Know how to soften shoe leather It can be really useful to avoid having evenings and special moments ruined by a couple of shoes that are too tight and uncomfortable. It happens to everyone to come across models with which the feelingand the feeling of comfort, are certainly not immediate. It happens with leather moccasins, elegant lace-ups, but also with high-heeled boots, sandals or shoes slingback with slightly tenacious straps and even, let’s say even because their task would seem to be to ensure a more comfortable walk, with sneakers and sandals.
Leather, real leather, can be quite hard when you first wear it and although the best solution to soften it is always to wear it, circumstances do not necessarily allow you to do so lightheartedly. Especially for one element that is not easy to ignore: the risk of suffering – needlessly – and of causing annoying blisters that will take a while to heal. Why hurt yourself when you can resort to some easy tricks to avoid it?
If you cannot or do not want to turn to an expert shoemaker who can put them in shape, even if this is always the preferable solution, you can resort to some long-standing techniques. There are several do-it-yourself tricks that allow you to soften shoe leather at home, with a few simple gestures and with the help of some common objects, such as a hair dryer and denatured alcohol. We explain them below.
Softer with the heat of the hairdryer
The first ally which can help you shape your most difficult shoes it’s the hair dryer. The heat in fact it helps soften the leather and, following this little system, it is possible to recover those extra millimeters that can make the fit more comfortable. Just take the hair dryer and point it at the upper to heat it, always maintaining a safe distance and a not too aggressive jet so as not to ruin the material. When the surface is hot (never boiling!) wear socks and the shoe in question until it has completely cooled down.
Have you ever tried ice?
From hot to cold. The other most popular technique, which allows you to stretch leather shoes, consists in using the power of ice. Or better yet: put some plastic bags, like those for freezers, containing water in your shoes. Close them well and insert them into the part of the shoe that you want to stretch. Put the shoes, containing their bags, in the freezer (wrapping them in turn in a bag to protect them and your refrigerator) and wait for the laws of physics to take their course: the water, as it freezes, will increase in volume and exert such pressure that it can soften, and stretch, the upper of your shoes.
A splash of alcohol
If you don’t feel like putting your shoes in the freezer or arming yourself with a hair dryer, another well-known and traditional solution is to use alcohol, the classic one, usually red in color. Taking care that the material is not excessively delicate, after mixing equal parts alcohol and water in a spray bottle, spray on the areas to be softened and immediately wear your shoes to make sure they acquire a new shape.
Shoe trees and specific sprays
Two last tips to soften your shoes are ready to buy: let’s talk about shoe tree (and boot gaiters), always useful to put in your shoes when you are not wearing them, and of specific spraysspecially created and then tested, which can act by limiting the damage of a do-it-yourself remedy.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
