Finding the right shoe size can be quite difficult especially if you’re trying to get yourself the right boots to wear. However, if you know your own size, it would be easier for you to scour the shoe stores and search for them effectively. You just have to spend a few hours online or at the mall. After this, voila! Congratulations will certainly be in order.
You are now the proud owner of a new pair of snakeskin cowboy boots. It may be one of the best investments that you can have for your own wardrobe or your shoe collection alone. However, there’s still one little problem.
You may not be able to wear it for too long without your feet hurting too much. This could be surely an issue if you really love wearing boots, especially new ones. However, you should not fret because there are various easy ways on how to break in cowboy boots without difficulty.
All you have to do is to follow these important steps to successfully do it without incurring too much damage to your boots or even at all. Just read on to learn more about the different tips that we can give you on how to break in your cowboy boots fast.
Simple Steps on How to Break in Cowboy Boots Effectively
1. Use Heat
First, you have to make sure that you are able to heat things up. This method is one of the easiest ways to do it. It involves using a dependable heat source for starters. You have a variety of choices when it comes to your heat source. You can use either of the following:
- The hairdryer
- The steamer
Aside from these two, you can use anything that can produce heat for you. It is also important not to let the heat source get too close to the boots. Otherwise, you will end up burning them inadvertently.
Heating It Up: a Demonstration
To demonstrate, we will talk about using a hairdryer as the main heater for your boots. Why a hairdryer? Because this is the one contraption that most households have available at a moment’s notice.
Here are some of the steps that you should follow when using a hairdryer to heat up your boots: First, you have to hold the hairdryer about 8 inches away from the boot. Do this amply; so much so that the leather becomes warm and toasty.
While doing this, you should focus on the areas that have been causing you problems while wearing the pair itself. Here are some examples of problem areas as follows:
- The heel
- The sides of the boot
After a few minutes of exposing them to heat, you can try putting the boots on and walking with them around the house. Do this for an hour or so until they cool down.
Why Do You Need to Do This?
By heating them up, you will allow the leather material to expand accordingly. As soon as you wear them, they will begin to conform to your feet while cooling down from the prior heating process.
2. Water Immersion
The next thing that you can do to break in your cowboy boots would be to douse them with water. After submerging them into a bucket of water, you can choose to wear them until they dry out. Many people have attested to the efficacy of this method, but be forewarned. Do it at your own risk.
By doing this, there is a possible chance of contracting fungi that might cause you to have smelly feet.
In addition to this, leaving leather wet for many hours in a day can cause damage to the boots themselves. So again, do it at your own risk.
Procedure:
How do you do it? Here are some of the steps as follows:
First, you have to make sure to submerge each boot into a bucket full of water. After this, you can wear the boots with the plastic bag over your feet. You can go about your daily activities right after doing this.
Wait for them to dry and by the time this procedure is complete, you will see stark differences in terms of shoe size for sure. The boots should if expand significantly because of the water inside.
3. The Water Spray
However, if you’re scared of damaging your boots irreparably, you should try doing the same method but with fewer amounts of water. You can do this by using a spray bottle with just enough water inside.
Spray the water both inside and outside your footwear. Focus on some of the problem areas that you have. To add to this, Use good leather conditioner when washing the boots to give these particular pieces of footwear waterproof qualities. It will protect them from future breakage in the end as well.
4. The Leather Conditioner
As mentioned earlier, a good leather conditioner can also help expand the leather fibers of the boots and make wearing them even more comfortable than before. Simply apply as directed in the instructions that come with the product and wait for it to dry out.
Reminder: You should always remember to test out the product first before using it to avoid discoloration.
5. The Boots Stretcher
Another way for you to stretch out your boots would be to use a boot stretcher. However, before doing so you have to find out what the boot stretcher really is.
The Boots Stretcher Defined
A boot stretcher refers to a device that is basically shaped like a foot that would go into your boot. Once you are able to place it inside, you can then manually adjust the contraption to help the boot expand.
You can then leave it overnight inside the boots. It would be ready to use by morning.
6. Wearing the Boots Inside the House
It would also help you to wear your boots around the house periodically. Do this before you wear them outside for longer periods. You can do this for about a week. They will surely be broken in afterward.
In addition to this, you can wear the boots for about 2 to 3 hours each day to let your feet get used to the feel of the leather. You can also wear them with a pair of thick socks to prevent blisters and potential injury while wearing the boots.
While not being the fastest, this is one of the safest ways for you to break in your cowboy boots aside from possibly using a professional stretcher.
It would be best for you to give it a shot. This way, you will not end up spending more money just to buy footwear stretching products that might end up being more expensive down the line.
Additional Tips
While the six prior tips are extremely effective and useful in stretching your shoes and boots, there are still many other options you can use to stretch your cowboy boots without much difficulty. Here are some of those additional options as follows:
A. Ice
First, you can use ice. Do this by putting some plastic bags filled the water in your boots and have them frozen in the refrigerator overnight. The ice will expand the leather boots without difficulty. This will work fine if you don’t have a boot stretcher available.
B. Spoon
Secondly, you can also use a spoon. This is easy to do. You can use the bottom of the spoon to rub the bottom of your heel. This will simulate the friction that your feet cause when walking. It helps to break in the heel as well.
Using a medium-sized spoon will do the trick for this procedure. Make sure to do this as regularly as you can to see results immediately.
Always remember that these non-traditional tips have not been scientifically proven to work. However, a lot of people do recommend it. If you want to save some cash, why not give these a try. There’s nothing wrong with trying, right?
Final Words
These are just some of the many ways for you to learn how to break in cowboy boots without difficulty. Just remember that while most of these steps are effective, some still need to be tested out quite regularly to be proven effective. Try to be discerning when it comes to finding out how to break in your cowboy boots effectively.
In addition, you have to make sure that your feet will stay safe while doing this. Protect your boots as well. Ensure that it will not end up damaging your footwear or your feet and if toes inadvertently down the line. Otherwise, if you still feel uncomfortable breaking your boots in on your own, it would be best to ask for professional help regarding this.
This way, your boots, and feet can still remain protected from potential damage while still being broken in effectively. You will never regret doing this for sure. It will save you time and money for possible boot repairs in the end.
