Dec 22, 2017

5 Smart Hacks for Making Your Holiday Heels More Comfortable

by Meghan Blalock

Photo:

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

With holiday party season in full swing, your feet are probably highly conversational lately. They're talking to you—and what they have to say probably isn't great. Spending night after night in high heels isn't exactly their idea of a good time (no matter how fabulous you might look).

Lucky for your tired, sore feet, we're on a mission to empower you to eliminate your footwear pain this holiday season. Over the years, we've become acquainted with plenty of shoe hacks (many of them directly from shoe designers) that help your feet feel much better inside all your fabulous heels. Armed with our favorite five—which we're breaking down below—you'll be able to dance the night away and never once feel like your feet are killing your fun.

Keep scrolling to learn five smart hacks that will make your festive heels much more comfortable.

This is probably our favorite painful-shoe hack of all time. Wrap a simple piece of medical tape around your third and fourth toes (counting from your big toe) to help give your foot added stability. This will also take some of the painful pressure off the ball of your foot.

When we surveyed a group of major shoe designers, they all said having extra padding under the ball of your foot is the number one thing you should do to make your heels less painful. You can buy Dr. Scholl's inserts to stuff in your heels or simply buy heels that already have padding inside them.

If you know you've got a long night of dining and dancing ahead of you, avoid strapping on those flat-soled sandals you so badly want to wear. Save them for a seated event, like a gala or a night at the theater. If you're going to be on your feet all night, reach for a pair with more cushion under the balls of your feet. Platforms are key.

A small dab of Vaseline goes a long way in your footwear game. Rub it on the backs of your ankles, the bottoms of your heels, and along the sides of your toe bones before slipping your feet into your shoes. This will help prevent the friction between the skin and the shoes that can cause blisters.

If you have a pair of tight-fitting shoes that you're particularly dying to wear, you'll want to give this a shot. Fill plastic sandwich bags with water, then insert them into the shoes. Then put them in the freezer and leave them there overnight. As the water turns to ice, it expands, thus stretching out the fabric of your beloved heels.