We’ve all been guilty of buying heels that are too high for our skill or too inhibiting to our comfort level and ended up wobbling and struggling not to fall. So, the logical thing we should do is just simply skip heels all together and wear comfort shoes and enjoy living without pain… right? Wrong! You don’t need to sacrifice looking good in order to feel comfort, and there are many ways you can alter your new boots in order to feel much cozier than before. You can change your insoles, break the shoes in before you actually start wearing them, search for stylish yet comfy shoes and so on and so forth. We will brush over some of the most important facts here in order to help you feel more confident.

First things first - the insoles. No set of insoles was created the same, and they all have different properties and surfaces that help you feel good and stay healthy. If you love to wear heels, and you do since you are looking at clear heels, you should know that every quality boot has properly padded or cushioned insoles that help with the pin you will inevitably feel when propped up for a long time. Most of the time, the pads and cushions sit under the ball of your foot and under your heels. They absorb shock as you walk, make it feel like you’re not walking on sticks, and eliminate most of that burn you feel after standing around on sticks all day. But, that doesn’t mean that the more cushions you have, the better you’ll feel. Thick cushions remind us of pillows, and all that toasty and lovely feels we get when we finally lay down on them. In reality, thick cushions can cause more trouble than good - the thicker the cushion, the less room you’ll have to squeeze your feet in, meaning your arches and toes will get pushed into the upper, resulting in cramps and pain. Ouch! The proper solution to all of this are lightly padded cushions; they have just the right amount of padding to help alleviate some of the pressure and pain, but not to impact the room inside the boots! They help spread out the weight evenly, absorb shock as you walk, and simply lessen aching and cramping.

Now, let’s look at the outsoles. First things first, let’s consider the type of heel you will be standing on. Super high stilettos look extravagant and make us feel that way too, but they also make us miserable and cranky only after we’ve been wearing them for a few hours.

So, we resort to block or chunky heels, because they have better stability and weight distribution, meaning less pain. Platforms lessen the angle at which our feet rest, so the higher the platform the less cramping you’ll get. The height of the heel plays a role as well - kitten heels are even better than flats, and stilettos don’t play nice with our feet at all. Having said that, we can’t really see whether or not the heel is transparent so we do need some height here after all. There are many tricks and tips to helping you feel comfier in a high heeled

boot, ranging from stretching them out to orthotics and even anti-blister sticks, so you should also give those a try. The way the rest of the outsoles are made also plays a role since a properly ribbed or detailed outsole will give you traction and grip, both helpful for balance and stability. In other words, you’re going to have a much easier time trying to walk on heels, since even the slickest of weather won’t slow you down and cause you injury. If you struggle to keep from falling, your feet and your muscles will ache, and no one likes that! So, a proper heel and outsole will inevitably help you feel more comfortable.

Transparent heels doo look amazing, but what exactly are they made out of? Can that material withstand our weight, or will it crumble underneath or feet injuring us and ruining our shoe? Clear heels, including transparent uppers here, are usually made out of TPU or PVC. Both of these materials are plastic, and they have their set of drawbacks and benefits.

TPU, or thermoplastic polyurethane, is a super versatile elastomer with a very unique set of properties. Besides being used for clear heels, it’s also used for many different things, like adhesives and molding. It’s been on the market for 50 years, offering its services for anyone that asks. One of the key things you should know about TPU is that its hardness can be adjusted, in order to be properly stable to support us. It can be as soft as bubble gum is, or almost metal-like.

The look of TPU is also highly adjustable. From smooth surfaces to colored or transparent, it can be anything you want it to be. It’s also durable and resistant to abrasion. TPU has both soft and rigid segments in its structure, which is the sole reason why it’s so adjustable. The way the hardness is adjusted is by controlling the proportion of the soft and hard segments, where having more hard segments will result in a tougher material, and more soft segments mean a more pliable result.

Surprisingly enough, TPU can also breathe to some degree, so you can even say that you’ll have enough air when wearing boots made out of TPU. It’s waterproof too, and resistant to bacteria. Everything a good shoe needs to have! But, TPU is pretty expensive, and it is plastic, so it’s not that environmentally friendly.

Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is probably one of the most commonly used plastic today. Naturally, it’s very white, but also brittle, so it needs a few additives in order to work its magic. This is also the type of plastic that has been around the longest, first introduced in the 1870s. PVC has two forms - a rigid plastic or a bendy sheet, and depending on where it sits on your shoes it will feel different.

