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Cowboy boots are made for walking or limping if your feet are all blistered and irritated. Thankfully, there are some easy, painless, or at least less painful solutions to prevent the latter from happening. Follow our methods to breaking in cowboy boots, and your shoes will hug each curvature of your feet like a glove in no time. These methods include: freezing your cowboy boots, doubling up the socks, steaming the insides of your shoes, using a western cowboy boot stretcher, conditioning and moisturizing them, and reinforcing the bend creases by hand. So, let’s get to it!
How to Break in Cowboy Boots Overnight (Fastest Method)
One of the fastest and safest methods to break in cowboy boots overnight is freezing them. You need to find two sealable plastic bags and fill them with water. Then, place them into the toes of your shoes, and make sure that they fit them snugly. You can stuff the rest of your boots’ space with towels or other materials that you have so that the seals stay in place. Finally, place the shoes in the freezer. If your cowboy boots’ leather is genuine, have no worries, this method will not damage them. Take them out in the morning; they should fit more comfortably.
Method #1: Wear your boots with two pairs of socks
A slower working method is wearing your boots with two pairs of socks, but it won’t work if you only wear them; you have to walk with them so that they become more flexible and comfortable. An extra pair of socks increases the pressure in your boots, thus creating more space for your feet.
However, this method can be painful too, so don’t do it for a long time and never wear more than two pairs of socks because that would cause blistering.
Method #2: Steam the inside of your boots
This method will work, but it could possibly damage your cowboy boots, especially if you’re not careful. But, if you still want to do it, here is how. You can do this by using a clothes steamer or a kettle of boiling-hot water to steam the inside of your boots. Steam them for about 20 seconds. You can touch the shoes and see where they feel firm and tight; steam for another 10 to 15 seconds in those areas. Next, wear the boots while soft and warm, and walk around with them for at least ten minutes or until they cool down.
Method #3: Use a western cowboy boot stretcher
Cowboy boot stretchers are great for passively stretching your boots and achieving up to a size up. That is, you need to put them in your shoes, and they will do their job while you go about your day. They also act pretty fast, and they can increase the size of your boots in just a few hours.
Unlike the previous methods, this is not free; you need to buy a boot stretcher.
Method #4: Condition and Moisturize Your Boots
This method is much gentler than others, yet it can help to break in cowboy boots. That is because leather conditioners and moisturizers soften the fibers of your shoes, thus making them easier to stretch out and fit your feet better. Use an old piece of cloth and apply the conditioner or moisturizer evenly to your boots; you can wear them after they’ve air-dried. Doing this will help them stretch out and prevent the leather from cracking. But do not condition or moisturize them more than every three to six months.
Method #5: Reinforce the Bend Creases by Hand
Another simple method to break in your boots is to reinforce the bend creases by hand. First, walk for some minutes or until you can notice slight creases. Look for them around the toe and ankle areas. Found them? Great! Now, take them off and use some force to bend the boots with your hands.
This is a relatively easy method, but it is not that effective to be used alone. So, for faster and better results, we would recommend combining it with other previously mentioned methods.
While it is true that cowboy boots usually need to be stretched out to fit snuggly and that you can achieve that by different methods, it is best to purchase a pair of well-fitting cowboy boots that need little stretching. We recommend you try as many boot brands as you can until you find a pair that feels most comfortable. And do that at the end of the day because that’s when your feet are largest. However, if your new cowboy boots are stiff, you can use one of the methods we mentioned in this article.
