Hi All
Woops@deadyoutubechannel.ohno
How stupid of me.
There is video missing from this journal as well.
I promise I am working on new HD tutorial video.
Have fun and keep on keeping on
Suzanne x
Hahahaha! Not such a seekrit anymore huh?
I’ve decided to show you a little trick for padding your ballet heels for greater toe comfort and to help with heels that are slightly too large for the foot.
Buy a stress ball. What is a stress ball?
These be stress balls above.
Cut Stress Ball into half using either dress making scissors or a cutting blade, however, the long scissors work the best.
Cut halves into half again.
This is what you should have before you:
4 quarters like this
Step 5:
You will notice a nicely rounded finished edge to your quarter, this side goes toward the front of your ballet heel.
There are two “flat” sides one goes towards the back of the toe section and the top cut part is what you are going to put your toes on.
Voila!
This will not stop pain all together, but it does give a snugger fit to a too large boot and saves your toes somewhat also. Stress balls are made from a polyurethane substance that has a memory, so no matter how many times you squash them, they always return to their original form. Please note, the shoes I have used to demonstrate the fit don’t actually need the little balls, but it was easier for me to show you what I’m going on about with these ones!
Have fun!
S
Cross posted to Heels Commando Blog
Hello,
This is a tutorial that I put together for people wanting to cut the heels of their Devious brand Ballet Heels. I have tried to make it as comprehensive as possible.
I hope it helps those of you with this particular brand of heel (Devious) get more enjoyment out of them. I do admit they are a difficult boot to manage with the heel that comes as standard, however it is possible to do so. I am investigating a simple method of making foot stretchers for those who are interested in a controlled method of obtaining a more flexible foot and ankle. I would recommend this only for experienced high heel walkers.
Please note, it is not advisable to use this tutorial for cutting ballet heels other than the DEVIOUS brand. I do not recommend it and have been advised by someone who has done it that the heels collapse under your feet.
We used a hacksaw with a metal blade, but you can use an electric one, like a Dremel if you have one. Whatever you feel comfortable with. The metal is very soft.
About this tutorial:
I am not the inventor of this idea. It’s been bandied about the forums for many years and in 2009 I wrote the original tutorial to which the video you see here was created. I have a genetic flexibility in my joints and tendons. They are very elastic and they snap back to their original shape very easily – which is why I do not feel pain. I cross between my Vibram Five Fingers and Extreme Heels without any issues or pain in my legs and feet.
Even though I do not recommend that you cut your heels at all, I have made this tutorial because I understood there was a true need for it amongst the ballet heels community. My boots that have the bendy heels go through a process where the original heel is removed and a LONGER heel is replaced. This is in order to train for walking in the “unicorn” of ballet heels – The Viennese.
The pair of ballet heels in this movie had the heel removed and sat around for a long time, without any. Eventually, a 25cm long red metal heel was affixed. We also added a snake fork tongue under the toe. 
The toe piece is like training wheels, and another style of boot heel ensures that it is not necessary the next time.
You can find the entry and a video of me walking in them ===> HERE
Suzanne
Posted in Information, Walking in Ballet Heels
Tagged Ballet, Ballet boot, Ballet Boots, Ballet Heels, Cutting Ballet Heels, Dance, Dremel, Footwear, Heel, How to walk in ballet heels, Shoe, Shopping
Hello hello
I was quite surprised to realise how many of you are actually reading this journal.
Today I have updated the links for the pdf files and will go through the journal again to make it easier to locate the files.
Anyway, I hope you can find what you’re after. If not, let me know.
Regards
Imelda von Heely Go Lightly Suzanziballetheels (lololol – nom de plumes are just so stupid aren’t they?)
Posted in Uncategorized
Often you will hear people say they can’t wear high heels because of their feet. Most of the horror stories relating to the damage by high heels is related to the foot.
Wearing heels safely just isn’t about the feet. It’s about the whole body condition. The better toned and postured the body, the better chance there will be no injury. If the foot can be placed correctly on the ground, the gait is even and the heel first rolling into the ball and springing off the toes – then there is also less chance of injury when doing that in a heel.
A successful heel wearer is a person who has a strong flexible body with a straight posture. They have control over their body and it shows.
It’s pretty easy to self evaluate.
The harder thing is to correct the issues you have to make things safer for you while wearing your heels.
Lower back problems are an issue and this is due to excess weight, poor posture and a weak abdominal girdle.
Knee pain is caused by a number of factors that include excess weight – causing undue pressure on all joints; overall weak musculature; incorrect placement of the foot and a lack of full extension of the knee before the heel is placed on the ground.
Toe stepping – stepping with more weight to the toe than the heel and stomping – placing whole foot on ground at same time making it impossible to straighten knees) cause jarring and damage to ligament and the precious bones of the feet and the joints of the knees and hips.
Due to poor posture and compensating for new centre of gravity the lower back, shoulder and neck areas come into play also.