Rigid PVC is most commonly seen in shoes, and it’s most often described as vinyl, so if you ever come upon that term, now you know what it is. PVC, compared to TPU, is cheap, and not biodegradable, meaning its chemical won’t leak into nature to disrupt its balance. It’s also recyclable, durable and widely available. It’s also quite dense, so you don’t need to worry about collapsing heels. It does not burn when exposed to flames - instead, it liquefies, and when cooled down remains the same, mind the shape. But, it has a low melting point, and when it does burn (or melt), it emits fumes that can be toxic when inhaled, so be careful not to go near open flames!

We all know how uncomfortable heels can get, especially around the balls of our feet, and we’re all quick to blame our heels not being flexible enough. But, our heels really don’t need to be that flexible at all! Who would have thought, right? Many of heel lovers worldwide believe the bendier the heel is, the comfier we will be. This is simply not true, and for many reasons at that. The only age group that truly needs super bendy shoes are toddlers.

Their feet are still developing, and by having a closer connection with the ground they develop a better sense of themselves in space, so encourage them to walk barefoot. Adults, on the other hand, do not need to walk barefoot, or run, even though so many trends tell us that barefoot running is great. It is, for a while, but you truly do need all the support a more rigid shoe brings in order to run or walk right.

A lot of heel commercials promote super flexible boots and heels, telling us how comfortable and resilient we will feel. A heel that has more than enough flexibility will not support your toes, which is something that needs to happen. When you’re propped up onto heels, the toes need to stay in the same position, having the same angle, all the time. This helps our feet work better and eases the pressure on our joints. Once you wear an overly-bendy shoe, your toes will not have a sturdy surface to support them, resulting in a wobbly stance with pain and aching as a result. Vinyl heels are already soft and pliable, so you really do need all that support a sturdy outsole can give, since you won’t be getting it from the upper. Be mindful about this, and only go for flexible, yet supportive shoes!

Clear heels might seem like a very versatile option, but try to think about it this way. Would you ever see transparent clothes in a professional, work environment? Of course not, so you probably shouldn’t wear clear heels or transparent boots when going to work. Going out is a completely different story, however, and you can mix and match them with anything you desire. Their versatility lies in the lack of color, and the possibility to show off your skin.

This only works with boots that are completely transparent though, because regular boots with clear heels will still have varying uppers, and the same rules that go for any other shoe are applied here. One of the biggest contributors to versatility is the color. Completely clear boots can also be colored, and they usually sport bold colors, and even black clear boots can’t be matched up with that many things since they are a focal point of your style anyways. When it comes to regular boots, you probably already know that black is universal, earthy tones go along with pretty much anything, while bold colors deserve to stand alone.

Sometimes, clear boots will have various details and perforations all over them or even open toes. Depending on how subtle or not these details are, their versatility increases or decreases. Sparkling details, crystal studs and so on all downplay their versatility - the more spectacular they look, the calmer your outfit needs to be. Don’t go over the top! The leather is super versatile for an example, and that clear heel will give it the boost it needs to transform into an evening shoe. So, they are pretty versatile, but just be careful about where you wear them, as you don’t want to look too unprofessional!

When talking about breathability, it’s pretty easy to deduce that boots with standard uppers, made out of leather or textile for an example, will have enough air to keep you cool and smelling fresh. But what about PVC or TPU boots, what happens there? If you’ve ever worn them, or have seen someone that does you probably know that they can be quite stuffy and that they fog up in no time. So, what can you do in order to avoid all of that?

One of the first things you can try is putting deodorant on to your feet. They sweat just like our armpits do, there’s no difference there. So why wouldn’t a deodorant work just the same? Get the antiperspirant variant, since it works better, and if you suffer from sweating too much, get the clinical strength one. The trick here is to apply the deodorant the night before you want to wear the boots, or at least a few hours before. This gives it enough time to works its magic, sealing your pores and preventing sweat from leaking out.

We’ve all heard about WD-40 and its great abilities, but did you know it could help you here too? Wd-40 is widely used to waterproof shoes, so it’s only logical to try using to combat our natural moisture. You should apply it both inside and out, and that won’t help you sweat less, but the water particles won’t stick to the inner and upper of the boots, leaving you fog free.

The simplest thing you can do though is wearing socks! They do defeat the whole clear boot look, but stay with us - this is your chance to show off cute socks, and to experiment with your style even more! Lacy transparent socks and fish stockings work great here, as they will absorb all the extra moisture and leave you looking even sexier!

You can also buy clear boots that have perforations on the upper, or you can even try puncturing them yourself! This will promote airflow and will cool you off, drying the moisture and clearing the fog. This is probably the most effective way to combat sweat since the holes mean extra cool air and less sweating!