Do Converse Stretch As You Wear Them

The short answer is YES. Converse do stretch as you wear them. However,  you will have to bear the pain of wearing them at first.

Also, note that there are several ways to stretch your converse as you wear them. If it is a newly bought converse, it will soon become comfortable and stretch to your oddly-shaped feet when you wear them more often.

This is not only because it is made of rubber soles and distinct converse toes, but also because of the materials it is constructed with – Canvas.

Canvas is a plain-woven fabric typically made out of cotton, and with how it is manufactured with converse, it is durable, sturdy, and heavy-duty.

So, even the possibility of the shoe hurting at first when you wear it depends on you as a person. You should not expect a converse that is strictly not your size to stretch to your shoe size overnight.

So you want to make sure the converse you pick is fitting. All in all, they are still the best shoes for molding the foot. Read on to find out why converse stretches as you wear them as well as the other ways to stretch a converse.

Why does the converse stretch?

Most converse shoes are considered stretchable fabric because they are constructed of canvas. But when it comes to the stretching of the shoe, there are two approaches.

It can either stretch out naturally over time (as it should in order to suit the shape of your foot), or it can be stretched using some stretching methods I will show you later on in this post.

So, the two derivable reasons why converse stretch are:

They are constructed with canvas, which is somewhat a stretchable fabric, and also because they can stretch naturally from constant wearing e.g wearing them around the house, or by deploying some DIY stretching methods e.g using heat, stuffing them with newspaper and socks, using a stretching device e.t.c

The fact that they are stretchable makes them comfortable and versatile. Sure, there are some converse designs that are narrow in the toes when you first buy them.

To make them fit right with your leg, you just have to allow them to stretch naturally by breaking them in or deploying some DIY shoe stretching methods

How much does converse stretch?

Personally, I have not really taken time to measure the highest extent to which a converse shoe will stretch to. But the stretching is basically from the function of you wearing it often or using any stretching device until you find it fit for your leg.

A typical converse shoe is designed with a sole that is usually made of brown rubber, as well as a toe cap that is usually made of white rubber. These materials are not as rigid as leather and would really aid more comfort and versatility.

When you take your converse to a cobbler for adjustment, they will be more concerned with stretching the shoe to suit your shoe size, and not to reach the extreme extent to which a converse should stretch to.

If you are going to bear the initial pain of wearing a new converse for it to stretch naturally, it may take more time for it to fit in perfectly without hurting.

You’d want to know about the other ways to stretch the converse, of which most are DIY solutions you can easily do at home. This is what we shall consider in a bit. Mind you, stretching your converse comes with advantages and disadvantages, we will also look into that.

Ways to stretch the converse

Like I mentioned earlier, apart from regularly wearing the shoe to allow it to stretch to mold your foot naturally, there are other practical ways to stretch your converse sneakers so you do not have to go through the hurting from tight shoes.

I have about seven methods to show you the other ways to stretch your converse shoe, and we shall examine each of them one after the other.

The use of Microwave

This is a very quick method I can recommend. It is a quicker and easier way to stretch your converse.

• First Put your shoes in the microwave on high
• Should not stary beyond 30 seconds.
• Check that there are no metal pieces is inside the shoes before putting them in the microwave.
• Stretching occurs when the heat from the microwave makes the fabric of the shoe stretchable to your feet size
• Take the shoes out of the microwave and wear them right away while they are warm
• Walk around with the shoe for some minutes
• Afterward, put the shoes in the microwave again
• This time, for 20 seconds.
• At this point, you must have noticed your converse widened to a satisfactory point

The use of thick socks and a hairdryer

This is another common method you can use to stretch your converse. It includes the use of hairdryers.

• First, wear thick socks and then put on the converse
• Grab the hairdryer and use it on the shoes for 20-30 seconds while wearing the socks
• The stretching comes in when the heat from the hair dryer softens the fabric

However, I must warn that always ensure the hairdryer is at least a few inches away from your feet so you do not end up burning yourself.

This method allows the converse to be looser.

Steaming using a kettle of water

Once you can relax the fibers of the shoe to make them malleable, it becomes very easy for the converse to be the shape of your feet. A perfect approach is using steam to soften the converse shoe.

• The first step will be to boil a kettle of water
• Hold your shoes over the steam for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Afterward, try putting on the shoes and stretch the shoe by flexing your feet

You must be careful not to burn yourself because of the heat involved in this method

Stuffing newspapers into the converse

This is among the very easy way to stretch your converse shoe, It simply involves stuffing newspaper into the toes of the converse shoe so that they are widened to fit your feet.

• Wadd up newspaper
• Tightly pack the newspapers into the toes of your shoes
• Leave the newspaper in your shoes for days so that it can help stretch the shoe
• The newspaper will stretch the material

Stuffing a ball of socks

You can stuff a ball of socks in your shoes to widen them. It is just like the way you did for the newspaper, but this time, no paper is involved.

