Can a £4 spray stop painful heels ruining your party season? Various gadgets - and one DIY solution - promise to give you a painless night out

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The party season is nearly upon us and with it comes the misery of calluses, aching arches and burning soles from squeezing feet into impractical shoes.

But help may be at hand (or should that be foot?) with various gadgets - and one DIY solution - that aim to give you a painless night out...

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Anna Pursglove tries the latest gadgets and solutions, which promise you painless feet during party season

Superfeet Delux high heel three-quarter insoles £16.94, amazon.co.uk

CUSHIONING INSOLES

Superfeet Delux high heel three-quarter insoles £16.94, amazon.co.uk

The Superfeet founders originally produced custom-made inserts for amputees’ ski boots. These insoles are supposed to support the arch of the foot, redistributing weight and reducing soreness.

Did they work? In a word - no. Most women would agree the main problem with high heels is pressure on the balls of the feet, but these insoles do nothing to address that.

The Superfeet insoles are sculpted around your foot and are quite thick (you couldn’t use them with a cut-away shoe).

This also means that your foot is forced upwards and, this led to cutting around the top of my toes.

Verdict: If back, leg or arch soreness are your problem, these might work, but they did nothing for me. 

2/10

Compeed anti-blister stick, £4.25, Boots

BLISTER BLASTER

Compeed anti-blister stick, £4.25, Boots

This is designed to stop the rubbing and friction that leads to blisters. The main problem areas are little toes, the top joint of the big toes (where the front of the shoe touches the foot) and the backs of heels. Simply rub on the blister stick wherever it is needed and reapply as necessary.

Does it work? If you wear high heels and intend to dance, you need grip, but once you’ve applied the blister stick you’re sliding all over the place. It could also cause staining on some shoes.

The main ingredient is hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is the (bad) stuff that is added to cakes and pastries to increase their shelf life.

Alternatively, you could just do what our grandmothers did and rub a little butter on your heel, so saving yourself £4.25.

Verdict: I might use this with trainers, but not high heels. 

5/10

Medipaq shoe stretcher (ladies), £13.95, amazon.co.uk. John Lewis leather stretcher spray, £4.50

SHOE STRETCHER

Medipaq shoe stretcher (ladies), £13.95, amazon.co.uk. John Lewis leather stretcher spray, £4.50

This stretches lengthways and sideways and even comes with little screw-in raised shapes that you can put in strategic places to give extra room for bunions or bulging toes.

The stretcher is made even more effective when used with a leather stretching spray (sprayed inside the shoe), but you need to allow this to dry.

Does it help? Absolutely. I managed to get a pair of size 37 shoes (technically a size too small for me) to fit comfortably and stay feeling good all night using the stretcher (plus spray) overnight.

Verdict: It does everything it claims to do and you can use it over and over again. 

10/10

Gel toe caps, £1.10, amazon.co.uk

TOE CAPS

Gel toe caps, £1.10, amazon.co.uk

These are like gel thimbles for the toes to prevent corns and blisters. I ordered caps for my big toes (I’ve got a very tricksy pair of LK Bennett heels which I love but they rub my big toes something rotten), but you can buy the caps in lots of sizes.

My shoes are low cut at the front, so I had to cut the gel caps back a bit to stop them poking out of the shoes. Do they work? Perfectly!

Verdict: Great product, super-cheap and reusable. 

10/10

Dr Scholl’s Moleskin Plus padding, £6.11, amazon.co.uk

TAPING TRICK

Dr Scholl’s Moleskin Plus padding, £6.11, amazon.co.uk

Use Dr Scholl’s padded plaster (with super-soft moleskin topping) to tape your third and fourth toes together.

The science, apparently, is that the nerve that splits between the third and fourth toes are the ones that causes pain in the balls of your feet.

Taping lessens strain on this nerve and, therefore, reduces pain. Legendary model Marie Helvin (now in her 60s) swears by this taping technique.

The tape itself is brilliant and I’d definitely use it again for cushioning and to prevent blisters.

But did the actual taping help? I walked around Tesco in my highest stilettos, but eventually shooting pains started up in the balls of my feet.

Verdict: Love the tape, not convinced about the taped third and fourth toe trick. 

5/10

Foot Petals Strappy Strips strap cushions, £5.95, amazon.co.uk

GEL STRAP

Foot Petals Strappy Strips strap cushions, £5.95, amazon.co.uk

these are thin gel cushions to put inside shoe straps. The strips are only half a centimetre wide and come in nude or black, so should be invisible on even the thinnest straps.

They stopped the thin leather straps on my sandals rubbing and causing blisters, but the fiddling involved in getting them in place made me wonder if it was worth it. The strips are 9.5cm (3¾ in) long, so you have to cut them to the length of your strap(s), which can make them roll up.

Verdict: Yes, they work, but they’re fiddly.

 6/10

Gel ball of foot gloves, £5.99, amazon.co.uk

FOOT GLOVES

Gel ball of foot gloves, £5.99, amazon.co.uk

These ingenious little gadgets sit in between your toes and around your foot and provide silicone gel padding under the balls of the feet to prevent that burning feeling caused by wearing high heels.

The top of the gel ‘glove’ gives extra protection from rubbing and blistering.

Do they work? Brilliantly! I wore the foot gloves for an entire evening inside a vertiginous pair of stilettos. They stopped the balls of my feet burning and even prevented blisters across the top of my big toes.

Verdict: One point deducted because you would have to wear them under tights or boots to disguise them. 

9/10

DIY SOCK STRETCH

All you need is your thickest pair of socks and a hairdryer.

Put on the socks and set your hairdryer to high heat. Force your feet into a pair of leather shoes that need to be stretched.

Now blast problem areas (usually across the toes) with a high heat for 30 seconds, wiggling your feet inside the shoes as you do it.

Does it work? Very well, but don’t remove the shoes until they cool.

Verdict: Brilliant on soft leather, but be careful about scorching the shoes. 

7/10