Shoe Expanders work wonders!

photo courtesy of Walmart

Have you ever heard of shoe expanders? I have to admit I've only heard about it a week ag when my friends and I were chatting about how I often complain about the shoes I buy. It's not really the fault of the shoes, it's more of how sensitive and wide my feet are that even with a fabric or softer material I still need to buy those gel pads to avoid chafing.

Anyway, my friend (who is also my fashion adviser) mentioned that I could actually request from shoe shops for my shoes to be expanded. She said that shoe expanders/extenders are used to extend/expand shoes to make them fit more comfortable especially for those people who have wide feet (like me) or those who have bunions. Since that was the first time I was hearing about this tool, I googled about it and realized that I have actually seen one before. I just didn't know then what it was called and what it was for. Apparently, it does wonders but I had to prove it for myself.

I called the shop where I recently bought a pair of shoes and asked if it had a shoe expanding service. Of course, they did! So I dropped by the shop a week after a bought my shoes and was asked what kind of stretching I wanted to be done. I specified what I needed and was told to come back after 30 minutes. I was anxious to see and how my feet would feel after the shoe expansion. I was pleasantly surprised by how snugly and more comfortable the fit became. 

I would definitely recommend shoe expanding/extending for those who have the same condition as I have. It can also be used when shoes shrink, feet swell and other foot conditions that cause discomfort to our feet. 

If you plan to get one for yourself, the better choice according to my readings is the one that can stretch both the length and the width of shoes.This one is called a two-way shoe stretcher. There are also different types of shoe extenders - for flats, high heels, boots and other types of footwear - so make sure that you specify for which type of shoes it will be used for if you're buying one. In my case, however, since the service is free in shoe shops, I'd rather the shoe experts do the deed for me.

Life is really a never-ending learning journey. I have proven that recently and I am now comforted by the fact that there is a solution to my very sensitive feet (not just gel pads). From now on I will always have very happy feet because shoe expanders work wonders.

Reference: 

http://shoes.about.com/od/fitcomfort/a/shoe_stretchers.htm