How to Prevent Blisters (and Other Common Shoe Problems) - a necessary topic that should always be re-evaluated!
We’ve tried every shoe-lution that has been suggested across the deep web, and have collected a list of what worked (and didn’t work!) for us! There is nothing worse than having beautiful shoes and being unable to wear them as a result of mis-fits, shoe slips, and -worst of all- BLISTERS! (The suggestions below are just our favorite brands for these solutions, but are certainly not your only options if the price point doesn’t match your budget!)
So that you can walk steadily, here are our thoughts:
1. Proper Insoles
There are so so so many insoles made for running shoes and different types of foot relief (lower back pain, upper back pain, heel pain, foot pad pain, etc.) These are great BUT are not always what women are looking for to make their heels more comfortable. I just discovered a relatively new company that makes insoles for your heels called Vivian Lou (link below.) These are amazing because they are specifically to shift your body weight to provide relief to achy feet.
https://www.vivianlou.com/
2. Shoe inserts
I’ve always worn our shoes in order to break them in, and what a mistake that was! Forme has a shoe insert that can be fit to help break in those new heels without using your sore feet. (Extra benefit: they help keep your shoes in more pristine condition over time!) I’ve linked the recommendation below for your reference!
https://formecomfort.com/
3. Blister Bandages
Our recommendation : Band-aid Hydro Seal Bandage Blister Cushions. They are a HUGE relief after blisters have formed making it so you can immediately begin wearing the same painful heels. I once ran out of a work event to grab them when I had no other shoes with me and wore them another five hours without pain! But to unleash their true power, wear them PRE-blister for complete prevention. There are multiple shapes/sizes for different parts of your foot - blister around toes vs. blister behind the heel. Plus they’re easy to find at any local drugstore. Bonus, your feet *and wallet* will sing like a birdy because they are cheap cheap cheap!
https://www.band-aid.com/products/hydro-seal-foot-care/blister-bandages-5-ct-assorted
4. Double Sided Sticky Tape
I originally tried this with the same double sided sticky tape I used for my bras after seeing it as the top suggestion by an often heeled celebrity - thanks Jessica Alba! By attaching your foot to the shoe, there is less movement and, therefore, less blisters! While this solution worked for a time, the tape was not prepared for how sweaty the bottom of women’s feet can get in heels. ShoeStix is the solution we were searching for, made specifically for women’s shoes. I linked them below for your reference!
https://www.shoestix.com
5. Straplets!
We cannot make a list of things that help with shoe slipping and blisters and not at least mention our own personal favorite! Straplets! Essentially a belt for shoes that you already own, Straplets add style to inexpensively keep up with your favorite trends. The added benefit is the strapping around feet help eliminate heel blisters by adding support. Works especially well for loose fitting heels, but can also be used on mules, flats, boots, and booties.
Home Remedies:
For those who do not want to purchase new products, here are some suggested solutions that can help from your own home.
7. Baby Powder
Baby powder is good if your feet don’t get too sweaty, otherwise it can chunk up and feels terrible. Secondly, even with my uncomfortably fair skin, the powder showed on my foot and it was hard to only get the powder on the part covered by the shoe. I do, however, fully recommend using baby powder for full coverage shoes like sneakers and boots.
8. Deodorant
In a similar vein, some recommend rubbing deodorant on your foot to allow feet to move around more freely and prevent chafing. While this can help a little, I wish I’d seen the clarification to use powder based deodorant instead of gel based. I repeat, DO NOT use gel based deodorant for this.
9. Hairspray
As for spraying hairspray on the backs of your heels and in your shoes, it made my pumps and feet sticky and only helped for a very short period.
Hope this helps!
[We do not receive compensation for our suggestions in this post.]