How to Break in Birkenstocks Faster – 11 Easy Ways to Make Your Birkenstock Shoes Comfortable

Why I Love Birkenstock Shoes a Lot?

I know there are lot of people out there who have trouble breaking in their newer Birkenstock Gizeh toe post or even other Birkenstock sandals and shoes.

I was also literally hating these shoes before I tried them.

But once I start wearing them, I realized how comfortable they are and why people all over the world love this brand a lot.

These Birki sandals and Gizeh come with good orthotic support and adjustable straps which increases its comfort factor to the next level.

I started loving this Made in Germany brand from the day one because of its cork footbed.

This footbed actually moulds to your foot shape which is helpful for person like me who has a wide foot sizing.

What I also like about Birkenstock sandals is their EVA sole which is great in shock absorption.

The best of all, you can repair this shoe whenever you see any significant damage to it.

All these immense benefits make Birkenstock one of the most comfortable and highly recommended every day wear sandal or footwear.

Check out this video to see why people love Birkenstock sandals.

How Long Does it Take to Break In Birkenstock Gizeh or Sandals?

The break in period for Birkenstock sandals with soft cork footbed is much lesser than the ones with little hard footbed.

According to the post of Gina from Ilovebirkenstocks.com, the usual breaking-in period for regular birkenstocks could be 2-3 weeks.

If you keep walking in them on a daily basis then it could take at max 7 days to break in these sandals.

This break in period of 7 to 10 days is perfect for sandals with soft footbed.

The prime indication of break in can be recognized by the sign of your own footprints on the footbed of the Birki sandal.

Once break in happens, the overall weight of your feet is redistributed in equal manner in all directions.

This increases comfort and support for your feet while you walk in these sandals.

According to my experience, the best Birkenstocks sandals that provide much faster break in period are Birkenstock Arizona Leather Sandal with Soft Footbed.

I strongly recommend you to get this sandal only if you really care about lesser break in period and getting more comfort as quick as possible.

Now with this information, let us discover 10 effective methods that you can use to quickly break in your newly bought Birkenstocks.

11 Simple Ways To Break in Birkenstock Sandals Faster

1. Best DIY Birkenstocks Ideas

Have you ever looked through your shoes and wished they were more exciting, stylish, and unique?

PVC Patch is an essential accessory to add countless colors to your Birkenstocks, and you can feel more confident when you wear them.

There are many different ideas that you can personalize your shoes by using PVC patches. You can opt for a simple design or something more intricate, depending on your preference and thoughts.

If you’re not sure where to start, go to visit GS-JJ to get more details. All PVC products are medical-grade environmentally friendly PVC soft rubber.

2. Walk in Them Everyday

The very first thing you can do to break in your new Birkenstocks quickly is to walk in them on a daily basis.

Just by walking regularly every day, you can make your new Birkis more comfortable to walk again.

Use them wherever you go outside your home.

It can be a park, garden, party, function, exercise, long walk or even your office, if it allows of course.

You can even use them in your house as long as they are clean to walk in.

After few days of regular usage, you will see that the new sandals get adjusted to your foot muscle movements.

The initial rigidity goes away and its leather straps as well as its footbed conforms to your foot size and width gradually.

3. Choose Birki with Soft Footbed

Another thing you can do is to buy the new Birki with a soft footbed.

If your current Birki sandal is too rigid to break in easily, you can replace it with new leather sandal which comes with very soft footbed.

This footbed is highly comfortable and flexible in nature.

It offers much more relaxed fitting and quickly breaks in once you start wearing regularly.

This sandal has much lesser break in period as compared to the regular Birki sandals.

Click here to see the features and price of Birkenstock Arizona Soft Footbed Leather Sandal.

4. Soak Your Sandals with Water and Use Thick Socks

One more good idea to make those stiff and rigid straps and footbed more soft and flexible is to wear thick socks while your sandal is soaked with water a little.

Just get a reliable pair of thick socks and start using them on a daily basis.

Whenever you wear the sandals, just don’t forget to wear your socks first.

There is one more trick to this.

You can soak your sandals with water a bit with the help of wet cotton cloth.

By soaking the straps and the footbed with little bit of water, you make them soft and easier to walk in comfortably.

And after that wear the socks on your feet and then start walking in your Birkis.

Do this for few days and I am sure you will see good results from these efforts.

5. Use the Hammer Softly

This is yet another good method that I have seen people use is to hammer the sandal footbeds a bit.

Don’t worry guys. It is not harmful for your sandals.

New Birki sandals are usually very rigid and tough to walk in in the initial days.

But you can make them soft and comfortable to walk just by using your trusty little hammer.

Take a hammer from your house and use it on both the sides of your new sandal.

Just few little shots on the footbed areas where you are experiencing some discomfort should be tackled in this way.

