How to break in Dr. Martens boots
Breaking in Doc Martens can be painful and blister-full if not done right, but surprisingly easy if you know the tricks. Wearing an extra pair of thick socks, breaking the boots in with your hand, and stuffing them with a can or newspaper overnight can do wonders to soften and expand the stiff leather to make them easier to wear.
90s fashion is back, baby!
The grunge look is once again in style, and with it, everyone’s favorite punk boots: Doc Martens.
Guys are wearing Docs with cropped pants, jeans, skinny jeans, even formal wear. Because you won’t find many more comfortable, supportive, long-lasting boots anywhere.
But take note: right out of the box, Doc Martens are very stiff. Painfully stiff, I’ve found through hard experience.
Though they will ultimately become some of the comfiest boots you’ll ever wear, prior to breaking them in, your feet are going to suffer.
That’s why we’re bringing you the simplest, fastest tricks to break in your Doc Martens fast. These three hacks below will speed up the break-in time, soften the leather, and make them so much more comfortable, so much faster.
How Long Does It Take to Break in Doc Martens?
According to the Doc Martens website, their boots “take a day or two to wear in”. Anyone who’s ever walked around in a brand new, not-yet-broken-in pair of Doc Martens will tell you that is a very generous—and unfortunately inaccurate—estimation.
Don’t get me wrong, the hacks below can shorten the break-in time significantly. But one to two days? Through hard personal experience and a great deal of research, I’ve found that the average break-in period is roughly 3-6 weeks.
Putting all three of the breaking-in hacks I share below into practice will make the boots comfortable within a week, at most two. But be ready for a few days of discomfort as the ultra-tough, extra-thick leather begins to soften and expand to accommodate your feet.
The Dr. Martens 1460 is consistently popular and instantly recognizable. Though it’s a combat-style boot, it lacks a lot of practical and rugged qualities including strong leather, quality stitching, and a steel shank. Nonetheless, its shiny upper, yellow sole stitching, and transparent outsole have made it an iconic fashion staple.
How Long Do Vegan Doc Martens Take to Break In?
One of the reasons that the vegan Doc Martens (a.k.a. Doc Martens made using “vegan leather”, the fancy name for synthetic polyurethane plastic) are so popular among the modern boot-loving crowd is that they need very little break-in time.
Unlike genuine leather, vegan leather relaxes fairly quickly. As you know, heat softens up plastic, so the material used for your boots will soften up and mold to your feet.
Usually within a few hours—but at most a day or two—your vegan Doc Martens will be fully comfortable and ready to wear.
3 Easy Hacks to Break in Doc Martens Fast
Hack #1: Oil ‘Em Up For a Massage
Think about the last time you gave your romantic partner a massage. A bit of oil, some candlelight, body heat, and the strength of your fingers worked its magic on them. So why not on your boots, too?
Well, maybe you can skip the candlelight (though who says a good pair of boots doesn’t like to be wooed?), but the rest stands.
A good boot oil (for example, Red Wing’s All Natural Boot Oil) or conditioner (like Doc Martens’ own Wonder Balsam Shoe Protector) can help to soften the leather. Once they’re oiled up, you can massage them and use both your body heat and the strength of your hands to keep softening and making the leather more pliable.
In my video below, I show you the simplest, easiest ways to massage your boots to not only break in the leather upper, but also a stiff stacked leather heel.
Do this right out of the box, and once the massage is done, you’ll find the boots are much more comfortable to wear.
Hack #2: Stuff Your Boots
Let’s be honest: even after your finest, most tender massage, the boots might still feel a bit too tough and stiff to wear all day long. Slide them on for a few minutes to walk around your house and feel how they’re beginning to break in.
You’re on the right track, but you’re not quite yet ready to spend all day in your Docs.
First, you’ve got to stuff them and leave them overnight.
You can use a soda can (just make sure it doesn’t crack and spill soda inside your boot!) or some wadded up newspaper or butcher’s paper. Heck, even printer paper if that’s all you’ve got at hand.
Slide the soda can or balled-up paper into your boots, and really stuff it in there good and tight. You can use your hands to push the leather outward before stuffing it. That way, you’ve got more room to stuff. And with a bit of effort, you can expand the boots even more.
Once the boots are good and stuffed, leave them sitting for 4-6 hours. Or, even better, let them sit overnight.
When you wake up in the morning and slide them on, the freshly massaged and fully stuffed Doc Martens will be ready to put on and wear all day.
Hack #3: Double Down On the Socks
My last hack for breaking in Doc Martens is an easy one that anyone can pull off. All you need is two pairs of thick socks and you’re good to go.