A headache or bad neck can be a direct result of the body trying to hold itself in an unnatural position caused by poor foot placement. It starts at the foot with increasing referred pain in the neck, and head.
Many people cannot walk properly in bare feet and don’t understand the importance of proper foot to ground contact through the walking cycle.
“…The great pressure transmitted through such a heel (allegedly greater than that exerted by an elephant standing on one foot[4]) can cause damage to carpets and floors. …”
Pasted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiletto_heel
Despite the obvious issues with excess weight, I believe wholeheartedly that flexibility is more important and that can be gained by any “body” … and I hope to show you how. Yes. I have to concur with what is known about carrying excess weight and damage to joints and such, however as I state, flexibility is important, as is your posture. Weight has nothing to do with this – I’ve known some incredibly flexible folk who carry too much weight.
I’m not here to destroy your body image – I am here to help you use your ballet heels safely.
What I hope to show you over the next few months are a few simple points to consider and a way to help you enjoy your ballet heels as often and as safely as you can.
I will also tell you about my system of foot care because it is truthful that my feet suffer none of the issues that are common from wearing high heels, but there are little things I do to ensure my body is conditioned and therefore less likely to suffer any long term damage. I will share some of these things with you.
♥
Imelda
Posted in Walking in Ballet Heels
Tagged Ballet Boots, Ballet Heels, Fetish Shoes, How to walk in ballet heels
There is a lot of information to consider here if you go through the links and read the accompanying texts. The PDF document – Self Evaluation will be “answered” in a separate entry.
Skewing answers to “fit” won’t help you at all – remember I said this was not just about donning a pair of ballet heels and skipping off into the sunset. Like anything that is worth it, effort must be put in. “Nose against the grind stone” “Bum up head down” (into your school books) … that sort of thing.
I’m starting with very basic information here that is relevant to feet in general. We all have them no matter what style of shoe we wear, and the method of care is exactly the same.
♥
Imelda
Ballet heels come in several different heights but have the same general look, which is that of a ballet pointe shoe with a heel attached. Many sites state the heel is a stiletto heel, however it is too thick and incorrectly shaped to be called a stiletto heel.
“Not all high slim heels merit the description stiletto. The extremely slender original Italian-style stiletto heels of the late 1950s and very early 1960s were no more than 5mm in diameter for much of their length, although the heel sometimes flared out a little at the top-piece (tip). After their demise in the mid-late 1960s, such slender heels were difficult to find until recently due to changes in the way heels were mass-produced. A real stiletto heel has a stem of solid steel or alloy. The more usual method of mass-producing high shoe heels, i.e. moulded plastic with an internal metal tube for reinforcement, does not achieve the true stiletto shape.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiletto_heel
The feet are held up on the toes, keeping the wearer in the fully extended posture of a ballerina. The heels are as long as possible, usually about seven inches depending on the size of the foot. It appears that the wearer is being forced onto the foot, however, if correct posture is used, the toes merely hang into the box of the shoe and the greater pressure is concentrated on the heel, where it should be. The boots usually zip and lace, making them comparatively easy to put on and remove. Mostwearers are almost completely immobile when wearing the boots.
The fascination with the sensual and romantic look of a woman’s leg, foot and ankle that began with the development of en pointe ballet in the nineteenth century quickly translated into a fetish. Most of you by now are very aware of the history of the ballet heel as much as there is written about it. I will not reiterate. The antecedent of today’s ballet heels could be seen in Vienna around the turn of the century in shoes whose heels were longer than the toes, making walking and standing completely impossible, but also besides the point. However, I will showcase a pair of these very soon.
Please note. “If a lie is told often enough, it soon becomes the truth.”
Oh. And This: “The world don’t move to the beat of just one drum, what might be right for you, may not be right for some…” What I’m saying is don’t give up before you start because somebody has spread gloom and doom. That is merely their experience – no matter how slim they make the chances seem you will be able to do what you want. That’s pretty much what ANY controlling faction will try to do – create an environment where people don’t even bother to try. I’m seriously asking you to make your own “facts”.
There are three distinctly different “factions” I have found surrounding this issue:
1. To buy them a size larger;
2. To buy them a size smaller;
3. To buy them in the same size you already wear.
I prescribe to the second “fact” and can say from personal experience that your foot needs to be held snugly in the boot and due to the nature of the positioning of the foot into the boot, a smaller size is best, unless you want to push an inch or so of padding into the toe to correct the anomaly of size. If you want to wear the pump/mary-jane/shoe type varieties, then buy 2 sizes smaller. Anyone purchasing a pair from me will receive personal attention in this regard to ensure their best fit.
As you probably know by now, wearing stockings decreases the size of your foot marginally. Socks do this too, but depending on how thick the material is they are made from, they appear to increase the size of the foot. If your heels are too big, get thick socks, or wear a couple of pair. It’s really important that you buy the right size so you can avoid these measures to ensure you have a firm fit in your boot.
