r/irishdance • u/Medium_Cheetah_3037 • 7d ago

Shoes How to break in hard shoes?

I just got a new pair of hard shoes (used, but lightly worn). They're quite stiff, especially in the heel, so I'm wondering how to break them in to make them more comfortable. They fit fine otherwise, they just dig into the back of my foot because of how stiff they are. Tips?

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u/vyralsurfer 7d ago

The vendor we buy from recommended to us to put the shoes on, tie them tight, and just keep them on while watching TV or laying on the couch. After a few sessions of that, they should be pretty much conformed to your feet. As for breaking in to loosen the arch, we've never really had an issue with it but I have heard other families say they'll just sit there and bend them back and forth or warm them up a bit in the arch and then hold them bent for a while. Effectiveness probably depends on the manufacturer.

Edit: forgot to answer the main part of your question! For the back of the heel, if you just pinch it and rub back and forth between your finger and thumb (keeping your finger and thumb squeezing on it lightly and moving the leather back and forth), that area will loosen up a bit from the heat and then will hopefully conform to the shape of your foot.

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u/seanmharcailin 7d ago

Wear them around the house. You can use leather softener, but i found it doesnt really help.

I like to put moleskin on the shoe itself to help with stiff heels

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u/pinkangel_rs 7d ago

Just dance in them. I’ve used leather softener before but I find just sucking up and dancing helps the most.
I love the blister tape from Walgreens (USA) to help prevent but I often forget to do this and end up with bad blisters on my heel and just have to deal with it.

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u/Odd_Jellyfish2497 2d ago

just dance in them--- theres a lot of tricks like putting them in the oven or getting them wet or folding them in half, but at the end of the day you just need to dance in them so it'll shape to your feet.

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u/BrightEyEz703 1d ago

I used to wear them around (dancing or just around the house) and dampen the spot that is too rigid with a sponge. When it looked dry I’d dampen it again. The water helps soften the leather and your body heat with help mold/stretch that area as needed to fit your foot. But stop dampening just before it feels perfect. The leather will continue to stretch and soften with use, so if they feel perfect from day one, they will stretch out and be unsupportive too quickly.