With so many beautiful high heel creations around, we all want to wear some, at least once in a while. Plus, there’s the fact they make our legs seem longer and calves look incredible, not to mention the emboldening feeling they give us. However, the serious pain that can come with wearing a heel, whether it afflicts your toes, heels, ankles or balls of your feet, can quickly strip our joy. Thankfully, there are quite a few products and hacks that can help take the agony out of wearing heels. Whether you feel you need to wear them constantly for work or reserve them for special occasions, About Her’s helpful list will make selecting fashion over function that much easier.
1.Get out the deodorant: Stylists have lots of secrets. One of them is to roll transparent gel deodorant on different parts of the shoe, like underneath the straps and at the back. This helps to prevent chafing and rubbing.
2. Choose styles with buckles, ties or straps: Adjustable embellishments like straps or buckles over the ankle can help your shoes fit more comfortably and contain swelling. What’s more they stop your feet tripping out of your heels, which can cause you to walk with an unbecoming drag.
3. Stretch your shoes out: There are several ways to break your shoes in to stop them pinching your toes, including buying a shoe stretcher or taking them to the cobbler. You can also walk around the house in them in some thick socks. Stylist Allie Brandwein’s stretching hack is to half-fill a freezer bag with water, place it in the shoe, then leave the shoe in the freezer overnight so the frozen water can expand it.
4. Buy your shoes late in the day: After walking around all day, your feet get swollen, so if the shoes you try on with those tired feet hurt, they will also surely be painful when you want to wear them for that special night.
5. Invest in gel insoles: Gel insoles can be a great saviour for high heel lovers and you can find special high heel insoles with arch shaping to ease pressure off your foot. Some also have a cushion designed to hold the ball of your foot in place. Additionally, gel inserts can put a stop to toes crushing, which prevents blisters. Choose a gel insert that sticks to your shoe well but can be easily removed to use on others.
6. Strut your stuff: It’s important to know that you need to walk differently in heels. Rather than walking casually like you do in trainers, you have to keep your posture in mind and walk with your head and spine straight. Use your hips and legs to create a gait with a light bounce. Wearing heels means your feet aren’t at the natural 90-degree angle with your ankles anymore and changing the way you walk will help you readjust so you can find balance.
7. Keep some moleskin handy: You can create and customise the shape of moleskin, a soft cotton flannel with glue at the back, to line your shoes or to cover troubles like blisters on your feet. It’s better than a bandage as it clings better to your feet and it doesn’t hang off your Achilles.
8. Cut off some of the heel: You couldn’t resist buying them, even though you knew those stiletto heels are going to make you wince in pain. Don’t despair, shoe repair shops should be able to shave off a portion of the heel, making them more comfy. Usually, the maximum that can be removed is around 2.5 centimetres.
9. Put on some lotion over wet feet: Shoe expert Meghan Cleary told Who What Wear that in the middle of an event, she often runs cold water over her feet, then slathers on a bit of hand lotion on them while still slightly wet before putting her stilettos back on. Apparently, the water curbs the blood vessels in your feet and the lotion helps seal in the moisture and greases painful spots, according to the fashion reference.
10. Join two toes together: You can try taping your third and fourth toes together to diminish stress on your feet. There’s a nerve in that area that contributes to foot pain and when the toes support each other, the stress can be assuaged. However, this works best on closed shoes.
