Big black boots, long brown hair...

Today I wanted to post about how to break in Dr Martens boots. I have a fair amount of experience when it comes to DMs, and I wanted to share my experiences for those who are either struggling with breaking theirs in or are hesitant to buy them in the first place. It does seem that Dr Martens are almost as well known in their notoriety for being hard to break in as they are for being a popular brand of shoe that lasts for years. You might have guessed from my blog title(!) but I am a DMs convert, and for me any pain is worth the gain because once the boots are broken in you simply won't find a comfier shoe. However, today I wanted to talk about some of the ways that make the process easier because it seems to put a lot of people off which is a shame - I hope this helps anyone having trouble deciding whether or not to buy DMs!

Muddy boots waiting for a polish...

Of course, the first thing I should say is that you might just be lucky and have no trouble with breaking in your boots at all. My white patent Dr Martens gave me no trouble at all, and they were my first ever pair, bought brand new. Perhaps that's first-time buyer's luck, but I am someone who's always been prone to getting blisters when buying any new shoes including the most butter-soft ballet pumps, so you never can tell! However, with my black and purple DMs I had a more difficult time wearing them in (I'm still in the process with the purple as they are quite new!) and these are some of the methods I've tried to make things easier...

• Multiple pairs of socks. It sounds obvious, but it's true and it's the first place to start as it might be all you need to prevent rubbing! (Layering socks and tights is great, though if you do need to put on plasters it can make things trickier so consider this before you go out...)
• People recommend rubbing the boots with leather cream or moisturiser to start softening up the leather. This is great unless you're like me and have opted for velvet DMs. If not, I'd recommend leather cream anyway as it's only going to be good for the boots and prolong their life.
• Wearing the boots for short but frequent periods of time to begin with is better than trying to power through a full day. However, if you have to do this...
• I bought some micropore and plaster strip) and wear it on my heels under my socks if I'm going out for a long time and will be wearing new boots not yet broken in - this is the most effective way to prevent rubbing. I'd rather prevent blisters than have to deal with sore feet afterwards! You can always carry plasters with you as a 'just in case' instead of wearing them beforehand, but if you do this I'd recommend carrying micropore tape too to make sure that when the plasters are on they stay in place.
• Avon sells an anti-rub stick that you put on your heels before you put on your shoes - my mum has used this and says it's worked well for her.
• You can buy heel shields in places like Boots - these are £2.89 for two pairs which I'd say is reasonable as you can probably reuse them. I've never tried them in Dr Martens but I might give them a go and let you know the results - they might just be the perfect solution!

My well-loved DMs!

There are also the less recommended methods...

• My brother wears his DMs all day every day - to work, for play, in summer and in winter. He's the only person I know that actually exhausted a pair and had to replace them. To help break both of his pairs in (because boys are too cool for plasters) he tried putting a piece of newspaper inside against the heels of his shoes - he was adamant that this helped. I also remember helping him put electrical tape inside the back of his shoes against the heels, which smooths the surface more effectively than newspaper(!) and causes a bit less friction than the traditional leather insides. But these methods I wouldn't recommend as being as effective - only if you're a boy that's too cool for plasters or thick socks or having to think first thing in the morning(!)
• If they feel slightly too small, there are ways you can stretch leather shoes with water. I saw this video years ago - I've never tried it myself, but you could always give it a shot if you have high hopes and an empty drawer in the freezer.
• Buying second hand DMs is always an option - you can't guarantee how broken in they'll be, but more than likely will be less stiff than ones bought new in store.
• Some people say water or snow softens the boot, but exposure to a lot of water could damage the leather so I'd recommend using a leather cream before if you do decide to try this! It's not something I've tried myself - though I've worn my DMs in the snow plenty of times I haven't noticed any difference to them.
• Don't read the WikiHow article that suggests covering your new boots in petrol and setting them on fire. It probably won't end well.

The main thing to bear in mind is that any leather shoes are stiff when bought brand new and will take a bit of time to adjust to the shape of your foot, often resulting in a few blisters before the bliss of having perfectly comfortable footwear! There's no guarantee that you'll have any more problems breaking in Dr Martens than you would a cheaper pair of boots from a miscellaneous high street store - and if, like me, you wear your boots to do a lot of walking every day you might find that by the time the boots are broken in you only have a few months' wear before they are worn straight through, something you won't get with DMs! Though I'm vegetarian, I've always preferred leather shoes as I do have a lot of trouble breaking in shoes and these last so well and are timeless. Dr Martens do offer vegan shoes now too, which is great, and I'd be interested in hearing how they last - if you have them, let me know your experiences!

I hope this has been helpful, would you ever buy DMs? If you have them, what were your experiences when breaking them in?