How to Break in Men's Shoes

There's a reason some men keep wearing the same old shoes until they fall off their feet. Breaking in men's shoes can be a pain in the toe. It can also be a pain in the heel, arch or any other part of the foot, especially if it's a pair of dress shoes that need to be softened up. Patience, determination and lots of wear are the keys to breaking in men's shoes.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Socks

1. Pick the proper socks. Opt for the same type of socks you will actually be wearing when you don the shoe. Don't wear fat athletic socks with dress shoes, nor should you put on thin silk trouser socks if you're breaking in a pair of sneakers. If you would not normally wear socks with the particular shoes you are breaking in, don't wear socks while you are breaking them in.

2. Wear the shoes around the house. Test drive the shoes for one hour each day. Make sure you wear them while you are actually moving around, not while you sit in front of the TV for an hour. Put them on while you straighten the room, talk on the phone and pace the place or otherwise move around.

3. Wear the shoes some more. Increase the hour shoe session to two hours then three and four hours until you can successfully wear the shoes without them hurting.

4. Test drive the shoes at different times of the day. Your feet are most swollen at the end of the day, when you've been on them for hours. Make sure your break-in period includes some evening sessions when your feet are at their most fatigued.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are breaking in dress shoes with a slick bottom, make sure the bottoms have some abrasions on them so they do not make you fly across a smooth floor. Gently rub a fine coarse sandpaper on the ball and heel bottoms to remove some of their slickness. Do this, of course, only after you know you are going to keep them.
• If the shoes still hurt after a month of this, get rid of them. They may be the wrong style, cut or size for you. Some places have a generous time frame for the return period as long as you don't wear them outside.

References

• Tips for men's wedding shoes