If you’re constantly annoyed by getting blisters on your heels from your running shoes (or hiking boots or climbing shoes), then you’re going to want to check out this trick we learned. Heel blisters are usually caused because your shoes aren’t tight enough and your heels, in turn, slip around in your shoes when the road or trail gets rocky or uneven.

This looseness in your shoes isn’t just the culprit for painful heel blisters, it can also be extremely dangerous. If your foot is sliding around in your shoe, you can more easily roll your ankle or injure yourself than you would with a shoe that’s secure.

Luckily, there’s a quick, easy way to assure that security and give you the most comfortable run/hike/walk or general workout of your life!

Have you ever looked down at your sneakers and noticed two random holes that your laces don’t typically go through? Well, those random holes actually have a pretty useful purpose for those of us who suffer from heel blisters. Those extra openings can actually help to lock your feet in place and prevent blisters altogether.

The best part about this trick is that your shoes don’t have to have an extra lace in order to do it. You can just use the regular top hole to create a lace lock.

Here are the first few steps that will help you create a lock:

How to Make a Shoelace Lock

1. Go to the outside of your shoe and locate the extra hole.
2. Stick the tip of your shoelace into said hole and pull just a little bit through; you want most of the lace in a loop outside of your shoe.
3. Repeat on the other side of your shoe.
4. Pull the tip of each lace through the opposite loop, creating a cross over the top of your foot.

To get the next few instructions which will help you to actually create the lock itself, make sure to watch the Illumiseen video below. Once you’ve tried this trick yourself, make sure to share the results with us! We’d love to hear how this simple tying technique affected your feet and your exercise.