"Shoe fixers": Which ones work? - YouLookFab Forum

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"Shoe fixers": Which ones work?

April

Veteran

By "shoe fixers," I mean insoles, heel grips, ball-of-foot cushions, etc. -- anything that helps a shoe work for your foot. I'm wondering what specific items and brands you have had success with, and what problems they addressed.

I recently bought a pair of shoes that turned out to be EXTREMELY slippery on the bottom. Literally, I could not move forward on my hardwood floors due to the lack of traction.

I fixed that with something called Shur-Grips, that I cut up and applied all over the sole. So far, they haven't come off and have completely solved the problem.

What shoe fixers have you had success with?

General

19 replies

Latest reply was from April

marianna

Veteran

My feet tend to slip out of shoes when I walk, so I remedied that by placing heel grips in all my shoes. I especially like the free ones available at Nordstrom when you buy a pair of shoes -- they work really well and are nice and thick.

April

Veteran

A few more good ones:

Ralyn Shoe Stretch: a liquid (could be plain old alcohol, not sure) that you apply to tight spots on shoes, then wear the shoes around for a while. Sometimes I cheat and stuff rolled-up socks or a stress ball into the toe box instead.

Stiletto Hardware Ultra-Slender Ball-of-Foot cushions

Band-Aid Friction Block stick, for areas that rub and/or cause blisters

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

I was a bit annoyed when I got my frye's and was slipping and sliding in them all day. I love the look but I didn't expect this slippery bottom. I had to get non-skids, that seems to have resolved the issue. Like Marianna, I also have to add heel grips to all of my shoes. I buy the CVS brand that are around $6 each, they are more expensive than others out there but they work well.

Beth

Veteran

I've never had success with heel grips, but non-skids definitely help, as do ball of foot cushions. I like Foot Petals, but they also make a less expensive version found in the shoe dept at Target and frequently on deep discount at Marshall's.

I remember being as a small child (back when nearly all shoes had slippery leather soles), my mother would put pieces of masking tape on the bottom of our shoes to keep from slipping:)

Carole

Veteran

Always on the lookout for shoe fit support so I will be following this thread with great interest.

bj1111

Veteran

scholls party feet --not sold in the us. i've found it at airport drugstores (i've cleaned out the boots at the frankfurt airport of all 10 pairs they had). essentially short half-foot gel insoles. scholls in the states sells whole foot insoles which don't fit in my shoes.

April

Veteran

BJ -- now I'm determined to find those insoles! Nothing like being told "not sold in the U.S." to create an obsession.

Rachel

I use the party feet mentioned by bj1111 in all my open toe heels. It definietly helps with the pain you get in the ball of your foot from standing and the other benefit is that it stops your foot sliding out the front in an open heel.
I use half foam insoles in all my closed heels and they help with the pain aspect again and also with fit. I mush prefer them to heel grips to stop my foot slipping out of a heel.
The reason for the difference is that the gel ones have a ribbed top which ruins the bottom of pantyhose which is what I tend to wear in closed shoes. Also the foam ones are much cheaper but don't look very nice in an open shoe.
If I do use a heel grip I always make sure it is leather.
No specific brand suggestions as I'm outside the US.

April

Veteran

Actually, the Scholls Party Feet gel pads look a lot like the Stiletto Hardware pads: http://stilettohardware.com/catalog.html The "ultra slender" version is good for feet that tend to feel jammed in with a super-thick cushion -- I see that Scholls offers the same option.

nancylee

Veteran

I've had success with foot petals for the balls of the feet, and also with heel grips. Insolia insoles are supposed to be great for adding comfort to high heels, but I haven't tried them yet.

April

Veteran

I used to have Insolias inside a very high-heeled pair of sandals (when I was able to wear such things) and didn't think they were magical -- though I could have had them positioned incorrectly.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I hate Foot Petals. They slide and are generally not enough support for my feet. I enjoy AirSoft's gel pad line - it's the only way I can get through 30+hrs on my feet!

Charmian

Veteran

According to http://www.extrapetite.com/201.....serts.html, heel grips stretch out the shoe. We should use ball-of-foot cushions instead.

Foot Petal's padding hasn't done much for me, but their friction sticker-thingies work quite well. My friend, a professional dancer, solves the problem by just taking her shoes outside and scraping the bottom of her shoe on the sidewalk a few times.

If you're desperate for traction RIGHT NOW but don't want to scrape up your shoes, my (other) dancer friends like to dab some sugary drink (eg, Coca-Cola) on their shoe bottoms. It'll usually last for a few hours: just enough time to get home and mull over more permanent solutions.

April

Veteran

Hey -- there is a contest on Already Pretty right now for a free set of Stiletto Hardware products: http://apcontestsgiveaways.blo.....dware.html

How timely!

bj1111

Veteran

april...i might have to do a head to head randomized controlled trial with party feet vs stiletto hardware!

Anonymous

i used some gel pads from scholls for sore points in my cork-wedged sandals/peep-toes to secure the spot where my toe would be rubbed by the leather by slipping forward. It transformed a sitting shoe into a eight hours shoe

April

Veteran

Anya -- was it these: http://www.langtoninfo.com/sho.....8483224168 ?

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

i'm super duper hard on shoes and walk a lot (15-20 miles a week) so for leather soles i take them to the cobbler and get vibram or similar half-soles put on. your shoes will last indefinitely this way (otherwise you get a hole in the leather, maybe after 9 months in my case, and it's a lot more expensive to fix).

i use moleskin a lot - i did a tutorial here, for anyone who is interested:

http://dashingeccentric.blogsp.....eskin.html

NSFW: CAUTION: NAKED FEET!!!! heehee i got some foam insoles years and years ago that are great - you can throw them in the wash, they provide excellent cushioning to the whole foot, they take up extra room in the shoe and prevent slipping in the shoe. i've used ONE PAIR over 10 years now - they're good as new! i just switch them out between different shoes. i'm near a couple of good shoe stores and i'll see if i can find the brand.

great ideas everybody!!! steph

April

Veteran

Wow, Steph -- I'll be waiting for the name of those insoles! I use the thin, cheap ones, drugstore brand, for most of my flats, but I love the idea of longevity.