Are your new shoes hurting your feet?
Maybe they felt okay the first time you tried them on. But after the first full day of wearing them around, you realized something isn’t quite right.
Now you’re asking yourself, “What size shoe should I wear?”
Let’s take the guesswork out of shoe shopping. Read on to find out how to determine the shoe size for you!
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So, What Size Shoe Should I Wear?
Finding your accurate shoe size is easy. All you need to do is take a measurement of your feet, account for the type of shoe you need, and research the unique fits of shoe brands you like. Let’s go!
Measuring Your Feet
The first thing to do when measuring your foot size is to grab a pencil, a ruler or measuring tape, and a blank sheet of paper.
Place the paper on a flat surface, and then put your foot on top of the paper. Trace the outline of your foot with the pencil.
On the outline you just made, use your ruler to measure the distance from the back of your heel to the tip of your longest toe.
Repeat this process for your other foot. One foot may be longer than the other. Whichever measurement is largest should be the one you keep in mind. That measurement will be what you use to determine your accurate shoe size.
One last note: you may want to subtract about 3/16″ from your final measurement. This accounts for the small space between your foot and the outline you drew on the paper.
The Type of Shoe Matters
You will want to size up or down depending on the type of shoe you are buying. For example, if you are buying running shoes, you will want to go up half a size. This will prevent your feet from blistering. Or, if the shoes you are buying only come in whole sizes (common with sandals and flip-flops) you will want to go up half a size for wide feet and down half a size for narrow feet.
Time for Some Research
Keep in mind that some shoe designs affect the fit of the shoe. Even if your measurements are 100% accurate, some shoe companies may require you to size up or down to find that perfect fit. It helps to read some online reviews before you buy to see if anyone has run into this issue with a particular company.
If you choose leather shoes, it’s important to keep up regular maintenance on them if you want the fit to remain stable. Tips from Flojos.com has some great tips on how to keep leather clean and strong. Whatever type of shoe you buy, check with the manufacturer to find out how to care for your shoes.
Go Get Those New Shoes!
You’re now all prepared to take the plunge and get that new pair of kicks you’ve had your eye on. No matter how much research you do, finding the perfect fit takes patience. But hopefully, this article will be helpful the next time you have to ask, “What size shoe should I wear?”
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