You will need to buy toe pads. I cannot stress this enough. The uppers of your toes will be damaged by the toe box so it’s important that they are protected as much as possible.
I use these but there are other brands around:
http://www.bunheads.com/gel/OuchPouch.html
You can also use a cut up stress ball as I’ve outlined in this entry CLICKY CLICKY
Possibly the hardest thing you will do. Please click on the link and download the self assessment questionnaire.
Points to remember:
7. Foot Care for Ballet Heels wearers
Most of what you will find here is common sense. Many of the issues that prevent happy use of ballet heels are the same issues that will prevent you from enjoying your feet at all. I don’t believe in re-inventing the wheel and the information provided at the links is proven.
Some interesting facts about feet:
http://www.podiatryvic.com.au/Public/Facts5.htm
Keeping your feet and nails in good condition adds to the enjoyment of walking as a basis and wearing ballet heels, as the extreme.
Common problems include ingrown toenails, infection along the side of the toenail, fungus, ill cared for nails; brittle nails. Please consult the link provided for some general information on this subject:
http://www.podiatryvic.com.au/Public/Facts7.htm
I keep my toenails filed short.
I exfoliate my feet every time I shower using a hemp hand mitt.
I massage olive oil well into my feet and toes after every shower.
I keep cuticles at bay.
I make sure I home pedicure my feet once a week.
http://www.podiatryvic.com.au/Public/Facts9.htm
http://www.podiatryvic.com.au/Public/Facts10.htm and if you wear these:http://www.podiatryvic.com.au/Public/Facts12.htm then ballet heels are not for you.
If you can manage it, do your own pedicure. That way you get to know your own feet well. If you aren’t comfortable about touching your own feet maybe you can pay someone to do it for you. Whichever way it happens, it’s important to keep the excess skin at bay on your feet and toes.
The above image shows the areas highlighted in red that are most affected by corn and callus growth. Pedicure as routine maintenance will help prevent excessive build up of dead and dry skin. This foot is in particularly poor condition as noted by the shape of the toe bones. Too small a shoe causes the toes to claw up in this manner. It is hard to maintain balance with feet like this as the toes should be flexible.
http://www.homehints.com.au/beauty/175/how+to/step+by+step+home+pedicure
I have very sensitive skin and don’t like perfumed chemical preparations on my skin. I’ve used Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) on my skin for years. Give it a try. You might be surprised. Speaking of natural preparations I also rub Vicks Vaporub onto my feet and put a cotton sock on to keep the gel on the foot and protect the house from the gel. I usually do it just before I go to bed and sleep in it.
Seriously, your feet will be really soft in the morning. Petroleum jelly doesn’t work as well, so it’s possibly got something to do with the penetrative effects of the Eucalyptus/camphor/etc essential oil mix but I’m not really sure as not much research has been done into why this is so. All I know is it’s a fabulous and cheap “foot spa”. Here is a cut/paste from Wiki with reference to the use of EVOO in skin care. The whole article is really interesting if you like to read it.
In addition to the internal health benefits of olive oil, topical application is quite popular with fans of natural health remedies.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the preferred grade for moisturizing the skin, especially when used in the oil cleansing method (OCM). OCM is a method of cleansing and moisturizing the face with a mixture of extra virgin olive oil, castor oil (or another suitable carrier oil) and a select blend of essential oils. Olive oil is also used by some to reduce ear wax buildup.[34]
Olive oil can be used as an effective shaving oil to shave facial and other body hair giving results that are equivalent to expensive commercial products.[35]
Studies on mice showed that application of olive oil immediately following exposure to UVB rays has a preventive effect on the formation of tumors and skin cancer.[36][37]
Jeanne Calment, who holds the record for the longest confirmed lifespan, reportedly attributed her longevity and relatively youthful appearance to olive oil, which she said she poured on all her food and rubbed into her skin.[38]“
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil
Some links to follow for interesting reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gait_analysis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podiatry
http://www.podiatryvic.com.au/Public/Facts1.htm
http://www.podiatryvic.com.au/Public/Facts5.htm
Counter active stretches and muscle toning exercises have been used by many people over the decades. It is sometimes called isometrics. I will share specific exercises with you in the third lesson where I also discuss some other fine points for your posture, which is to be discussed next week.
I have researched all links as thoroughly as I can to ensure the information is correct and provided what information I believe is important relating to the subject of using Ballet Heels.
Please follow the links provided and read the information there. It saves me cut/pasting it and these entries being ridiculously long.
Please feel free to scroll to the bottom of the wiki page and research the links. I quote wiki because it’s easy and I have already read the research links and found the information to be sound. I know the wiki has a bad reputation which is why I double check before I use it as a link.
Please download any documents I link to and read them. You will easily find downloadable PDF material by looking for this:
Please watch/download the video content posted with tutorials.
A picture paints a thousand words. 30 frames a second says quite a bit, I think.
Answers (PDF file)
and the supplementary exercise plan:
♥
Imelda
