How to Make Cowboy Boots More Comfortable? | 18 Easiest Methods

For accessories such as shoes, sandals, boots… we encounter a lot of different problems, such as boots that have not been broken in, too tight, too wide, too stiff…

These things make you no longer feel comfortable when using this footwear.

Especially with cowboy boots, the leather is very durable and stiff. It takes a lot of time to break in or stretch them.

These are the problems you often encounter when wearing cowboy boys.

How to make cowboy boots more comfortable? Discover with us!

What causes you discomfort when wearing cowboy boots?

There are many different reasons that make you uncomfortable when wearing cowboy boots:

• Cowboy boots are new and not yet broken in, resulting in sore feet
• Cowboy boots are too tight for foot pain
• Cowboy boots are too wide (heel slippage) so the boots slip out
• The leather of cowboy boots is tough
• The insole of cowboy boots is not smooth
• The toe box of the boots is too narrow
• The instep is too loose or too tight

All of these will adversely affect the experience of using one of the best boots in the world.

Don’t worry, we’ll show you 9 ways to solve these annoying problems.

How to Make Cowboy Boots More Comfortable?

There are many ways and products to make your cowboy boots more comfortable!

You can use extra cushion insoles, soften or moisturize cowboy boots, loosen tight cowboy boots, etc.

We will guide you clearly right below!

Method 1: Use additional cushion insole

Using extra insoles is one of the most common ways to make cowboy boots more comfortable.

Most cowboy boots do not have good arch support like sneakers, which is difficult for people with flat feet or high-arched feet to wear cowboy boots.

That’s when you need extra insoles, they will comfort your feet better.

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In addition, if your cowboy boots are loose on the instep, then using an extra cushion insole is a good way to raise your foot up to fit the instep.

These cushion insoles also work very well for wearing cowboy boots all day.

Method 2: Use heel insert

When you use cowboy boots that are too tight on your heels, your heels may get blisters and your feet feel uncomfortable. Well, you should think about heel inserts.

There are two different types of heel inserts: heel cushions to prevent lower heel pain and heel grips to prevent back heel blistering.

Besides, if cowboy boots are loose at the heel causing heel slippage, it will affect your gait, make you uncomfortable and lose flexibility.

To solve this problem, you should use heel inserts to help the cowboy boots fit your heels better.

Heel inserts are a great way to improve the comfort of your cowboy boots.

Method 3: Keep cowboy boots dry

Wearing a wet cowboy boot is always the top unpleasant thing in your life.

Especially in the winter or rainy days, the boots are very easy to get wet.

After the boots get wet in the rain, you should have a way to take care of them properly.

You need to know the proper methods of drying cowboy boots!

We suggest some remedies for this situation:

• Use a hairdryer to dry the boots, tuck the toilet paper or absorbent paper into the boots to absorb moisture
• Use household powder is also a good way to dehumidify cowboy boots
• Put cowboy boots in a dry place and do not let the boots get wet many times
• Use boot trees to dry the inside of cowboy boots
• Use a boot dryer to dry multiple cowboy boots at once

Method 4: Moisturize cowboy boots

Don’t let your cowboy boots too dry! This can lead to cracks and degrade quickly. You can use a leather conditioner to cure this situation.

Just like human skin, leather needs to be nourished, you should keep its moisture to a certain degree.

If the leather is too dry, your cowboy boots will discomfort you by rubbing your skin constantly.

Applying the leather conditioner when they are clean will make them softer, more durable and of course, more comfortable.

Method 5: Use thick socks, sports socks and yoga socks

Perhaps one of the reasons why you are uncomfortable when wearing cowboy boots is because you don’t wear socks.

A tip is that if your boots are loose, you should use a pair of thick or athletic socks. They have 3 usages:

• Keep your feet dry and never wear cowboy boots without wearing them
• Help your feet fit the wide cowboy boots
• Thick and soft socks cuddle your feet better
• Protect your feet from blisters or pain if the boots are too tight or they are in the break-in process

Besides, to solve heel slippage in cowboy boots that are wide at the heel, you can use non-slip yoga socks. They could fight the heel slipping very well.

Method 6: Use ball of foot cushions

Those who have to work outdoors all day are more likely to experience foot pain in the ball of the foot, which is why the ball of foot cushion was born.

It works to cradle and protect your feet from shocks while working outdoors. Ball of foot cushion will be a great help there.

Besides, the tight toe cowboy boots will make your forefoot painful. While waiting for cowboy boots to stretch in the forefoot, use the ball of foot cushion.

Method 7: Keep cowboy boots in shape

Keeping cowboy boots in shape is essential because folded cowboy boots will create angled wrinkles that might irritate your feet.

You should use a boot shaper to shape your boots, this will make the boots more comfortable for you to wear.

In addition to the boot shaper, you can also insert the paper into the cowboy boot shaft to keep it from wrinkling.

