Ad | 9 Tips To Make Wearing Heels More Comfortable, Over 40

Sometimes I receive comments from my readers about my outfits with high heels – they often mention how they simply can’t wear them anymore.

As you get older, wearing heels becomes more and more of a problem due to the various aches and pains (to a greater or lesser extent) that we all suffer from.

I haven’t yet quite got to the stage where I can no longer wear high heels – I’m happy in a pair of four-inchers – but being comfortable in heels is something we all want. The feeling of relief at the end of the day after wearing heels is second-to-none – but is there anything we can do to make the actual wearing of heels easier and comfier?

I think there is! There are no miracle cures, that’s for sure, but you can make steps (see what I did there) to make wearing heels easier on your feet. I’m sharing my 9 best tips to make wearing heels more comfortable – these tips are ESPECIALLY good for women over 40 as our tolerance levels do tend to go down the older we get…!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Airpufs (click here for my full disclosure). All content is original, however, and opinions are my own and 100% honest.

1. Break them in

If your heels are new and for a special occasion, ensure you wear them in before the big day. I tend to wear them with a pair of thin socks around the house for at least a couple of days to make them stretch and mould to my feet a little.

2. Wear comfort insoles

Insoles are a godsend if you wear heels and are on your feet all day (or night). I’ve reviewed some Airpufs which are made from a shock-absorbent hypoallergenic foam and slip inside your shoes – read my full review of them at the end of the tips!

3. Try foldaway flats

Take flats or – even better – foldaway shoes for the walking part of your journey. These are a godsend when you’ve worn your heels all evening and you then need to walk to the tube station/the taxi rank/home.

4. Use talcum powder

I swear by this one – dusting your feet with talcum powder before putting on your heels stops rubbing. This is the absolute best way to avoid blisters on your toes.

5. Consider heel types

Block heels are easier to wear all day than stilettoes which tend to make you wobble more. As much as I love a pointed toe shoe with a stiletto heel they do result in feet that ache more!

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6. Get a pedicure

Keeping your toenails trimmed will avoid rubbing or squashed toes. There’s nothing worse than running out the door wearing heels and you realise that your toenails have grown a little too much.

7. Slip your heels off

If you get a moment while you’re sitting down, discretely slip off your heels and stretch your toes and arches. (Don’t blame me if you don’t want to put them back on, though.)

8. Try a supermodel’s hack

Marie Helvin swears by this trick and I’ve read others who’ve tried it say it sounds crazy but it’s so effective: Tape your third and fourth toes together (the two before your little toe). Something to do with balancing the weight over your feet. Obviously only try it if you’re wearing closed-toe shoes, however…

9. Switch your shoes

Don’t wear the same pair of heels from one day to the next – change heel heights and shoe styles if you can. Give your muscles a rest (and a different workout) the next day.

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Airpufs review

Invented by a former long-time flight attendant, Airpufs are a self-adhesive shoe insole designed to cushion your feet inside your high heels. I was asked to review them, and as a heels fan I OBVIOUSLY had to take up the challenge!

Now don’t get me wrong, I am a die-hard heels wearer. I never, ever take my heels off at a party or event. I know that if I do, I’ll never want to put them back on again (see tip no.4). Therefore I guess for vanity’s sake that I do leave them on too long (must follow my own advice, oops).

I wanted to wear my new jumpsuit at a family birthday party – jumpsuits always look better with heels… Jumpsuits and heels go together like eggs and bacon, they’re just meant to be. So not only did I chose to wear something that would give me bathroom problems, but I wore something that required heels – I swear I’m out to sabotage myself sartorially much of the time.

THAT was the perfect time to try my new Airpufs, surely…? All I had to do was take off the backing and stick them inside my heels – and walk, stand and er, run. (No, I didn’t actually run.)

Why Airpufs are different

The fact that they were designed by an ex-flight attendant was a draw for me. If any profession knows about being on their feet all day, it’s flight attendants. Airpufs’ website says this about the product:

AirPufs’ secret material is a hypoallergenic foam that is 20 x more shock absorbent than any generic material used by mass market brands. Compare AirPufs and other leading manufacturers, although they may be similar in shape and thickness, AirPufs will prove to be more bouncy and offer more comfort than any insole you have ever tried.

Now I have used other comfort insoles before, but I always used the gel things. The difference with Airpufs is that the material used is foam rather than a gel – they don’t rub. I always found that the gel inserts would cause friction and stickiness, no matter how much I followed tip no.4. And even THEY made my feet hurt after a while.

One thing was certain: The sponginess of Airpufs makes ALL the difference. The hypoallergenic fabric means your feet don’t get sticky and rub (like the gels). Whilst I can bear to wear heels all day, I know that I’m not getting any younger and once you hit your 40s you do start to find being on your feet all day far more tiring. So heels-wearing is only going to get harder.

Conclusion – did Airpufs work?

I’m glad to say that they really did make a HUGE difference. Do you ever occasionally come across a pair of boots when they’ve put a squishy layer of foam inside to make them more comfortable, and you put your foot inside and feel that sense of satisfaction at your protected-by-foamy-squishy stuff? Well, it’s a bit like that.

They’re thin, so they don’t take up much room in your shoes. They’re reusable in other shoes as the adhesive backing isn’t permanent. And they come in about 20 funky patterns, from marble to flamingo print to my Airpufs’ pattern, the classic houndstooth.

The blue heels I wore are ones I’ve had for ages, but I rarely wear them because they’re a pair that cause a fair bit of high-heel ache. But the Airpufs really did make wearing them no problem at all. I won’t lie, I was still glad to take my heels off at the end of the day, but my feet didn’t scream AAAAARGH YESSSSSSSSS when they were finally freed, just a small “yay”.

My conclusion is yes, flight attendants DO know their onions when it comes to wearing heels…!

Details: Buy from http://airpufs.com – all are a set price of $16.00 (or $14.00 if you want to take a lucky dip with the pattern). They offer international shipping and returns are accepted within 30 days (unused). Well worth every penny IMO!