How to Break In New Leather Huarache Sandals

Introduction

If you have purchased huarache sandals, you’ve made a wonderful investment in your style and your comfort. But now comes the worst part of huarache ownership: how to break in leather huarache sandals.

If your huaraches feel uncomfortable at first, don’t fret. Let us walk you through how to break in leather huarache sandals, and you’ll be on your way to comfort in no time.

What are Huarache Sandals?

First things first: let’s understand what huarache sandals are in the first place. Generally speaking, sandals are a type of footwear that is common in warm-weather conditions. Their open design allows your foot to breathe and stay cool.

Huarache sandals are defined by an upper portion made of tanned leather woven into the insole. Today, manufacturers often make the soles of huarache sandals from recycled tires. Before we look at how to break them in, let’s explore their history a little bit further.

A Brief History of Huarache Sandals

If you own a pair of huarache sandals, you own something that has a deep historical legacy. Huarache sandals are from Mexico, and indigenous Mexicans made them and wore them in pre-Columbian times (before Christopher Columbus sailed in 1492).

The term “huarache” is most likely a Tarascan word from the Purepecha people in and around present-day Jalisco. It’s also possible that members of the mighty Aztec Empire also wore them. In their earliest iteration, Mexicans made huarache sandals from untanned deer leather, but after Europeans introduced cattle to Mexico, they switched to tanned leather from cows.

At some point, more than likely after labor became more specialized, the woven design on huarache sandals began to become something of an art form, with makers lovingly weaving patterns and designs into their sandals. In the 1960s, “hippies” in the United States began wearing huarache sandals, and they become a popular trend in America.

Today, “huaracheros” still make authentic huarache sandals, but they are more frequently mass-produced in factories. If you’re interested in huarache sandals, we strongly suggest seeking out one of these traditional makers. The product may be more expensive, but you’ll own a small piece of Mexican history.

How are Huaraches Made?

Huarache sandals are intricate and high quality, but the process of making them is not terribly complex. They are made using a weaving pattern, similar to that of a sombrero or even woven cloth. A shoemaker or huarachero takes a woven strip of tanned leather (usually from cows) and continuously weaves it in and out of each hole into the insole until the pattern covers the entire top of the shoe.

What are huarache sandals made of? The upper portion is made from tanned leather. Today, the soles are often made from recycled tires, but the original design used leather and hobnails for the sole.

Now that we understand completely what are huarache sandals, the history of huarache sandals, and what are huarache sandals made of, we can turn our attention to how to break in leather huarache sandals.

How To Break in Leather Huarache Sandals?

There are many different methods for how to break in leather huarache sandals. The best one for you depends largely on what is most convenient for you and how quickly you want to be able to wear them. Let’s take a look at the eight best methods for how to break in leather huarache sandals.

Walk Around in Them at Home

This is perhaps the oldest and most tried and true method for how to break in leather huarache sandals (or for breaking in any shoes, for that matter). Many people prefer to break in new shoes this way because it is a sure method for making sure that they are broken in exactly according to your foot.

It shouldn’t take too long to break them in using this method; a couple of days at most should do it.

In some cases, though, you may not have the time to break them in by wearing them at home, or you might not permit wearing shoes in your home. Not to worry–there are still many other methods for how to break in leather huarache sandals.

Purchase a Shoe Stretcher

Shoe stretchers are another popular tool to use for how to break in leather huarache sandals. Shoe stretchers are usually made from plastic or wood and are readily available for purchase at shoestores, big box stores (Walmart, Target, etc.), and online retailers such as Amazon.

How to break in leather huarache sandals using a shoe stretcher:

• Insert the shoe stretcher into the sandal. It should be obvious how it goes, but if not, there are plenty of YouTube videos on how to use a shoe stretcher.
• Leave the shoes undisturbed for 24 hours.
• Remove and re-insert the shoe stretcher in a different position.
• Leave the shoes undisturbed for 24 hours.
• Wear your huaraches and see how they feel.
• Repeat the above steps as needed.

You may also want to store your huarache sandals with shoe stretchers in them (placed gently, not taut) for the first couple of months to help them maintain their shape.

Hairdryer and Socks

Shoe stretchers are a great tool for how to break in leather huarache sandals, but if you don’t want to go out and purchase a new item, there are several methods using only things around your house. Two of them are a hairdryer and socks.

Leather is supple and very malleable when subjected to heat. This fact is actually part of the reason that wearing them stretches them out so effectively: the leather reacts to your body heat.

Use this to your advantage by heating the leather using a hairdryer on the lowest setting. Once the leather is quite warm to the touch, shove a few socks or pairs of socks into the foot opening until it is full, resembling the size of your foot. Leave them to stretch for a couple of days, or come back in a few hours to re-heat.

Be very careful if your huarache sandals contain metal parts of any kind, as it will get very hot!

Place a Damp Sock or Newspaper

You may have been told in the past that water and leather do not mix. That advice is not wrong, but when done properly, water can actually be a great tool for how to break in leather huarache sandals.

Simply moisten socks or newspaper, ball them up, and insert them into the foot opening of the sandal to stretch the leather. Be very careful not to soak the sock or newspaper; allowing the leather to soak in water for too long may cause damage. Also, try to use newspaper without a lot of color ink so that you don’t stain the shoes.

Use Heat

We already discussed above using a hairdryer for how to break in leather huarache sandals, but you actually don’t need to use the socks at all. Instead, just use a little bit of “elbow grease.”

Repeat the technique above: use the hairdryer on a low setting to slowly and gently heat the sandal (remember to use extreme caution if the sandals have any metal parts). Once the leather is hot, stretch parts of the shoe in different directions and hold, manually stretching them.

Repeat this process several times. We highly recommend putting the sandals on while they are still warm (not hot!) and walking around in them. That way, the leather can use your body heat to maintain its new shape.

The Spoon Technique

This method might be one of the most unusual, but it works! Believe it or not, if you vigorously run the back of a spoon back and forth over any part of the shoe, it mimics the behavior and shape of your foot.

Essentially, you’re delivering all that friction that comes from hours of wear in a very short period of time. This is an especially great technique for particular places on the shoes that rub against your foot uncomfortably.

Treat the Sandals with WD-40

It may seem counter-intuitive to use a chemical mixture such as WD-40 on your beautiful new huarache sandals. But WD-40 is actually pretty gentle on leather in small quantities and is great for softening it.

Just apply a small amount of WD-40 onto the inside of the shoe, particularly in places it feels too small. You can use any of the methods above to manually stretch the shoe, either by hand or using another instrument.

Be sure to wash your feet the first few times you wear the sandals after applying the WD-40!

Visit a Professional

Most shoe repair specialists provide stretching or breaking-in services for new shoes. What is more, they don’t typically charge an arm and a leg to do it, and it is very safe and reliable. Plan to give them at least a few days to do the job.

Conclusion

When you buy a pair of authentic leather huarache sandals, you’re not only making an investment in your wardrobe but also wearing a style of shoe that has been worn by generations of Mexicans before you.

Stretching out or breaking in leather huarache sandals (or leather shoes of any kind) can be tricky, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could end up damaging the shoe. Instead, use this guide for how to break in leather huarache sandals.

In very little time, you can be wearing your beautiful new footwear in both style and comfort!