**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.** - Page 184

By wax I mean shoe polish.

It probably doesn't matter in the long run, just that the distinguishing characteristic of a shoe polish for me is that it contains something that evaporates readily to leave a quick shine - i.e. naptha or turpentine.

I don't need this shine and I don't need the pigment, so I just use dubbin instead.

Unless I need a shine.

Just use any shoe grease. I think there's one called Huberd's IIRC. You can also make your own using beeswax and/or lanolin.

the question is: is it dubbin? i dunno? huberd's is very good and available in the states. but still. use what you prefer, what brings you good results and what you're familiar with. nothing else matters, imo.

got you. don't need a shine either.

ah ok. nvm.

Thanks Crat

you pass? do you walk on air???

 

I believe he means he'll pass on scuffing the soles before walking outside.

 

As for treating new shoes, I like to put on a coat of Reno, too. And if I think it might be a little damp outside, Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP on the soles, which takes 48 hours or so to soak in.

Are these any good?  i have about 6 packs of them and use them mostly after i come in from the rain.  i absolutely hate polishing my shoes/boots and these are right up my alley.  are they okay for leather footwear? 

 

 

You do this to the soles before wearing?

From brand new I make some scuffs in the soles for grip - probably unnecessary since they get scuffed as soon as I walk outside anyway. In the wet months I put dubbin on the soles the evening before wearing. When I remember to. If it's really soaking wet I just wear rubber soled shoes.

Every 6 months or so I use a paint brush and paint on some homemade leather sole oil. I don't know if this actually does anything, but I like to think that it moisturises the leather. I also do this if the shoes have been caught in really wet weather - I find the soles dry out if I'd forgot to put dubbin/shoe grease on and the oil helps to moisturise them. Though I honestly don't know whether this does anything more than the dubbin would.

If there was only one product I could use, it would be a beeswax based dubbin/shoe grease, like the Bee kind stuff. It protects the leather and conditions it. I find most other products superfluous.

I will use a cleaner/conditioner when I want to smoothen out a shoe that has too much polish - but since I don't use shoe polish much this isn't very often.

 

AFAIK they do contain silicon, not good for leathers.

most off express shine products are silicon based!! i dont know about this one cause it isn't  imported in my country! you can see at the back of it! if it is silicon based its not really good for them!!

im surprised the packaging doesn't contain an ingredients list, and it's made by sara lee...  well that sucks, bought so many because they were on sale...

I looked through the early pages in the thread but would really appreciate not getting my head bit off. I'm currently working my first real job and am new to the whole dress shoe game. What products are necessary to ensure the longevity of my shoes? I already have shoe trees but was looking for suggestions on creams, polishes, etc. I have a pair of brown and black shoes and a pair of suede bucks.

Thanks.