Originally Posted by
DWFII 
Your profile doesn't say where you are located nor what you have access to, but truth to tell it's not as complicated as all that. I would use Lexol-ph or a ph balanced baby shampoo to wash the boots thoroughly. Use a soft brush and warm water. Work up a lather. Rinse. Let dry and recondition. Repeat if necessary.
Most saddle soaps are based either upon glucerine or tallow. They all will leave a residue.
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...which states it is designed to remove old silicon based products and prior buildup.
Maybe. I'm not familiar with it.
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Nappa Renovateur (which is said to be formulated for "delicate leather such as napa, boxcalf, and veal?",does NOT use mink oil, and specifically says "leaves no residue")? You did not mention mink oil among the glycerine or tallow comments above - is mink oil a "sticky film" substance such as you caution against? Or does mink oil qualify as a "heavy oil?"
Whatever you use...rub some of it on your skin...just like hand cream. When it has had time to be absorbed, your hands will either end up dry, oily, or sticky. The same thing will happen to your leather. If the product leaves an oily or sticky residue on the leather, the leather will pick yup dirt and hold it close.
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When it comes to the wax, we'd be talking something like this, right?
I would tend towards a solid wax if only because it can be applied thinly and can be brushed off. Creams are somewhat redundant because they contain conditioners. You've already conditioned the leather if you followed my advice. All you need now is a wax to protect and shine.
Creams will get deep into the texturing of the elephant, carrying dirt and solvents (like turpentine), build up, and be hard to removed
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Although I'm not sure, because this has beeswax and carnuba wax, bonded by turpentine. Perhaps this would qualify as sticky.
Maybe. The beeswax concerns me more than the carnuba. The carnuba will dry hard. All solvents are detrimental to one degree or the other. As they evaporate they pull conditioners out of the leather. If you have recently reconditioned the leather, this will probably not be significant. But benzene and turpentine, etc., are not compounds that are benign to any leather.
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Now HERE I'm thinking that quill ostrich would be a good candidate for something like the Nappa Renovateur, since the leather is delicate and that formula is very anti-residue, etc.
Ostrich is not the same problem. It has a smooth grain surface. You can use creams and Renovateur and wipe the excess off. More than that there is no fissuring for dirt to accumulate in.
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ALSO, I'm thinking where ostrich LEG skin is used, that the properties of that material actually DO resemble reptile in their scaly, dried out appearance. My instinct would be to treat these with Reptan Milk. Would that sound reasonable to you?
Probably can't hurt, but again...it's leather. It will respond like any leather. Any light conditioner will be absorbed...certainly better than any heavy conditioner.
I suspect that there isn't much to be gained by overthinking this. Certain products are going to have formulations that may contain chemicals that offer a very slight additional penetration or compound to nourish the leather but it's not as if simpler, less expensive products such as Lexol contain no conditioners at all. And some more expensive products, in their zeal to "improve" a product or impress a customer, introduce compounds that in certain circumstances might be harmful. such as mink oil, or petro-chemicals, or tallows.
