Shoes made of natural or artificial leather can be found in any person's wardrobe. It is comfortable and practical. You can wear leather shoes in any weather, and your feet will be provided with proper comfort.
But sometimes, despite all the advantages, such shoes can cause discomfort or even pain. This is explained by the fact that some elements of the shoe turned out to be overly rigid. The defect can occur in both new and already worn shoes.
Important! The easiest and most reliable way to fix a defect is to contact a shoe repair shop. The master is able to soften the skin in a few hours.
It is not always possible to contact a specialist. In this case, you should use various traditional methods or chemicals.
There are special creams on store shelves that can make the skin soft in a short period of time.
But the most popular are traditional methods.They do not require the purchase of any special chemicals, since most of the products can be found at home.
The fastest way to soften shoes
To make your shoes comfortable, you can use the old army method. It allows you to make even the roughest shoes soft and comfortable, like home slippers. To do this you need:
- The skin should be thoroughly moisturized from the inside. This can be done with water or a special stretching foam;
- On the part of the shoe that needs to be made soft, you need to spread a soft cloth soaked in liquid. Flannel or felt is suitable for these purposes;
- Using a hammer, you need to carefully beat off the prepared area. In this case, you need to try not to damage the shoes, the lighter the better;
- During the entire process, it is important to check how soft the skin has become.
This option is quite drastic. Therefore, you should not use it to soften the leather on designer shoes. These products are not designed to withstand such rough handling. The method is not suitable for patent leather models and shoes made of natural suede.
Several effective ways to soften
If the method described above does not work, you can use other options. They are not so rough, and at the same time no less effective.
Using hot air and steam
To do this you will need a hairdryer and a container of hot water.
The hairdryer should be set to the required temperature setting. For several minutes, a stream of hot air should be directed to the area of the shoe that needs to be made softer.
If boiling water is used, a small amount should be poured inside the boots. After this, you need to put on thick woolen socks and walk around in your shoes for at least thirty minutes.
A more gentle method is to use a box. You need to put your shoes in it, and then wrap the box with a hot rag.
Important! This option is contraindicated for artificial leather products!
Using soap and paraffin
You can make your skin soft using regular hard soap. To do this, the shoes must be thoroughly rubbed from the inside with soap. The method is very fast and ideal for situations where shoes need to be put on immediately. A paraffin candle is used in the same way. In addition to paraffin, you can use wax. To do this, it should be melted and applied to the desired area. After this, the boots are left for a few minutes, after which the wax and paraffin are removed. This procedure must be carried out extremely carefully. If the temperature of the substance is too hot, the skin may be damaged.
Thanks to the chemical composition of the materials used, the shoes will not only become soft. When worn, the boots will not cause discomfort, pain, or leave marks on the skin.
Using wet towels
Genuine leather can withstand quite high temperatures. At the same time, it does not lose its external and operational qualities. Therefore, you can use hot towels to soften it.
- towels or other soft cloth must be soaked in boiling water;
- shoes need to be wrapped in prepared hot cloth;
- after which the shoes must be tightly wrapped in polyethylene and left for 15 minutes;
- After this time, the shoes should be removed from the bag, the towels removed and worn for 30 minutes.
Use of special means
Regular alcohol softens the skin well. However, it can have a negative effect on the paint.Therefore, before using this method, it is necessary to treat a small area of skin with alcohol and check its effect on the paint. If nothing happens, then you can safely proceed to the procedure:
- For convenience, alcohol should be poured into a spray bottle;
- treat the boots evenly from the inside;
- the roughest areas should be additionally treated with a cotton pad soaked in ethyl alcohol;
- shoes should be put on and walked around in them;
Important! You can also use castor oil or Vaseline. Both of these substances can soften even the roughest and thickest skin.
- Vaseline or oil must be applied to the inside of the shoes;
- leave for a while;
- distribute.
You can buy special creams or emulsions in the store. They should be used strictly following the instructions. Usually you need to treat problem areas, put on shoes and break them in.
Important! You can replace professional products with regular cologne. The effect will be the same, however, it will take longer to break in.
Features of softening shoes made of different materials
Suede is a capricious material. The use of oils and water on it is prohibited. To make it softer, you can use hot air. The best thing to do would be to take your boots made of natural suede to a shoe shop.
The surface of patent leather shoes is easy to damage. In this case, even the slightest scratches will be visible to the naked eye. For such a capricious material, you need to take a very rich cream. It should be applied evenly to the shoes and left overnight. Instead of cream, you can use lard.
You can make artificial leather softer using hot towels.Shoes should be placed in a box of a suitable size, wrapped in hot towels, and left for 12 hours. If necessary, the entire process should be repeated several times.
Is it possible to soften a chafing back?
A rough heel counter that rubs the heel is a common problem. To eliminate this defect, you can use one of the following methods:
- Gently tap the back of the boots with a hammer. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the product;
- Rub the back with vinegar. It will cope well with rough shoe material;
- you can use special professional products that are sold in stores;
- If the shoes are made of artificial material, then you should use vegetable oil. Apply it evenly to the heel and leave the boots overnight.
Soft, comfortable shoes provide the feet with the necessary comfort and also maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system. Therefore, it is important that the boots do not cause discomfort. If you can’t make your shoes softer yourself, you need to take them to a workshop.
0