Method 8: Remove all the wrinkles on your cowboy boots

The wrinkles on your cowboy boots mean they will rub your legs, and that will make you upset!

There are many methods to remove the wrinkles on your cowboy boots with alcohol, leather oil, shoe polish, iron, or clothes steam.

And you know what? We have very detailed instructions here!

When you remove all the creases, your cowboy boots are surely more comfortable.

Method 9: Use boot trees

After a long time of use, cowboy boots can shrink or mold due to external forces such as weather (winter, rainy season) and temperatures (cold). That makes cowboy boots unpleasant.

In this case, you will need boot trees. Boot trees are a great tool to make cowboy boots more comfortable.

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Just insert the boot trees into the cowboy boots. The boot trees can dehumidify and keep the shape of the cowboy boots.

The next day, just put on your comfortable cowboy boots and thank your wonderful boot trees.

Method 10: Winterize cowboy boots

The upcoming winter will bring a lot of fun, that’s when you get to wear beautiful cowboy boots!

But, it is less fun if cowboy boots are not warm enough or too slippery.

It is essential to know the methods to winterize cowboy boots.

For instance, to prepare for the cold weather, you can reinforce cowboy boots with waterproof spray to protect them from the attack of snow.

From there, they will make you more warm and comfortable.

And all you need to know about how to winterize cowboy boots is here!

Method 11: You need to stretch/break in cowboy boots

Newly bought cowboy boots can be hard and make your feet uncomfortable, they need some time to break in, if you want to speed up that process, you can do some common things such as:

• Wear more with thick socks
• Steam inside cowboy boots
• Use boot stretcher
• Use alcohol
• Use lotion
• Use boot stretcher spray
• Use a hair dryer
• Spray the water

We have very detailed instructions on how to break in new cowboy boots here.

In general, the methods to break in cowboy boots or stretch cowboy boots have many similarities.

After the break-in process, cowboy boots will change shape to better fit your feet. And that’s when they become more comfortable!

If your cowboy boots are not new and you want to know the “right” ways to stretch tight cowboy boots, we have a guide here.

Method 12: Wear the right-fit cowboy boots

Either cowboy boots are too tight or too loose will irritate your feet!

Cowboy boots that are too loose, especially at the instep, will affect your gait, walking style, posture, etc.

You should clearly know what position of cowboy boots don’t fit well: heel, instep, leather around calf or toe box.

Each place will have different ways to make your feet fit tighter.

For instance, you can make your instep fix tighter by using extra insoles or leather pads.

Or you can use a heel grip to make your heel fit better with cowboy boots.

Besides, a leather strap will come in handy if cowboy boots are loose at the calf or ankle.

Luckily, we have a detailed guide to make cowboy boots fit tighter here!

Method 13: Don’t let cowboy boot soles become too slippery

Cowboy boots with leather soles will give the wearer a perfectly stylish look!

But, leather soles are quite slippery, and this can make you uncomfortable.

How to resolve that problem? I have the solution for you!

That is to rub the surface of cowboy boots on the concrete to get better traction!

Other ways to make cowboy boots have more traction include traction spray, protective soles, rubber heel caps, non-slip adhesive pads, etc.

Luckily, I listed all the methods to make cowboy boots have better traction here!

Cowboy boots with better traction surely help you balance well and bring comfort to your mind.

Method 14: Change the soles of cowboy boots

Cowboy boots often come with two types of soles: leather and rubber.

Leather with breathable features is the best way to go in the summer. But they are not too durable and can degrade quickly.

When leather soles are worn and damaged, you should replace them. That will make you more comfortable.

Personally, I like using cowboy boots with rubber soles for work. They are more comfortable with better shock absorption and are more durable.

Leather soles can last about 2 years of frequent use until the next resoling, but rubber soles can last more than 5 years.

Choosing cowboy boot soles should depend on your purpose, which makes you more comfortable while using them.

To know more about the pros and cons of rubber soles and leather soles, you can read more here!

Method 15: Use baby powder or steam inside cowboy boots

Here are two very simple ways to soften the inside of the cowboy boot and to make your foot more comfortable when wearing cowboy boots.

You can make use of your family’s kettle and use the rising steam of boiling water to steam inside cowboy boots to make them softer

Using a bit of baby powder before you put on cowboy boots to go out is also a good way to help your feet dry and more comfortable.

Method 16: Take the smell out of cowboy boots

Don’t let yourself and everybody around you be uncomfortable with the terrible smell of your cowboy boots.

This smell often appears on the inside of cowboy boots.

This is not difficult to understand when cowboy boots with a height of more than 11 inches can completely cause your foot sweat to and an unpleasant odor.

You should know how to clean inside your cowboy boots and take the smell out of there.

Using shoe odor spray, air-purifying bags or household powder are good ways.

