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Softening your leather shoes for optimum comfort

Guides & Advices Shoes

Leather that's too stiff? Pain when wearing your shoes? No more!

Discover all our advice on how to soften the leather of your shoes and increase walking comfort!

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This advice file reads in 3 min

Introduction: practical tips for greater comfort

Wearing new leather shoes can sometimes be an uncomfortable, even painful experience. Leather, although durable, can be too stiff at first and needs time to adapt to the shape of your feet.

It's essential to choose the right size to avoid shoes that are too tight. If they are too tight, you can help the leather to soften and adapt to the shape of your feet. These tips are designed to soften the leather and will not help you go up a size.

In this article, discover practical advice on how to make your leather shoes more supple. Our tips will improve your everyday comfort.

These tips apply to both leather and imitation leather shoes.

Softener your shoes

Things not to do to soften leather

Certain practices, widely used on the Internet, can cause irreparable damage to your leather shoes. As a general rule, avoid applying grease, for example. Grease will saturate the leather without softening it, and can lead to cracking.

Steam baths or hairdryers can deform the shoe. Don't fall into the trap of dampening newspaper either, as this method is ineffective. What's more, the ink will rub off into your shoes and then your socks when you wear them.

Instead, work the leather using the more effective methods described in this article.

Softener your shoes

What to do : Softening sprays

When it comes to softening your leather shoes effectively and lastingly, softening sprays are essential allies. One of them is the famous Shoe-Eze, often recommended by shoemakers.

Here's how to make the most of these products to ensure a perfect fit and optimum comfort.

Start by selecting a quality leather-softening spray like Shoe-Eze. Spray the softener inside and outside the shoe. You can massage the product into the leather.
Next, we recommend that you slip on your shoes with a slightly thicker sock than usual. The thicker sock will exert pressure against the leather softened by the product. Walk around for a few minutes to force the leather into the shape of your feet.

This combination makes the leather more supple and improves overall comfort over time.

Softener your shoes

Combine fabric softener sprays with a forcing form

For optimum results, combine the softening sprays with a force-fit last. The press-on last is used exclusively in low shoes.

It shapes the leather by exerting constant pressure on specific areas that need softening. There are bunions available to work on more precise areas depending on the shape of your shoes.

This method ensures a more precise adaptation to the morphology of your feet, offering a made-to-measure fit.

Adopt these simple but effective steps to enjoy a personalised feeling of comfort with every step you take.

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Entrust them to our shoemaker

Finally, if all these methods don't produce the desired results, don't hesitate to entrust your shoes to our shoemaker. His expertise can be invaluable in adjusting the leather to ensure lasting comfort.

We put them on professional shoe lasts for several days so that the leather can be worked on continuously.

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