I vividly remember going to homecoming sophomore year of high school with this boy who I had a huge crush on. I bought my dress, accessories and a pair of brand-new Steve Madden black patent leather pumps. I kept them so nicely tucked into their tissue paper filled box, thinking I was being responsible when in fact, that was where I went wrong…

He picked me up from my house and as we walked out, I fell down my stone front porch stairs. Oh, the humiliation! My face was burning with embarrassment and my knees were all scraped up. I wanted to crawl into a hole. Those shoes continued to wreck me. By the end of the night, my feet were in so much pain and let’s not talk about the blisters. So, if I can offer one piece of advice to all my dance-going girls out there, it would be to PREP THE SHOES! Trust me, you don’t want to relive my Hoco circa 2010!

Check out these tips and tricks below on how to break in your shoes, pre-event! 

1. Practice Walking Around In Your New Fabulous Shoes

This seems like an obvious one but it really is a lifesaver. Every day for at least 15-30 minutes leading up to the event, put on those gorgeous shoes and walk around your house in them. You can continue doing your chores, or laundry or homework as long as you keep the shoes on, girl! You’ll get the feel for walking in them and master going up and down stairs.

2. Put On Socks And Refer To Step 1

Playing off of tip #1, consider wearing a pair (or two!) of thick socks while you walk around in them to help stretch the shoes out. Also, it will help prevent you from getting blisters during the breaking in process!

3. Wrap ‘Em Up

Before you head out to your event, grab some medical tape or Band-Aids and wrap up your big toe and baby toe as these are typically the first to get blisters. Additionally, wrap up your 3rd and 4th toe together. Giving those babies some extra support will relieve some stress on the nerve found between them, to keep you dancing all night long!

4. Blister Prevention Products

There is this magical invention called a Blister Stick. Just head to Amazon and order one ASAP! Apply it to all the areas where you typically get blisters (back of your heels, tops of your feet, & joints of your toes).

5. Heat Blast

Give your new heels a little heat blast from your blow dryer and then bend and twist them while they’re still warm. Don’t bend too far to the point of wrinkles though! Have you ever heard of this trick? It seems very weird but people swear by it!

6. Save The Packets

Don’t be so quick to toss those annoying white packets that come with your new shoes! These packets are filled with silica which absorbs moisture, preventing the shoes from shrinking. So hang on to them and store them in your shoes while you aren’t wearing them.

7. Sandpaper Saves

Take a piece of sandpaper and use it on the bottom of your shoes to rough up the surface a bit, creating more traction so you prevent slipping.