Jeffery West Men's Polished Leather Shoes, Black

Product Information

There are lots of shoe care products on the market, and most men lump everything under the “shoe polish” umbrella. There are two main types of product that add color and cover scuffs to shoes: shoe cream and shoe wax, also known as carnauba wax. Allen Edmonds: We’re big fans of Allen Edmonds in general, and their shoe polish is another great product. A bit more expensive than Kiwi or Meltonian, it comes in a convenient squeeze bottle that helps to minimize mess. After adding the cream polish and allowing to dry the next step is to add the wax polish, by hand. In my opinion, a bee’s wax-based polish with turpentine gives off the best shine. You will find that most of the higher-end polishes have these ingredients and they are also very much used in the production of shoe polish made by French-based companies. When you apply the was polish you want to give it those little roundabout motions and do so evenly and thoroughly throughout the whole shoe.

Great instructional on getting that mirror shine. Maybe you should amend it with a more thorough walk-through of how to remove shoe polish properly. Polishing shoes is kind of like painting insofar as the goods get everywhere. There’s no way to avoid it, so the only thing to do is lean into it and prep yourself as best as possible. Now is the time to apply shoe polish. You can use a small applicator brush with horsehair bristles, but any dry, soft cloth will work perfectly well. In fact, our preference is for the soft cotton cloth because you have more control over the amount of product you use. Shoe wax, on the other hand, offers a superior shine and scuff protection. It also seals and protects leather, but here’s the rub: it builds up over time and dries out. This is why, when applying wax, you’ll want to focus your efforts on the toe box and the heel counter and only give the vamp a light coating. Neither the toe box nor the heel counter crease, but the vamp obviously does, and this can cause a white film to show up after the wax has dried.

Look at the pictures to see. Again, I dab my finger into the water, then dab my two polishing fingers into the wax, apply the drops of water onto the leather, then rub away the water with the polish in circular motions. Repeat and do for 1-2 hours throughout the entire shoe. This is the only way of really explaining it. The only thing to look out for is to make sure that you do not apply too much water and thus over-soak the leather or leave a water stain. If you do so you will have to let the shoe sit and dry for a while before starting again. A way to know when you are close is to feel the leather and how it will get smoother and smoother after each layer. And when you feel like you are nearly there, I always recommend letting the shoe dry overnight before applying the final layer of wax’n’water.

The best shoe brushes have horsehair bristles. While they may be a touch more expensive than brushes with synthetic bristles, the quality difference is notable and will more than pay for itself over time. Step 3. Condition To get it deeply into the leather, I apply it with my two fingers that are wrapped by a cotton t-shirt that I cut up. I also use this same method to apply the polish but use a different t-shirt to do so, as to not mix the products together. After applying the conditioner, it is best to let the shoe dry for 10-20 minutes. And you will notice that in-between each stage there needs to be this dry time period so as to not over-soak the leather and allow for the products to truly set into the leather. They should start shining pretty much immediately. After buffing, we highly recommend applying a sole edge dressing to finish the job and make your shoes look nearly brand new. What’s The Difference Between Shoe Polish & Shoe Cream? Kiwi: Kiwi can be found in any drugstore and is a perfectly acceptable budget option. Their shoe shine kit we’ve linked to will get beginners off to a great start.

Parting Thoughts On Shoe Polishing

To learn more about caring for your shoes visit one of our comprehensive guides on men’s shoe care below: You can use both cream and wax when polishing shoes. Start with the cream and buff it, then apply wax to the toe and heel of the shoe, buffing again once dry. Best Brands & Where To Buy