Sometimes it is a blurry line between the exploitation of women by the beauty industry and women making very bad decisions when buying products simply for aesthetic reasons. Whichever one the case might be doesn’t take away from the fact that there are a lot of products out there.
Things don’t always work out according to expectations. The biggest trouble makers for women are Shoes. It’s one of the largest industries catering to women’s aesthetic needs. By extension, there is a lot of variety available.
How to Prevent Heel Slippage in Pumps
This is why it comes as a surprise that it is still possible to end up buying a very cute pair of shoes. Then walk around them, only to suddenly find your heel slipping off. This issue is mainly consistent with pumps. Just ask any woman, and she would gladly tell you all about her new favorite shoes, give her a lot of reason to complain.
Choosing the Right Size
Finding a pair in the size that fits you is a challenge as old as time, or at least since companies started manufacturing shoes. Everyone’s body is minor differences due to biology, and our feet are not exempted from that.
However, shoes are manufactured according to some standardized sizes. This is why you shouldn’t buy shoes that are not your size just because they look cute.
If you buy pumps that are not your size, too wide, or too narrow, you will find that your shoes are way too tight or keep slipping off. One trick to picking the right pumps is to pick half a size bigger than your actual size.
This way, your feet will have ample support from the heel down to your toes. Your toe box will be able to accommodate your toes.
Straps are your Best Friend
Whoever invented ankle straps, T straps, and Mary Jane pumps deserves a raise because having a strap on your pumps is the certified way to avoid your heels slipping out of your pumps.
Straps will keep your feet locked in your shoes, and you will be able to walk and move comfortably without having to worry about your heel coming off with every step you take.
Some shoes also have transparent straps, so if you are not a fan, these can still be an opportunity for you to wear straps without them being overly obvious or distracting from your sense of aesthetic. Another option is to buy T-strap pumps.
The straps on these are above the ankle and can easily be covered by pants, jeans, or leggings. And T straps are also much stronger than ankle straps, providing far more support in keeping your feet in your shoes.
Choose Open-toe Shoes
Another reason why your heel might slip is due to sweat. If your feet get warmed up and start sweating, the resulting viscosity might cause your heel to slowly start slipping off your feet. With little friction to keep the heel where it is supposed to be, it has nothing to hold on to while your feet move.
This will happen more often than not during the summer seasons. So for summers, we recommend you wear open-toed shoes.
They provide the added advantage of allowing your toes to dig deeper in the shoes providing a stronger grip in the front. But more importantly, open toes allow some breathability for your feet and keep your feet from getting too sweaty.
Choose Closed-toe Shoes
You are wondering how to prevent heel slippage in pumps during winter? Closed-toed shoes are your answer. These types of pumps will keep your feet locked tighter than the open-toed wonder, and you can use talc powder for added measure.
Using talc powder in combination with closed-toed shoes will keep your feet nice and dry, preventing sweat from making your heels slip off while you walk.
Watch your moisturization!
If you know in advance that you will be wearing your pumps somewhere, then try to make sure that your feet are well and dried before you put them on. Just like with sweat, if your feet are too moisturized, they will have the same effects that sweat does.
So avoid using too much treatment and moisturizers if you have any plans to pull out those gorgeous new pumps you have locked up for a special occasion. The only treatment you should consider in combination with pumps is the use of talc powder.
Wedges Heels Work Great
Nothing beats a long thin stiletto, and it really accentuates your curves, but maybe it is important to consider that they don’t work for everybody.
Walking is far more complicated and, in many cases, just plain dangerous when your pumps have sharp, high heels. This goes double for terrains like roads and cobblestones. This is why wedges make a great alternative.
They can provide your legs with more support than high heels and usually have straps that hold your feet tight and comfortably.
This gives wedges more advantages on terrains like cobblestones and roads. With wedges, you can walk across more rough environments than you can in high heels.
How to Stop Heels from Slipping on the Floor
If there is anything worse than slippery heels, it’s shoes that keep slipping on smooth surfaces. What even is the point of shoes if they can’t be used to walk around?
We want you to enjoy walking around in your latest collections. We intend to help you avoid such tragedies, and this is what we recommend you try:
#1. Non-Slip Outsoles
When buying shoes, check out the outsoles. These are the parts on the underside of the shoe that is in contact with the ground. If the outsoles look smooth and feel the same to the touch.
Then you can be very confident that these shoes will be slipping on smooth non carpeted surfaces like tiles and polished marble. But, you don’t have to give up on these treasures just yet.
There is another product you can buy to help navigate and circumvent the problem. You can invest in Non-Slip outsoles. These are easily available at shoe stores and have to be stuck to the bottom of the shoe.
Usually made of rubber, they provide your shoes with much-needed traction. It stops slippage in their tracks while you keep walking away without a care in the world.
#2. Scuffing up the Outsoles
Alright, this might sound a bit intimidating. No one ever buys pumps that caught their eye with the intention of bringing them home and then roughing up the outsoles. That sounds like an idea for a horror movie that would make every shoe lover’s skin crawl. But this method is practical.
If the bottom of your shoes is too smooth, it won’t have the traction you need to avoid slipping. But if the outsole was made rougher then, this slipping problem could go away.
Now you don’t need to tear off the outsole or something drastic like that. Just use some sandpaper and rub it on the outsoles until they are rough enough to provide you traction. Nothing crazy, just some rough surface. If that sounds too vague.
You can use a knife or scissors to make some cuts in the outsole that act look like the grooves in sport’s shoes. This will have the same kind of effect. Your shoes will be able to get a better grip on smooth surfaces.
How to Stop Feet Slipping Forward in Heels
If you love shoes, then you are a veteran in the experience of slipping forward while wearing heels. It is not exactly the most classy picture to be walking and then suddenly appear to trip on your own two feet. But we gave it some thought and had some ideas that could protect you from ever going through something as awful ever again:
#1. Try Hair-spray
Not exactly where anyone thought this was going, but this is a trick that is used fairly often. You will be surprised to learn how many celebrities and influencers vouch for this trick. But it does make sense logically when you think about it.
If you use hair spray on the bottom of your feet and at the back, it will keep your feet stuck pretty firmly. Do be careful about blistering the back of your feet, though.
#2. Using double-sided tape
Most women are readily aware of this technique. Double-sided tape comes in handy in keeping your feet glued to your shoes and your feet from slipping out from under you. Suffice to say it works, so it is on the list.
#3. Stuff it!
If your feet are very narrow, then this tip work wonders for you. All you have to do is stuff your high heels with cotton or soft fabric in the toe box. The basic idea is that the stuffing will allow your feet to fit snuggly in your shoes as a comfy fit. This will keep your feet from constantly slipping out of your shoes.
How much heel slip is normal?
Slipping out of your shoes depends on a lot of factors, and every situation is different. It is more common in some cases (like narrow feet, shoes being too wide, sweat, etc.). It can also happen if the size of your feet and shoes don’t match. Or if you bought a brand new pair and are still breaking them in.
So it is more accurate to say that slipping is a normal part of owning shoes. Although, it is more for women than for men, much normal it will vary by case.
Jonathan de Lagarde has been the lead writer at PasUnAutre since 2019. His passion is to help people in all aspects of Feet and Shoes related to feet problems. He is a great Shoes expert in terms of giving you a great advice about which shoes you should purchase.