If the toe bar is uncomfortable for your feet, use the hammer to slightly loosen up the cork in that location.

Do it for few minutes for next 4-5 days and then start walking in them immediately.

6. Bend it Inward and Outward Few Times

It is just another very simple and straightforward trick.

When you first get your hands on your new Birkis, you can slowly bend it in the inward and outward direction.

Before you flex and bend these sandals, make sure you unbuckle all the straps properly to allow appropriate flexing.

This gradual bending with your hands will make your sandals flexible and comfortable to walk in.

In the initial days, just by doing this little trick for few weeks, you can reduce its break-in period drastically.

7. Adjust the Straps Properly

This seems simple but most of the times, people forget to unbuckle the straps and adjust them properly.

In the initial break in period, you need to unbuckle all the adjustable straps of your Birki sandal.

Then adjust it to fit the size and shape of your foot.

If you make the straps properly adjustable and fit to your foot shape, then those straps will not cause any unwanted blisters or discomfort for your feet.

Just by soaking them in the water for few times before you walk, can bring forth a great comfort and pleasant walking experience.

And as already mentioned before, if you feel that the straps of your sandal are rubbing badly to your skin and causing irritation and blisters, then simply wear a pair of thick socks.

Thick socks will prevent rubbing and friction of straps with your skin.

It will also make your sandals comfortable to walk and will slowly reduce the break in period when you use them on a regular basis.

8. Buy the Right Sized Footwear

Wearing improper sized and wrong width sandal will definitely make it a harsh and painful experience for your feet.

If your new Birkis are very tight and cause constant rubbing or friction with your foot skin, then gradually your feet will experience blisters and corns later on.

To avoid these painful experiences and discomfort, you need to have a shoe that fits your feet perfectly.

In case, your feet are touching the edges of the footbed, then its time you change this sandal and order the one which properly fits your foot size and width.

If the sandals you have bought recently is not fitting you properly, you can also make it bigger or stretch it to certain extent to make it more comfortable.

Click here to discover our 15 powerful tricks to make any footwear bigger and more comfortable when they are too tight for your feet.

9. Use Hair Dryer

Heat expands leather material gradually.

If you feel your new patented leather Birkis are very tight and are not very comfortable for walking, then try out this method.

I am sure you have a trusty hair dryer at your home.

Use it to heat your new sandals slowly.

To do this method more efficiently, first wear a pair of thick socks, then wear your new Birki sandals.

After this, use your hair dryer to heat your sandals from all angles.

Try to focus on those areas more where you feel your sandal is more stiff and rigid.

The areas like adjustable straps and the footbed are the ones that need more attention.

Heat these areas more and then walk in them when your sandal is warm.

By repeating this procedure for first few days, you can surely stretch your sandal and make it more comfortable to walk in.

 I recommend you to watch the following tutorial where you will learn how to use hair dryer to heat your shoes.

Follow the same process on your new Birkis to make them comfortable to wear.

10. Try Moleskin Padding Rolls

Moleskin is actually a type of heavy cotton fabric material.

It is mainly used to reduce friction and prevent blisters that can be caused by rubbing the sandal straps on your foot skin.

The clothing made up of moleskin is useful in providing softness and increasing the durability of your shoe.

Moleskin padding rolls come with a special adhesive backing which reduces the friction and eliminates the chances of blisters on your feet.

These padding rolls offer much better cushioning and helps in reducing the tightness of adjustable straps of your new Birkenstock sandals.

They also help in softening the rubbing spots of your sandal.

Click Here to Get Dr. Scholl’s Moleskin Plus Padding Rolls.

11. Use Rubbing Alcohol

Before trying out this method, I just want to warn you that overuse of rubbing alcohol can deteriorate the leather quality.

It can also lead to discoloration of your sandal skin.

Now the warning is over, let me say that you can try out this method in moderation.

There are rubbing alcohol bottles available in the market.

You can buy it and then spray it on your Birki sandal where you feel it is little tight on your feet.

Spray the liquid on tighter areas and then wear thick socks and walk in the sandal for at least half an hour.

Repeat this process for next 5-10 days. Slowly and gradually you will experience that your new Birkenstock sandal is becoming loose and more comfortable to walk in.

Click Here to Get a Bottle of Rubbing Alcohol.

I also recommend to watch the following informative video by Jillee where she tells us how to use rubbing alcohol to break in new shoes.

Conclusion

Breaking in your new Birkenstock sandals and clogs requires some patience from your side.

In 2-3 weeks, you can make your new sandals more comfortable for walking.

But with the above mentioned 11 easy methods, you can reduce this break-in period to a great extent.

Try any one of them and see the result for yourself.

Best of luck for breaking in your new Birkis!