What Can You Do When A Steel Toe Rubs Your Toes?

There are lots of things you can do to get relief. The answer depends on how it hurts. If a steel toe is rubbing your little or big toe it is probably because the shoe is either too short or too narrow. The best answer in that case is to get the correct size. But what if you can't return the shoe or boot and you want to make it feel better.

Ok, Here Are A Few Things You May Try:

-Make sure the boot is laced snug. This will pull your foot back away from the toe and keep your foot from sliding forward.

-Adding some padding can help, especially if the edge feels sharp or rough. We use an adhesive felt tongue pad, cut into strips and stick the strips to to the inside edge of the steel toe.

-If the shoe has a removable insole or insert, then you could either remove the insert and wear the boot or cut the toe off of the insert. Doing this will give your foot more room in the toe of the shoe. This works very well if you have a hammer toe or a middle toe that rubs on the top edge of the safety toe.

How You Can Prevent Having A Safety Toe Hurting Your Foot.

If you consistently have problems with steel toes rubbing your toes and causing problems, there are some alternative answers. Look for safety footwear that has a wider style safety toe. Look for Asymmetrical or Oblique safety toes. These are special safety toes that come in true right and left shapes. Most safety toed footwear have the same safety toe on the right and left. Keen Work shoes all have Asymmtrical toes. Some select styles of Carolina, Rocky and Timberland bootsand shoes have Oblique Safety Toes.

Buying composite safety toes often can help eliminate toes from rubbing too. Composite toes carry the same safety ratings and do not conduct the winter cold through to your toes. And they are usually bigger to give you more room.

Slim, The Boot Guy 

Western, How-Tos

6 Ways to Make Your Boots More Comfortable

The perfect pair of boots do more than look great — they have to be comfortable to wear all day. Browse our guide to learn how to find the most comfortable boots for women and men.

Without comfortable boots, your day probably feels as long as your shot at winning the lottery. Thankfully, there are a few ways to create the comfy boots that you’re longing for. Check out our six tips to get your boots so comfortable you’ll never want to take them off.

1. Break in Your Boots

The most comfortable boots are thoroughly broken in. A good pair of broken-in boots will conform to your feet, making walking, running and standing throughout the day much more comfortable. As your boots age and continue to break in, the materials become more pliable, giving them less resistance and allowing them to move with you. Try the steps below for comfortable boots with that broken-in feel.

• Wear them regularly. The easiest way to break in boots is through frequent wear. The breaking-in process can take a few days or weeks, depending on the boots and what you do while wearing them. Start with an hour or two and build up to a full day.
• Wear them with two pairs of socks. As long as it doesn’t cause discomfort, you can wear your boots for a few hours a day with two pairs of socks. The bulk of the extra padding helps stretch and break in your boots more rapidly than typical single-sock wear.
• Gently apply heat to leather boots. This is a go-to tip for how to make leather boots more comfortable. For most leather boots, you can use a hairdryer on low heat to gently encourage the leather to stretch and shape to your foot and leg. Put your boots inside a boot tree and carefully apply heat in three-second intervals, feeling the boots with your hand in between passes. Stop heating the boots before they’re hot to the touch, as going any hotter will damage the boots. Increase the tension on the boot tree once the boots are warmed up and let them cool back down to room temperature.

Purchase a boot tree here for proper breaking in and storage: Shop Ariat Boot Tree

Browse our most comfortable work boots and cowboy boots: