It’s been a minute since I’ve shared a style hack! The other day, a friend was over and fascinated by the little “adjustments” inside my various shoes. She wanted the links ASAP for use inside her own shoes, which made me realize I hadn’t yet shared these tips on the blog! Both of these hacks are super simple fixes that I’ve relied on to make several pairs of shoes more comfortable and wearable.
An issue that plagues most of my sneakers and booties is that the sides come up too high and rub painfully against the bottom of my ankle bone. I started using this hack years ago, but never shared it since I thought it was just an odd quirk of my own feet!
1. The Problem: Shoes rub against the ankles
The Fix: Heel lifts
These were originally designed for orthopedic use, but they also work perfectly for making shoes that rub against the ankles more comfortable! I have the AdjustaLift brand in size Small, and also have these 3.3cm / 1.3″ tall inserts when i need a much higher lift. While there are many options to choose from, it was a little tricky to find ones narrow enough to fit inside a size 5 shoe, but these two brands worked for me!
Another common issue for me: I had two very different pairs of shoes that fit too wide and loose. With the Freedom Moses slide sandals, the straps were too wide and my feet kept slipping out (I should’ve sized down to a 4/5). With the bedazzled mules, the middle strap was soo uncomfortable and I later realized it was due to continuous rubbing against the top of my foot. Fix # 2 made these more snug and eliminated most of the rubbing!
2. The Problem: Shoes or straps are too wide
The Fix: Foam tape on the inside
This is the same tape I use for making my hats fit smaller! The lightweight foam is adhesive on one side and provides just enough cushioning to fill in the extra space. These foam pieces are available as pre-cut strips or a roll. NOTE: these come in different thicknesses depending on how much space / how much of a gap you’re trying to fill in.
Do you have any shoes in need of these hacks! Let me know if you give them a try!
