It has happened to many of us. You see a gorgeous pair of shoes online and order them right away only to find that they are a bit too large. Or you’re tempted into buying slightly bigger shoes because they’re on sale and your size is out of stock.
In any case, it is disappointing to know that your new shoes aren’t the right size. What would you do in such a situation?
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Quick Answer
While ideally, you would have the option to exchange or return your big shoes, but it isn’t always an option. Fortunately, there are numerous useful hacks to make your bigger shoes fit better, ranging from the good ol’ tricks of using insoles and stuffing the toe to some genius hacks that involve shrinking your shoes and using elastic bands.
Keep reading to learn more about using these (and more) tried and tested hacks to make use of your big shoes and wear them around comfortably.
How to Wear Big Shoes? Quick and Easy Hacks to Wear Shoes That Are a Little Too Big
Unless you’ve got a pair of shoes several sizes bigger, you can save your new pair of shoes from being wasted and wear them around comfortably, at most places. Here are some simple and quicks hacks for doing it:
- Let Your Socks Fill the Space – Socks not only help you break into a new pair of shoes but can also be used to improve the fit of slightly bigger shoes. Wear an extra pair of socks, or use those thick winter socks to fill up that extra space in your shoes.
This is the simplest hack for wearing big shoes and works well in most cases unless you’re wearing shoes that you cannot wear socks with.
- Stuff the Toe Box – Another age-old hack for wearing big shoes is to stuff the toe box with some cotton, soft fabric, or even an old pair of socks. The only downside of this trick is that it can only be used for closed-toe shoes.
- Use Insoles – While the primary purpose of insoles is to provide comfortable padding and support to your feet, they can also help make your large shoes fit better by taking up some extra space. They are available in various sizes, styles, and materials and can even be used in open-toe shoes.
- Try Ball Of Foot Cushions – If your shoes are just a tad bigger or you’re not a fan of full insoles, you can try using the ball of foot cushions. They are available in various shapes and colors, so you can easily find a pair that goes well with your shoes. Ball of foot cushions not only help improve the fit of shoes, but they also make them more comfortable.
- Use Heel Strips – Also called heel inserts, liners, or grips, these are somewhat similar to the ball of foot cushions. Both are adhesive pads that help improve the fit and comfort of your shoes. The only difference, as evident from the name, is that heel strips go onto the shoe area at the back of your heel.
How to Tighten Loose Shoes Permanently? Big Shoes Hacks for Lasting Results
The hacks that we have discussed above are simple, quick fixes. They are effective but do not make your shoe smaller.
Here are some not-so-quick but permanent solutions for your big shoes:
- Shrink the Shoes – This trick is known to work great. But, you should always read the care instructions to make sure it’s okay to use water on your shoes.
Wet your shoes using a spray bottle or give them a quick soak in a water bucket. Avoid getting the sole wet. Put the wet shoes out in the sun to dry or use a hairdryer on a low setting.
- Sew an Elastic Band – This hack calls for stitching pieces of strong elastic on the inside of the back of the shoes. Just make sure to stretch the elastic while sewing, so when you release it, it pulls the inside material, making the shoe tighter.
- See a Shoes Repair Professional – If all the fixes that we have discussed are too much hassle to you or nothing seems to work for your shoes, your best bet is to take help from a cobbler. They can find the perfect solution for how to make your big shoes fit better.
How To Tighten Loose Flip Flops?
If the straps of your flip flops are loose or have stretched with usage, here are a couple of tricks you can try tightening them:
- Using Hot Water: Fill a shallow tub with boiling water. Place your flip flops in it upside down, so the straps are completely submerged in water. Leave them in hot water for five minutes. Take out and let your flip-flops air dry for about eight hours before wearing them again.
- Using Hairdryer: With your hairdryer in the hottest setting, apply hot air on the straps of your flip flops for two to three minutes.
Should You Wear Bigger Shoes for Running?
According to conventional wisdom, you should always get running shoes a size bigger than your regular (non-running) shoes.
The reason is that our feet expand and may even swell a bit during exercise. As a result, your regular shoe size will get a little tighter.
While the logic is true, experts believe that one size bigger shoes may be a little too big. They recommend getting running shoes only half a size bigger than your regular shoes. It will give enough space to your feet without running too big.
Keeping in view two different viewpoints, your best option is to try. The right size running shoes should give you a snug fit in the midfoot and heel but have some room in the toe area.
How to Tell If Your Shoes Are Too Big?
Finding the right size of shoes can sometimes be challenging, especially when you don’t know how shoes should ideally fit. To help you in this process, here we’re highlighting a few quick ways to figure out if your shoes are bigger than they should be:
- If there is more than one finger’s width of space between your longest toe and the edge of the shoe, it’s bigger than it should be.
- Slide a finger between the heel of your shoe and foot. There should only be enough space that your finger fits snugly. If it’s more than that, you’re wearing too-big shoes.
Why Should You Not Wear Shoes That Are Too Big?
Contrary to the common perception, wearing big shoes can be equally problematic as wearing small shoes. Here’s are some of the negative effects of wearing shoes that too big:
- The repetitive sliding movements and friction can cause blisters
- Big shoes can affect a person’s natural stride
- When walking in big shoes, people tend to contract their toes. This can lead to issues like bunions and hammertoes
- Bigger shoes can also cause inflammation and pain in the ball of the feet
- Wearing bigger shoes can also lead to the development of foot corn. This is more likely to happen in heels due to excessive pressure on the forefoot.
How to Find the Right Shoe Fit?
Here are some expert tips for finding the best possible shoe fit:
- Measure your feet
- Go for shoe shopping in the afternoon as our feet expand naturally during the day.
- If you intend to wear socks with the shoes you’re buying, wear them (the same kind) while trying the shoes.
- If you have one foot larger than the other (many people have it), get the size that fits the bigger foot.
- Wear both shoes while trying and walk around
Wrap Up
You may wear a tad bit bigger shoes without any problem, but wearing shoes that are a little too big can be problematic. Thankfully, there are various hacks for making such big shoes fit better. These include quick, temporary fixes, like wearing thick socks, and more permanent solutions, like shrinking your shoes.
Have you ever tried any hack for big shoes? Let us know what that was and how did it work for you!