I’ve already had problems with new shoes and my feet. Somehow with any new pair of shoes, my feet always seem to say ‘Nope- won’t do that.’ and then develop blisters and hurt. Since I recently acquired a few Birkenstocks and they especially need some breaking in I wanted to share what I did to transform them into comfortable shoes.

Birkenstock Sandals

So, to break in the Birkenstock sandals, I first wore them at home wearing socks. This already gave me a feeling of where they might need some work. For me the corners of the leather straps were the point of most blister danger. I don’t know if this is how you would say it, but you probably get what I mean.

The next step was to wear them for small walks and to start preparing those sensitive spots. I applied a fatty cream on those sensitive spots of my feet, something almost like vaseline. It helps to create some friction, so the skin is protected, and it helps to soften the leather. Then I took longer walks each time I wore the sandals. Imagine the first walks from my desk to the kitchen and back, later to the store on the corner.

I continued to wear them for longer and longer times, the longest was a full day at work last week. The next step would be to wear them walking around in the city all day. But I still need to remember the lotion, my feet are just so bratty.

Birkenstock Shoes

I so got a pair of booties and sneakers from Birkenstock. They are both equipped with the same footbed as the sandals, which makes them sooo comfortable. And they are made of leather, which I always found very nice to wear after some breaking in.

I thought I had some serious breaking in to do with these, after my sensitive feet almost yelled at me when wearing them for the first time. But after utilizing a secret tip a friend gave me, it wasn’t so much work at all. My heel hurt the most, so this is where I had to do something. The tip was to soften the leather where it hurts your feet. That’s actually what you are doing slowly whole wearing them. But by treating the leather, you simply fast forward to the point where your feet have done the work and the shoe is comfortable.

I kneaded the leather in the heel area like a crazy person. This was quite exhausting at the beginning, as the leather was pretty stiff. You can also use a hammer and just hammer away on the leather where you need softening. My friend did that and was very happy with the outcome. There were no marks in the leather from the hammer, but if you’re afraid about that, you could just put a towel in between the shoe and hammer. After some kneading I already felt like the heel leather was becoming softer. And when I wore them the next time, I literally had no pain or blister! It was a miracle. That had never happened with new shoes before.