The main reason why some Crocs are softer than the other is because of the material used in making the particular Crocs.
Crocs are manufactured from two major materials which are Crocslite and Literide. The Literide Crocs are softer than the Crocslite Crocs.
The Major Reason of one Crocs softer than the other
The material
The trademark softness of the Crocs brand is essentially due to the material used in making the shoes – Croslite and Literide.
What is Croslite?
Croslite is a resin-based material that is neither plastic nor rubber. The material is Closed-cell (unlike most foam-like substances that appear to be made of small bubbles, none of the bubbles is linked and has their air pockets).
It has a high impact and Compression absorption capacity, this allows pressure to distribute evenly across the shoe and gives it the iconic Cushioned and Soft texture.
The Croslite has numerous advantages and has been ideal in making Crocs shoes so far.
The material is Super Light, Slip-resistant, Anti-Bacterial (bacteria is the cause of odor in shoes), Recyclable— just to mention a few.
The Classic Clog is made of the Croslite material.
However, not all Crocs are made from the Croslite material, there have been recent developments in the Crocs brand on a new material that’s better than Croslite, and since the inception of the new material, some Crocs shoes are softer than others, this new material was— LiteRide.
What is LiteRide?
The LiteRide is about 25% lighter and 40% softer than the Croslite, according to Crocs PR and marketing team.
It has the same advantages the Croslite has, and more, it is easy to clean (Just Soap and Water)— the only drawback may be the fact that it is expensive, but the price is worth the attributes, trust me.
The  Crocs Women’s LiteRide Sandals is a typical example of Crocs made of Literide materials.
This proprietary material is also closed cell, you may be thinking “why not just make all Crocs shoes LiteRide?â€. Croslite is still a very comfortable material, however, it is more sturdy than LiteRide and also a more affordable alternative.
The LiteRide has been implemented in the making of different designs and styles of Crocs – Slides, Sneakers, Sandals and even the Classic Clog has a LiteRide model.
Ways to make your Crocs softer
If it is not painstakingly obvious, the best way to make your Crocs soft is to buy Crocs that are soft, however, there steps you can take to make your Crocs softer if you simply favor Classic Crocs or are on a budget.
The best way to make your Crocs softer is by expanding them, and the method that has proved most effective is by applying a moderate and controlled amount of heat to them.
When applying heat it is very important to know when to stop because you keep in on for too long your Crocs will begin to shrink and that will ruin them.
Note however that this method is most efficient for Crocs shoes made from Croslite material, like the Classic Clogs.
The most efficient ways to apply heat are:
Use a Hairdryer
The function of a hairdryer is to dry the hair through heat, by gushing a slow and streamlined hot air through the nuzzle of the hairdryer, the heat and air temperature can be controlled by a dryer
When you plug your hairdryer, since it’s perfect to regulate the amount of heat being applied, you set it to the lowest level of heat, sprinkle a bit of water on your Crocs.
This will help the heat spread more evenly throughout, ensure not to stay in one area for too long when doing this, move the dryer constantly.
After a minute, switch the dryer off wear the Crocs immediately with a pair of socks, walk around for a bit so they can stretch and take the shape of your feet.
Immersion your Crocs in hot water
When I say hot water, I don’t mean the type you use to boil pasta, you have to get the water to a temperature of about 50oc to 80oc if you have a way to measure the temperature.
If you don’t, just allow it to heat up on the fire till you begin to see a little bit of bubble escaping from under the pot, and steam starts forming.
Put your Crocs in a bucket and pour the water over them, cover it with a damp cloth, and allow sit for about 2 minutes, while flipping at intervals to allow expansion to hit every part of your Crocs.
Afterward, you bring it out, dry it off and immediately wear them, since it has expanded when you wear it, the Crocs will engulf the shape of your feet.
When the temperature drops, your Crocs will be a perfect fit and will be exponentially softer.
Use a Washing Machine
Since it has the “Dryer†function, it is sufficient to get the job done.
All you have to do is to put your Crocs in with a couple of damp towels.
Set the dryer for 2 minutes at a low temperature, allow it to do its thing.
Since the Crocs toss and turn in the Machine, there will be no need to manually check if the heat spreads evenly.
After it turns off, take your Crocs out, put on a pair of socks and wear the Crocs to get the to ‘memorize’ the shape of your feet perfectly.
Break them in
Sometimes the best solution is the easiest solution. If you buy a new pair of Crocs and you find them to not be at the comfort level you desire, all you have to do is give it time.
After wearing the Crocs for some time, you will notice the material will begin to stretch on its own to accommodate your feet, and this will make them softer after a couple of months of wearing.
Wear a pair of Thick Socks
If you’re impatient and can’t wait months for your Crocs to loosen up, and you’re a bit skeptical about applying heat to your new pair of Crocs, another way is to wear thick socks.
Whenever you put on your Crocs, this will help expand the Crocs.
Conclusion
No matter the level of comfort level you need, Crocs has an array of choices for you.
The LiteRide are most Ideal when it comes to softness as they are very lightweight and have a sleek silhouette which makes them fashionable.
If your budget does not allow you to get the LiteRide or you have a pair of Croslite Classic Clogs,
The with the instructions stated above, you should be able to make your Crocs a bit more comfortable and get your money’s worth.
A piece of advice is, don’t overdo it with the Heat in any of the methods.
Heat will make the material shrink if it becomes excessive, always break your new pair of Crocs in, wear them regularly for a while.
It should loosen up and reach the comfort level you need, and if that does not work, you have other options.
If you can avoid it altogether, just purchase a pair of LiteRide Crocs, no matter what style of footwear you want, there is a LiteRide for it.
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