After massaging and stuffing the boots, it’s time to break them in the most effective way: by putting your feet inside and letting your body’s natural heat and moisture soften and expand the leather.
But initially, the leather is still going to be fairly stiff and may rub against your feet. The friction can create “hot spots” that lead to blisters.
That’s why you want to wear two pairs of socks to break in your boots.
A second pair of socks will add an extra layer of protection to keep your feet from blistering. And because they make your feet extra thick inside the boots, that second pair will also stretch out the leather more than you would normally need.
That way, when you finish wearing them around, the boots will have enough additional room on the inside that your feet in just one pair of socks will have plenty of space to move around comfortably and blister-free.
Freebie Bonus Hack: Spray a bit of water on your socks. We shared this in our 3 tricks to help break in your boots faster video, but I wanted to share it again here because it just works!
Before you slid those double-socked feet into your boots, use a spray bottle to apply a light (very light) misting of water. Really, just one or two spritzes per foot, is all you need.
You want just enough water to apply a small amount of moisture to the exterior of your socks without soaking them. Too much water will absorb into your socks and your boots, turning both soggy. Not at all ideal!
But with 1-2 spritzes, you’ll have a light coating of moisture on your socks that the boots’ leather will absorb and will turn them softer and more pliable (without going soggy).
Made in the USA from Merino wool, these work socks really are something else in terms of quality. They feature compression through the arch and calf which helps your feet recover after a long day. Plus, because they're Merino wool, they're breathable and help reduce foot sweat.
Are Doc Martens Boots Harder to Break in Than Shoes?
Doc Martens boots are slightly harder to break in than their shoes because their boots typically use thicker, heavier-duty leather.
Many of the “vintage” Doc Martens boots and shoes both use Quilon leather, a smooth, stiff leather with a “haircell” textured surface print that has both the desired vintage look and long-lasting durability.
Quilon leather is naturally stiffer and hardier than other types of leather, meaning it requires a longer break-in period.
The End Result Is Worth the Hassle
When you’re sweating and struggling to pull on your stiff new boots and worrying all day about blisters, it might feel like it’s worth the effort. Like all that style Doc Martens promises isn’t worth the hassle of breaking them in.
But take it from someone who’s worn the same pair of Docs for 5+ years: the end result is absolutely worth it.
Once you’ve done breaking in your Doc Martens—using the hacks I shared above—you’ll find they are some of the most comfortable boots you’ll ever wear.
The Dr. Martens 1460 is consistently popular and instantly recognizable. Though it’s a combat-style boot, it lacks a lot of practical and rugged qualities including strong leather, quality stitching, and a steel shank. Nonetheless, its shiny upper, yellow sole stitching, and transparent outsole have made it an iconic fashion staple.
FAQs
Why does it hurt so much to break in Doc Martens?
To start with, the Quilon leather used in the construction of Doc Martens is very stiff and hard. It takes a long time for the leather to relax and soften enough to mold to your feet.
But it’s not just the exterior that’s responsible for all the pain. The inner lining of the boots is also surprisingly abrasive and can cause a lot of friction that leads to blisters.
Plus, it’s easy to lace up the boots too tight, which can apply a lot of pressure to your ankle and the arch of your foot.
All of that combines to make new and not-yet-broken-in Doc Martens some of the most painful boots to wear.
How do you break in Doc Martens with a hair dryer?
The idea behind using a hair dryer is that the hot air should soften the leather (exterior) and make it a bit more pliable.
Typically, the process is fairly straightforward:
1. Use a hair dryer on “Low Heat” setting to heat the boot. You can either try to do the entire boot all at once or focus on one specific part at a time.
2. Once the boot is warm, apply a bit of mink oil, boot oil, or leather conditioner.
3. Massage the boot using your hands to soften them.
4. Let the boots sit overnight. When you put them on in the morning, they should be a whole lot more comfortable.
How do you make Doc Martens hurt less?
The only way to make Doc Martens hurt less is to break them in. The faster you break them in, the less pain they will cause.
The hacks I shared above will be highly effective at speeding up the breaking-in process so the boots become easier to wear more quickly.
If you really want to go all out on the breaking-in, you can also try hammering the heels with a rubber mallet to soften them up and use the hair dryer method to accelerate the process of softening and making the leather more pliable.
Will my Doc Martens ever be comfortable?
I know it might feel like the boots are nothing but pure torture, and will forever be so. But don’t despair!
Though the breaking-in process is a bit longer than for other boots, it’s well worth it in the long run.
Ultimately, once they adapt to the shape of your feet, they will become some of the most comfortable boots you’ll ever own. And thanks to their tough construction, some of the longest-lasting boots, too.
