbin or neatsfoot oil on the boots to soften the leather (though if those are modern doc martins, the leather should be pretty floppy anyway - this advice is based on my experiences with army surplus boots rather than DMs). Rub as much oil into the leather as you possibly can and keep doing it. This also has the advantage of preserving the leather by keeping it flexible and also makes it more waterproof.
If you're in agony with the blisters, and need to move around, you can lance them, but you must be very careful not to introduce any infection. The best way of lancing them is to get a very sharp needle, and sterilise it (eg in a gas flame, or by dipping into surgical spirit, but don't do the gas thing then dip the hot needle into spirit!). Swab the blister with surgical spirit or witch hazel,
then pop it right down on the side, just above where it meets normal skin. Gently squeeze out the fluid, then rub some antiseptic on and cover it with a plaster while you have boots on. Don't take the blister skin off, and don't fiddle with it. After a day or so, remove the plaster, but keep the site clean. If you have to wear shoes/boots, reapply a plaster, but keep the blister open to the air as much as poss after that first day.
Andy the Don
Wise men say only fools..
Apply soap to the DMs then wear them in the bath for half hour. Then go for jog with the DMs still wet until soap bubbles appear from the eyelets. Then wear for a couple more hours, remove DMs & allow to dry naturally. After they have dried (takes about 12 - 18 hours) liberally apply dubbin, then brush & polish boots & wear until comfy. If you are going to wear two pairs of socks, wear a thin pair next to your feet, cover the thin pair of sock with Vaseline, this will easy any friction.
pembrokestephen
New Member
I can't agree there! Some of my most comfortable footwear has been army boots (including, weirdly, a pair of drill boots, which I am sure are MADE to be uncomfortable), but they were a pain - literally - to break in in the first place. Having done that, they then became the most comfortable, gentle, supportive and long-lasting footwear I've ever owned.geminisnake said:I thought I was the only one who hated themFootwear should be comfortable for the off imo. If it needs broken in it isn't right for you.
Shoes that don't need breaking in are shoes made of such soft and pliable leather that a) they won't last, b) they aren't providing enough support to the foot (fine if all you do is drive, walk to the bus stop, and go shopping), and c) fly in the face of all the "no pain, no gain" type philosophies. Like pets, shoes need to be trained to the will of their owner, and that training is part of the bonding process
RubyToogood
RubyTwobikes
I always had this problem with DMs - they were too uncomfortable to wear at all because of the ankle rubbing thing, and I never managed to break them in.
I agree that the best shoes take the most work to wear in. I tend to try and ignore the pain, and soaking your feet in surgical spirit makes your skin really tough and less likely to blister. Perhaps I should concentrate on making my shoes fit better instead though... Sleeping with your shoes on works quite well though, especially if it's hot and you have a thick duvet.
