My problem with leather shoes

[Supermighty]

I've always really loved the look of myself in leather shoes. However my feet sweat a lot. By the end of the day my feet are damaged, wrinkled, stinky and even cracking sometimes.

Is there anything I can do to wear leather shoes more often without them being so harsh on my feet?

 

[UKDave]

Are you wearing your shoes on consecutive days?

You need to give the shoes a rest, wear every other day at the minimum, and when they are resting, use cedar shoe trees, these will not only keep the shape of the shoes good, but will draw out moisture from the shoe and kill odours.

Cedar shoes trees cost about £30, but they last forever, so a good investment.

 

[Bill Smith]

Are you wearing your shoes on consecutive days?

You need to give the shoes a rest, wear every other day at the minimum, and when they are resting, use cedar shoe trees, these will not only keep the shape of the shoes good, but will draw out moisture from the shoe and kill odours.

Cedar shoes trees cost about £30, but they last forever, so a good investment.

+1 on cedar shoe trees, they are worth the investment.

 

[BrianL]

Use talc on your feet and +1 on not wearing the same shoe on consecutive days.

 

[AlanL]

I don't have any specific recommendation, but also pay attention to your socks: their fabric, thickness, etc.

 

[AlanL]

. . . wrinkled, stinky and even cracking sometimes.

This could be a sign of athlete's foot. Try some spray or cream fungicide.

 

[RF1963]

If your feet behave as described I think leather shoes are your best choice. The leather breathes and allows your feet to. I hate to think what your feet are like in manmade materials used for trainers, sneakers whatever else you might wear. Then again it might be that in sneakers you wear thicker socks so perspiration is absorbed more.

Wear socks made of natural material, rotate your shoes and use cedar shoe trees.

Good luck!

 

[BrownShoe]

AE cedar trees can be had for $30 in the states

 

[gaseousclay]

AE cedar trees can be had for $30 in the states

or you can buy cedar trees from Nordstrom Rack for $12

 

[Supermighty]

Thank you, awesome replies.

I have four pairs of leather shoes. I never wear the same pair twice. I wear a heavy-ish pair of black cotton socks when I do wear them. They are kind of like athletic socks but a bit thinner.

Most of the time I wear trainers with lots of mesh but I still get a lot of sweating. I'll get some anti-fungal cream as I might have athlete's food.

 

[BrownShoe]

get botox on your feet

 

[Uncle Erik]

Shoe trees and rotating shoes work for me, too.

For really bad stinks, I've filled an old sock with baking soda and stuffed that into a shoe for a few days. Cheap and it works well for me.

 

[Supermighty]

The shoes themselves are better by the time I wear them again. It's at the end of the day that it's really bad.

 

[life2short1971]

I wear SAS shoes. They have breathing holes in the sides at your arch. My feet never sweat in them. The problem is they don't sell on the internet so you have to walk in. You will never wear a more comfortable shoe though.

 

[cthip]

Thank you, awesome replies.

I have four pairs of leather shoes. I never wear the same pair twice. I wear a heavy-ish pair of black cotton socks when I do wear them. They are kind of like athletic socks but a bit thinner.

Most of the time I wear trainers with lots of mesh but I still get a lot of sweating. I'll get some anti-fungal cream as I might have athlete's food.

two clues here. if you get the sweating even when wearing other shoes, then the shoes are not the most likely culprit

cotton socks are good at soaking up moisture, but not so great at letting the moisture dry/evaporate outwards. if your feet tend to sweat a lot, then you're walking around all day with the equivalent of soggy diapers on your feet. this can certainly account for the problems you described. so, the goal is to keep your feet as dry as possible throughout the day. you may find it helpful to discreetly (maybe in the bathroom) change to a fresh, clean, dry pair of socks midway through the day. just make sure to have a ziplock bag or some other sealed container to keep the stinky socks in.

i'd also recommend ditching the cotton socks altogether. purists would recommend expensive wool dress socks ($20-$30 per pair), but i've had great luck with cheaper socks that are usually a blend of polyester, nylon, modal, and spandex or lycra. lots of people like the "gold toe" brand from costco. my favorite though are bamboo rayon socks you can find at target for super cheap. the brand really doesn't matter though as long as your socks are soft, stretchy, moderately thin (to keep your feet cool and let them breathe), and ANYTHING BUT COTTON. a side benefit is that socks made of these materials won't fade to gray as quickly as your black cotton socks probably do.

for athletic/casual wear you can even try super-thin "liner" socks that are designed to be worn under heavier wool socks for hiking. cotton/poly/lycra blends can work well for athletic socks as long as they don't have too much cotton (maybe 60% or less cotton?)

http://www.rei.com/product/242098

try it for a week or two. i bet it will improve, but not solve your problem. talc, baby powder, or something like gold bond powder may help as well. it doesn't sound like you have athletes foot yet (usually involves some itching/burning), but if you don't find a way to dry out your feet you very well could develop it.

also--if your leather shoes have rubber soles, you've eliminated a large surface area that full-leather shoes could breathe through. just a thought, but i don't think this is the main culprit

 

[professorchaos]

Good God man, get some shoe trees and stay away from Crocs!

 

[RF1963]

stay away from Crocs!

+100

 

[binowatch]

Do your shoes have leather or rubber/vibram soles? Leather soles breathe better and are not as hot to wear. Different grades of leather breathe better than others. Corrected grain leathers and others that are more artificially modified to give a good appearance from a lower quality leather may not breathe as well. Lastly, my favorite shoe leather - shell cordovan - tends to wear hot. Ditto to all the tips above.

 

[Ronan the BARBERian]

Do your shoes have leather or rubber/vibram soles? Leather soles breathe better and are not as hot to wear. Different grades of leather breathe better than others. Corrected grain leathers and others that are more artificially modified to give a good appearance from a lower quality leather may not breathe as well. Lastly, my favorite shoe leather - shell cordovan - tends to wear hot. Ditto to all the tips above.

+1 Leather Soled shoes

 

[Supermighty]

And here I though cotton was better. I'll get some non-cotton socks and see if they improve things.

I also have rubber soles rather than leather. Wouldn't leather soles wear faster?