8 Things You Are Doing the Wrong Way

Every time we get tight new shoes, we preemptively stick Band-Aids or moleskin on the soft spots of each foot. And still, the shoes rub us the wrong way.

Try instead: Spray antiperspirant on your feet for three nights before wearing new shoes—a tactic used in a U.S. Military Academy study. (It works because blisters are caused by friction, and even slightly sweaty feet increase friction dramatically.) After hiking for 21 kilometers, these dry-footed cadets were less than half as likely to blister as a control group (though their feet felt itchier). Or try this technique from The Observer: Stretch too-tight shoes by wearing them with socks and blasting the hot spots with a blow dryer on its highest setting.