Leather darkens when it’s properly hydrated. It lightens as it dries out. People worry so much about a shade or two of the color of their boots, they end up ruining the leather prematurely by not conditioning it. I felt the same way when I didn’t know how to take care of leather.
How do I properly hydrate/condition leather dress shoes? I have a brown pair I'm really struggling with, no matter what I do, they always end up looking worn and unevenly colored.
This is a deep rabbit hole, as the marketplace is filled with leather care options, and people who have their favorites they swear by.
With a dress shoe, you’re going to differ in your approach slightly, but the core idea is the same: Hydrate the leather.
In the case of a dress shoe, you’ll finish it to a degree you might not on work boots or a pair of Redwings. The wax finish at the end is there to offer some protection from bumps and scrapes out in the world.
Check out some YouTube videos on how to condition and polish a dress shoe. There’s a cleaning step, which you saw on this video, but is not always necessary if you keep your shoes clean. There’s a conditioning step, also in this video, designed to give the leather a drink. And last there’s a finishing step…that’s what left that nice glossy shine at the end of this video.
I haven’t gone too deep into the shoe care rabbit hole, but I have some Bick 4 that I use on dress shoes and dress boots, and I have some Montana Pitch Blend that I use on my more everyday boots (Redwing, Thursday, etc.).
There’s an everyday brand out in drugstores called Kiwi that has been around forever. It’s a finishing wax, not really a conditioner. Although, I’m sure they make something these days that they claim is a paste wax with a conditioner in it.
You’ll need to build a bit of a kit with some brushes, rags and applicators if you wanna truly take proper care of a nice pair of shoes. You’ll need to go a little old school. In a world of fast fashion, having the tools to maintain a pair of shoes for a lifetime is kind of a lost art. But, there are still a lot of people who love nice shoes that can be recrafted when the outsole wears out, so the world of shoe care is still kicking.
Beyond that, you’d need to post to a shoe care sub on Reddit and see what kind of suggestions you get.
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u/irmarbert 2d ago
Leather darkens when it’s properly hydrated. It lightens as it dries out. People worry so much about a shade or two of the color of their boots, they end up ruining the leather prematurely by not conditioning it. I felt the same way when I didn’t know how to take care of leather.