The first step is to gather your materials. You will need glue and some shoe nails. Make sure to use one of the following types of glue: Krazy Glue, Super Glue, shoe glue (Shoe Goo is a well-known brand) or Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Glue. Super Glue is great for a quick fix because it dries so quickly; but glue specifically for shoes will give you the best long-term results. Shoe nails can be purchased at a shoe repair shop and may also be carried by shoe and hardware stores. Often you can reuse the nails that were originally used to hold the heel in place.
Broken heels can be classified into two categories: heels that have broken completely off the shoe and heels that have broken into two pieces. If a heel has completely broken off the shoe, the first thing you will need to do is glue the heel back in place. Nails alone are not sufficient to securely anchor the heel. Coat the sole of the shoe with one of the above mentioned glues.
After carefully aligning the detached heel, press the detached heel to the sole of the shoe and hold it there. Allow the glue to dry. (The amount of time necessary will depend on the type of glue you use, so be sure to read the glue's instructions.) Once the glue is dry, carefully tap the nails back into their original holes. It is important to coat the nails with glue before hammering them in place. This will ensure that the nails stay put. You may want to insert a few additional nails for added stability.
If a heel has broken into two pieces, use one of the above mentioned glues to rejoin the broken pieces together. You should carefully hammer in a few additional nails in order to reinforce the heel at its breaking point. Remember: never insert the nails until the glue is fully dry.
Most of the time glues and shoe nails do the trick! If the heel breaks again it may be a sign that you do in fact need to visit the shoe repairman (or invest in a new pair of shoes)!
