Shoe school : Comfort hacks from the experts

Ensure your laces are tied firmly (from the very bottom eyelet).

If you're still feeling slippage, tie your laces using the lock lace method. Go to the Lacing section (just underneath this section) for this nifty trick.

Pop a gel heel guard on the internal shoe heel whilst you're wearing the shoe in.

Experiment with socks - good quality socks (like our organic bamboo socks) can make a big difference.

You do want to try to alleviate the slippage as this can cause blisters (and ouch, who has time for those pesky things!) and it may cause holes in the shoe lining due to the constant friction.

Ensure your laces are tied firmly (from the very bottom eyelet).

If your shoes are still feeling a little too big, tie your laces using the lock lace method. Watch this lacing method in the section below.

Change your socks to a thicker style.

Pop in a thin half sole under the she wear bio mechanical footbed to pad the boot out slightly. You can use either a half insole (eg. a forefoot or a heel insole), or a thin full footbed. We don't suggest to use another thick footbed as this will change where your heel sits in the shoe.

It will depend where it's feeling too firm. 

We do have considerable hidden depth in our shoes for our signature bio mechanical footbeds, so it can be as simple as swapping to a thinner inner. This even could just be a temporary measure until the upper material relaxes with wear. We do offer a fantastic alternative premium footbed which is available for separate purchase.

If it's a little tight over the foot - loosen the laces from the very bottom of the eyelets. Skip the middle eyelets (if they're feeling tight across the top of the foot), or lace with the parallel method. Both versions are in the Lacing section below.

If it's around the toes or generally a little firm all over - Remove the she wear bio mechanical footbed and replace with a thinner footbed.

Try thinner socks.

Make sure you if you feel a blister forming, pop on a bandaid or a gel blister pad!

Keep in mind, if you're wearing a safety toe cap shoe, this area will never change - so they may not be the right style for you.

Make sure if you feel a blister forming, pop on a bandaid or a gel blister pad .. stat!

Another trick that does work is having your shoes mechanically stretched if they are feeling too tight in a particular area. A great idea for bunion sufferers!

If you have our zip lace up boots, you can unloop the top 1 or 2 eyelets and tie up lower down the ankle. You will get a lot more flexibility through the ankle this way!

If you have pull on boots, the ankle will give with wear. Wear for short periods of time with thick socks and fold them over to help "stretch" the area. Don't do this for too long though - you don't want to overstretch the elastic!

If that doesn't help and you do have "thicker" ankles, you can have them mechanically stretched by a cobbler.

Yuck blisters ain't fun! They're generally formed when you are getting friction in your shoes (ie. the foot is rubbing up and down in the footwear) or your shoes are not the right fit (could be too small or too big).

Wet socks can also be a major culprit! A recent study of hikers found that wet socks was associated with a 2 times greater risk of experiencing foot blisters, so if you're prone to sweaty feet, change your socks during the day.

Pop a bandaid on your foot where it's rubbing and pop a gel comfort pad onto the area it's rubbing (in the actual shoe).

If blisters are on your heel, lace your shoes with the lock lacing method.

Our bio mechanical insoles offer great arch support for the vast majority of people, but sometimes extra support is needed in that area, especially if you over pronate, have flat feet or high arches.

You can pop in an arch support insole under our footbed, or remove the footbed and replace with your own support or orthotic.

Half sizes are actually a bit of a myth!

A half size is purely a slight width change in the upper. Some manufacturers just put padding around the foot last during production and the actual sole isn't any wider. This means your foot could potentially sit "over the edge" of the sole. We don't believe in the "one style fits all" approach so we actually go one step further and design different styles for different foot widths.

We believe a wide fit shoe, should be a TRUE wide fit shoe. We use a wider sole in our designs and this offers a better fit, better support, better stability and balance.

If the style you're wearing feels too tight width wise, you can remove the footbed and replace with a thinner one and also try the lacing method missing some of the eyelets.

We do offer an alternative, thinner footbed.

You may need a different style to get the best fit for your foot type.

We definitely recommend to wear in slowly, so go back to wearing for just short periods of time.

Your previous shoes may have been designed very differently, so it could be a range of reasons ..

Your new shoes could be either too big or too small. If shoes are too big, toes can "claw" in our shoes and cause pain. If they're too small, the shoes may rub in certain areas where's there is pressure or tightness.

If you aren't used to a contoured footbed and you've been wearing a flatter footbed with no support or with no heel-to-toe pitch (aka zero drop), it may just take a little extra time to wear in your new she wear shoes. It'll be worth it for sure! Trust us ;)

If you're used to wearing an overly flexible sole, again, it may just take some time to wear in as your foot (and body!) aren't used to the shock absorbing structure.

There are a lot of shoes on the market that aren't healthy long term - they lack support, structure and are too flimsy. If you're going from this type of shoe to a she wear shoe, yes it's going to feel very different. But it's worth it - we know it can be painful to be patient (ha) but your body will thank you for it!!

There's not much we can change with this one but the weight is generally to do with the materials of our sole compared against a lightweight athletic shoe (which hasn't been designed for all day wear).

A slightly heavier sole is honestly good for you for so many reasons - the shoe is more durable and will therefore last longer, and it's more shock absorbing and will impact your every step.

Running shoes don't have a long life as their soles are designed for high impact and should be turned over after a few months. Our shoes will keep you striding day in day out for a LONG period of time!

Our uppers do give with wear but you can have your shoes mechanically stretched where your bunion is.

We have quite a few customers who have tried this nifty trick and they now LOVE their shoes!

Keep in mind we do offer wider fit styles, and also mesh styles, that can cater for bunions.