• Simply pack the ball of socks tightly
• Leave overnight so that it widens the converse toe
• The converse will surely get a good stretch overnight.

Contact a cobbler

f any of these methods do not sound okay to you, you can go to a professional e.g a cobbler instead. Most of them are good in-shoe stretching. This is because why have and know how to use the shoe-stretching machine and devices to either widen or lengthen your converse shoes.

These include the ball and ring shoe stretcher and the two-way shoe stretching as seen in most cobbler stores. This method is not as cost-effective as others, though because these cobblers will charge between $10 to $20 to stretch your converse shoes.

But if you are not ready for the stress and ‘it’s-my-first-time’ kind of flaws, taking your converse shoe to a cobbler is the best option.

Advantages of stretching converse

Obviously, stretching your converse with any of the methods above comes with a number of advantages, and the hugest advantage is comfort.

Other advantages of stretching converse are:

• Since the converse has been widened to fit your leg without hurt, you will now have stable feet when wearing it.
• There will be no possibility of having deformed toes when you stretch the converse.
• You are preventing Blisters between your toes when you stretch your converse
• With a shoe you can wear freely, there will be no foot conditions like flat feet, numbness, inflammation, and pain in the heel or ball of your foot

If you have a new converse, some of these advantages are not visible, probably because you are likely to face some hard time while it stretches naturally.

So, I will recommend you to read this article HERE where I provided guidelines on how to break in a converse shoe properly without making it hurt.

Thank me later.

Lastly on the advantage of stretching your converse shoe is putting into consideration the size of the converse you want to buy before purchasing it.

It appears this is my second time emphasizing this. You want to make sure that the converse is not too loose or too tight.

Now, everything has a downside. You are stretching a converse shoe, that is, you are changing the original shape made by the manufacturer, does this come with disadvantages? Let’s find out.

Disadvantages of stretching converse

Thankfully, the disadvantages that come with stretching converse are not as much as the advantages. To begin with, there is none of the downsides that affect your comfort while wearing the converse after stretching.

For example, allowing the converse to stretch naturally by wearing it around the house and more often will not bring any disadvantage, only that it will hurt a bit for it to mold your feet.

But if you plan to use any of the DIY shoe stretching method to stretch your converse, you may want to consider these factors that can be likened to be disadvantaged:

It can be expensive, especially when you take your converse to a professional, not to mention going out of your way to getting those shoe stretching machine and devices for your personal use

Also, in the case of the microwave method, I have come across a number of reviews on this method saying that it kind of diminishes the material of the shoe over time. Hence, you want to be extra careful of how often you do this.

Another disadvantage is that you run the risk of eventually burning yourself. It is no joke, if you think you can not really go about DIY methods like the hairdryer method and the steaming method, it is best to go to a cobbler or try out other methods.

Having understood all on stretching your converse, let’s dwell a little on converse toes before I conclude this post

How can I widen my converse toes?

Converse toes are designed on major converse shoes to protect the toes of those who will be using the shoe for activities. It is usually a white toe cap made with a rubber material that can look narrow and may likely ruin your feet if you do not widen them.

I am not saying it is a necessity, though. I have once bought and used a Converse vans that was pretty good even at the size of the toes.

But there are some with no arch support whatsoever, and to make sure you are not ruining your toes, especially when they’re fresh out of the box, you may need to widen them.

There are two recommended devices you can use to widen your converse toes. This includes:

• A ball and ring shoe stretcher
• A two-way shoe stretcher

The ball and ring shoe stretcher is usually used by cobblers to widen problem areas. A great example is this FootFitter Ball & Ring Bunion Shoe Stretcher.

Similar to my experience with  FootFitter Cast Iron Ball & Ring Bunion Shoe Stretcher, most ball, and ring shoe stretcher will provide immediate results, and this type of stretcher can be left in your shoes overnight.

In this case, it is the converse toes that need the most stretching, so you will place the ball inside the shoe with the ring on the outside.

Then the arms of the stretcher will be put together over the converse toes area. Results are instant, but you can still choose to leave it overnight for better stretching.

The two-way shoe stretcher, on the other hand, works by stretching the whole shoe at once. It is not as ideal as the ball and ring stretcher but it is efficient enough, especially if the entire converse feels too tight rather than just the converse toes.

Final words

If you take your health and well-being important, you will agree with me that we can not overemphasize the need to wear shoes that are properly fitting.

If the converse, right out from the box, seems a little bit tighter than your average shoe, you do not need to dumb it. I hope this article has been able to show you the different ways you can stretch your converse shoe and even the converse toes.

You can also choose to allow the converse to stretch naturally by wearing it often e.g around the house so it could molt your feet. You must be, however, prepared that it may hurt a bit.

Above all, always make sure that the converse you want to buy is your size and not too tight or not too loose.

I hope you found value, kindly share.

Thanks for reading.