Top tips for walking in heels
December 20, 2024
Heels can be a great choice of footwear. But they can take a while to master.
If you're not too sure how to walk in heels but still want to add them to your wardrobe, we've come up with our top ten tips to helping you out. We run through the easiest heels to walk in and how you can adapt your walk to suit a new pair of heeled shoes.
In this article:
- Perfect your posture
- Find the right fit
- Build up the height
- The thicker the heel the easier the walk
- Try platforms or wedges
- Break them in
- Place your heel on the floor first
- Take smaller steps
- Rough up the soles
- Take care of your shoes
1. Perfect your posture
Having good posture has several benefits. It can help reduce issues like heartburn, ease backaches and pains and make it easier to walk in heels. When you work on your posture, you'll improve the strength of your spine, your centre of gravity and your overall balance, all of which adds up to an easy heel wearing experience. Try leaning back ever so slightly to avoid craning your neck and torso forwards.
2. Find the right fit
If you find that your shoes are constantly slipping off your feet and pinching whenever you put your feet on the floor, they're going to be much harder to walk in. For the perfect heel fit, you should make sure:
Heel grips can be a great way to improve the fit of your shoes if you find they slip off.
3. Build up the height
As with anything, it's best to start small and work your way up to that eye-catching six-inch pair of heels. Start with something a little smaller, like:
Starting with a smaller, sturdier heel will help you build your confidence and get used to walking in heeled shoes before venturing out in stilettos.
4. The thicker the heel, the easier the walk
A thicker heel will offer more support and stability, which is ideal if you're not used to walking in heels. Once you get the hang of walking with a thicker heel, you'll have more of an idea of how to walk in stilettos and may feel confident enough to try this slimmer style of heel. Some great options include:
5. Try platforms or wedges
When you're learning how to walk in high heels, wedges and platforms are a great starting point. Wedges give you more support along the entire length of your foot. Platforms, meanwhile, will raise your entire foot in one go, making the higher-looking heels feel a little shorter and more manageable.
Some great options to try, include:
6. Prepare your shoes
Before you take your new heels out into the world, try wearing them around your house. This will help break the shoes in, so they soften up and don't rub or blister your feet when you're out and about. Plus, it gets in some extra walking practice.
If you're worried about slipping in your new heels, you can add some extra grip to the soles by roughing them up. Try:
Wearing them around your garden
Roughing them up using sandpaper
Carefully scoring the soles with a pair of scissors
Buying stick on soles for added grip.
7. Place your heel on the floor first
Walking in high heels is different to walking in any other style of shoes and it can take some practice. When walking in flat shoes like pumps or sneakers, your full foot will hit the floor at around the same time. When you walk in heels though, your heel should contact the floor first and the rest of your foot should follow. This can take some getting used to, which is why it's so important to practice walking in your new heels as much as you can.
8. Take smaller steps
Remember, you need to learn to walk before you can run. The same goes for when you're learning how to walk in high heels.
When you have a pair of heels on, particularly skinny heels or stilettos, much less of your foot will be touching the floor. This means it takes more practice to feel steady on your feet. Taking smaller steps and walking slower will be much easier than trying to walk at your normal, faster pace. As you get more confident, you'll find you're naturally able to pick up the pace.
9. Try some extra coverage
If you're not confident wearing heels, you might find it easier and more comfortable to try a shoe with a little more coverage. This might mean having an extra buckle, a t-bar or laces. You could even try heeled boots as a first step, as these have a little more coverage. They'll feel more secure and give your feet the familiar support they need to make it easier to walk in heels. Some great options to try include:
10. Take care of your shoes
Caring for your heels properly will go a long way to helping you walk easier in high heels.
If you find yourself struggling to balance it might be that your shoe needs a new heel. Ideally, you should look to try changing the heels you wear every six months or so.
If you find your feet burn after walking in your high heels, it might be that you need some extra cushioning. Try adding a cushioned insole to make the balls of your feet more comfortable.
Whether it's taking your date-night look to the next level, or glamming up your work wardrobe, heels can elevate any outfit. The key to learning how to walk in high heels is all down to practising and finding what works for you. No two pairs of shoes are the same, so you might need to adapt your walk each time you try a new pair. But, the more high heels you try and the more you practice, the more confident you'll be when walking in heels.
Check out the shoezone blog for more style tips and footwear suggestions for every occasion.