Trust me, you and the people around you will be more comfortable with cowboy boots with a pleasant smell.

Method 17: Clean, condition, polish and store cowboy boots properly

These are 4 basics to keep the quality of cowboy boots over time and they will be comfortable forever.

Using a leather cleaner with a horsehair brush is the most basic way to clean cowboy boots.

Apply the leather cleaner on the surface of cowboy boots then use a brush to scrub gently to remove all dirt.

After cleaning, remember to condition them to make boots softer, protect them from dirt and retain moisture and color.

If your cowboy boots are not new and happen to be discolored, get them polished right away.

Besides, don’t forget the proper methods to store cowboy boots (keep them straight) in a cool place, not too hot nor too wet.

Everything I listed above will keep the quality of cowboy boots always good! And they never make you upset!

Method 18: Use cowboy boots for the right purpose

Cowboy boots have many styles, and you should choose the right type for the best comfort.

If you want cowboy boots for farming, ranching, hiking or daily wear, choose ones with short heels (1 to 1.5 inches).

But if you want to ride a horse, you will need cowboy boots with high heels, leather soles and pointed toes. This structure will make it easy to balance on horseback.

Or if you need cowboy boots for line dancing, ones with slippery outsoles will bring the best dancing step.

Choose cowboy boots that are suitable for your work and purpose, you will be more comfortable.

Why are cowboy boots so uncomfortable?

In fact, cowboy boots are extremely comfortable to wear, it is hard to wear any footwear that gives you a greater experience than cowboy boots.

Cowboy boots were born to serve cowboys in the western United States for outdoor work, farm work, and horse riding. So they are usually worn all day.

Because of the nature of such works, cowboy boots are very comfortable. They give you absolute balance and stability.

However, like other shoes, there are some cases when cowboy boots make you feel uncomfortable to wear.

There are 3 main reasons why your cowboy boots are uncomfortable:

1. Buy the wrong size cowboy boots

One of the most common causes of your cowboy boot experience is uncomfortable buying the wrong size of boots (or boots that don’t fit true to size)

If you get the chance to buy boots at an e-commerce site, you will be surprised that even the highly rated cowboy boots (nearly 90% of reviews of 4 stars to 5 stars), there still exist many 1-star reviews.

And those 1-star reviews are due to getting the wrong size of cowboy boots. What a pity!

There are two ways to solve this problem:

• Firstly, read our article on choosing the right cowboy boot size here
• The second is that you should read the reviews of those who have bought before, those are valuable comments for you.

The tight cowboy boots will hurt your legs when wearing them, and the large cowboy boots will lead to heel slippage, which will affect your gait and make you uncomfortable.

Besides, there are many methods to overcome tight cowboy boots by stretching them here.

2. Cowboy boots are too new

New cowboy boots are usually quite hard (not just cowboy boots) and it’s time to break in cowboy boots.

There are many methods to break in boots, such as wearing boots more often, using boot stretchers, lotion, boot stretcher spray… and again, we have an article about methods to break in cowboy boots here.

Cowboy boots are very durable (I have a friend who has used them for more than 10 years), which means the leather is very strong and can be a bit stiff.

But don’t worry, cowboy boots have cushion insoles and soft lining. Therefore, you will no longer feel uncomfortable after using it for a short time.

3. Buying fake or poor-quality cowboy boots

There are lots of fake cowboy boots on the market that are bad for your feet.

You should carefully double-check the brand of your boots before deciding to buy. Don’t buy cheap boots from unknown origins.

As cowboy boots can last for up to 10 years, it is worth spending a slightly expensive price in exchange for a new boot.

Is it normal for new boots to hurt?

Yes, it is normal but you can avoid getting hurt by new cowboy boots. On the other hand, there are some boots that fit you from the first time.

As you know, newly purchased boots or shoes are quite stiff at first.

When breaking in the new cowboy boots, you can use thick socks or sports socks to massage your feet. With socks, it cradles your feet while waiting for stretching boots.

Don’t worry, except if cowboy boots are too tight due to the wrong size, it just takes a short time to wear boots, your boots will be stretched and softer. It usually takes 1 to 2 weeks to break in.

Before you leave

The methods we introduced above are the easiest methods to do at home, and I hope those methods can solve your problems.

If your boots have just been purchased, be patient and wait for them to break in.

If you’ve bought them for a long time and they still make your feet uncomfortable, use the methods above.

In short, the methods to make cowboy boots more comfortable will depend on the problems of each person when wearing boots encountered.

Good luck!

Jay Gatz

Howdy y’all, and welcome to From The Guest Room, your ultimate guide to all things Western! I’m Jay Gatz, a lifelong cowboy boot enthusiast with over 5 years of experience in the Western style world. I’m excited to share my knowledge with you and help you discover the perfect cowboy boots and western gear to elevate your style. Let’s explore the rich history and timeless appeal of Western fashion together!