A Complete Guide to Breaking in Doc Martens

Hello hello, beauties! Today I am bringing you a post all about how to break in your doc martens! Real leather boots of any kind can be tough to break in, but docs are made to last for years and years, so they stitch them together very tightly. They are the most snug on the bridge of the foot and on the sides of the foot where they stitch the leather together. The rest of the boot is stiff, but not as much as these two points. The whole boot breaks in and gets so much softer the more you wear them but no one wants to wait that long until their boots are comfortable! Below are my foolproof steps to be able to break in your docs and have them as comfortable as possible in no time.

Wear Two Pairs of Socks- Whether you follow the rest of what I say or not, you need to be wearing two pairs of socks while breaking your docs in. This is the best way to help stretch your boots while also protecting your feet from blisters. The first few times you wear your docs you have got to double up on socks or you will get blisters, guaranteed. Keep two pairs of socks on for the next steps, but if you do nothing then you need to wear two pairs the first two weeks you wear them.

Wear them Around the House- Before you wear them out into the real world, put on your two pairs of socks and walk laps around your house to do some initial stretching and softening before you go out in them. Go up on your tippy-toes, bend your ankles a lot, move your feet from side to side, and so much more of you just moving your feet around. Again, just keep walking and moving them around and do whatever you can just wear them and stretch them out.

Blowdryer Technique- Put on your double socks, tug on your boots, and turn your blow dryer on them. I know, I know; very weird request. But by applying heat via the blowdryer to your boots, it will help them be more pliable while you stretch them out and break them in. Heating the leather makes everything softer and easier. Then repeat the above step by walking around in them and moving around your feet. Personally, it usually takes me doing this twice before I noticed the leather moving easier and breaking in better, but sometimes it works with only doing it once so just pay attention to what the shoes are telling you.

This simple, three-step process will make your boots so much nicer and easier to wear. Because I do not know what the long-term effect of heating up your boots multiple times, I recommend you only do it twice since I have done that to all but one pair of my docs and they have been 100% fine! Even after you heat them up, still wear two pairs of socks with them for the first few times out, and test drive them with one pair of socks at home before you do it out and about. I hope these tips helped, I would love to know in the comments below! See you all on Wednesday!

Madey

My boots found here

Cover art found here