Shoes are a many splendid thing. They can make or break an entire outfit and nice looking shoes always elicit “ooohhs”, “aaahs” and sheer delight from onlookers and admirers. There is one thing however that matters more than the look of a shoe and that’s how the shoe fits. Now some people may not necessarily care about shoe size – they will sacrifice a baby toe for an amazing shoe – no matter how ill-fitting it is.

But what good is a nice looking pair of shoes when they don’t fit, cause pain and affect the way you walk? I’m not talking about shoes that you bought that were too big or too small and you had to have them anyway because they were a sale shoe by your favorite shoe designer. I’m talking about shoes that fit for the most part but the size or fit is “off a bit”.

What do I mean by “off a bit”? I’m referring to when that pair of shoes are a bit too tight or slip up and down off of your feet a little because you are “in between sizes”? You know how you are usually a 6.5 in a particular brand/style but the 6.5 is too snug and the 7 is a little bigger than you would like? Or what about the pair of shoes you own where the soles are too slippery and you fear for your life when you wear them so you walk around with a stiff walk, hoping you don’t fall? In any of these cases, what do you do? Do you take the shoes back? Thrown them away? Sell them on Poshmark? Give up on life? Not necessarily. There are solutions to these 3 commonplace shoe concerns which are usually inexpensive and easy to use.

If your shoes are too tight:

-Use liquid shoe stretch which can be purchased from a drug store, shoe repair shop or even Amazon. While wearing the shoes, spray or squeeze the solution onto the shoe where you need the stretch and walk around for a few minutes. Repeat if necessary. Be sure the solution you use is safe for the color and material of the shoes you are stretching. You can also opt to use a one way stretcher for width or a 4 way shoe expander as well.

-Use a hair dryer with thick socks.  It may be a bit uncomfortable at first to stuff your feet into your shoes with thick socks on but this is an inexpensive way to stretch your shoes and you most likely have all of the materials on hand to get the job done. Start with your hair dryer on a medium setting and put the nozzle where you need the stretch for a few minutes until you feel your shoes become less tight.

-Freeze your shoes with 1/4 water filled sandwich bags. While the thought of putting shoes in a space where you store your food might be off-putting, this can be a good idea if you haven’t worn the shoes outside yet. Take two sandwich bags and place your shoes. Fill the bags a quarter of the way with water and be sure to zip all of the way. Wrap your shoes up in a plastic bag for safety and put in the freezer.  As the bags freeze they will stretch the shoes out. After the bags freeze, let them thaw then take the bags out and try the shoes on. Repeat if necessary.

-Take your shoes to a cobbler.  If you are concerned about destroying your shoes, take them to a professional. Cobblers perform repair all kinds of shoes with specialized equipment. If your shoes are too wide or narrow, if the straps are too long or too short or even if the heel of your shoe is too tight, a cobbler can make the proper adjustments while maintaining the integrity of the shoe.

If your shoes slip up and down off of your foot:

–Shoe inserts/ball of foot cushions. These come in various styles as some are more like full inserts and others are half the size and fit primarily under the ball of the foot to provide comfort and to take up space to make the shoe fit more snug.

–Heel grippers. These fit on the inside heel of the shoe and come in a variety of materials including gel and rubber with an adhesive to stick to the inside heel of the shoe. Heel grippers provide comfort to the back of the foot as well as prevent the shoe from slipping up and down off of your foot.

–Shoe tongue pads. These pads, which usually have an adhesive backing, fit on the built in tongue of the shoe and rests across the instep of the foot. These help the shoe to fit more snug and can help prevent toe nail injuries and are also great for runners.

If the sole is too slippery:

-Use super grit sand paper to rub along the sole of the shoe until the sole is not so smooth anymore, thus creating traction.

-Purchase non slip grip pads (from your local drug store or shoe repair shop) that adhere to the bottom of the shoe. Beware that eventually the grip pad may come off and may need to be replaced.

-Take them outside and scuff them on the pavement. This may sound crazy or absurd but it works.

-Use a strip of masking tape on the soles.

-Take them to the cobbler to get ribbed nylon bottoms put on the soles.

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