THE STYLE SYSTEM Habit 2 — Condition Your Shoes Leather shoes are made from animal hides that need treatment and care just the same as our skin.A good pair shoes can last for decades if it’s treated well, but the leather needs regular cleaning and conditioning to keep it smooth and supple. Untended leather dries, cracks, and eventually splits apart as the fibers weaken. The first step to good shoe care is cleaning your shoes regularly. A dusting off every time you wear them and a more thorough cleaning every few months (depending on wear and tear) is a great start. We discuss the cleaning process in detail in our article on Cleaning Your Dress Shoes. After the cleaning, however, the shoes still need treatment — specifically, they need a conditioning to keep the leather from drying out. Leather Shoes Need Conditioning When we say “conditioning” we mean applying a compound that sinks into the fibers of a piece of leather to add moisture. Water itself is no good for leather — it evaporates and dries the fibers of the skin out, making them crack faster. But the leather still needs to have enough moisture of its own to keep from drying and peeling the same way our skin does when it dries out. Different oils and compounds can be used to treat leather. Some are naturally colored and others have dyes in them to match with different colors of leather. The compounds add oil to the fibers in the leather that would have produced their own oil when the animal was alive,keeping tne piece sort and able to resist damage uke living tissue. How to Condition Dress Shoes Getting the conditioning right makes the difference between a piece of leather that's dry but supple and a piece that's cracked (too dry) or swollen (too wet). Taken one step at a time, it's an easy process. Just remember to work slowly and carefully. Step 1: Select a Conditioner You need the right conditioner for your shoes. Mink oil or neatsfoot oil — general-purpose leather oils — will do in a pinch, but they aren't specifically designed for the hard, polished leather of shoes, and they tend to darken the leather they're used on. Some traditionalists stick to mink oil, but we'd only recommend it for softer shoes that are already naturally dark. Conditioners come in liquid and cream forms. They may be called “shoe oil,” “shoe cream,” or “shoe conditioner,” or some other combination of similar words. Most of them are pretty similar — the big difference is between oil-based solutions and synthetic. Oils evaporate more quickly and need more frequent applications, but synthetics contain artificial elements that can stick in the leather fibers and slowly gum them up over time. Given how little time a quick conditioning rub takes, it’s generally best to go with a regularly-applied oil rather than a heavier, stickier cream that may slowly damage the leather. Take any claims that a conditioned won't color leather with a grain of salt. Always rub a little bit of the conditioner on a hidden area — the tongue where it tucks under the uppers is a good spot — and let it dry completely before putting it on the rest of the shoe. If the conditioner discolors the leather, switch to another — unless, of course, you like the darker color it produces. Step 2: Clean Your Dress Shoes Well Your shoes should be thoroughly cleaned before you apply any kind of conditioner or polishBOLTON. PURLINIG & COMGIMONET OF WILE LIE SHOES SUI Have CHIE ON EMENT WIL GHG bie Git into the leather’s fibers, damaging them. Be sure to let them dry completely before moving on to conditioning — even a little standing water can dilute the conditioner and separate its oil out from its other components, making it apply unevenly and potentially spot the leather. Step 3: Condition the Shoe Leather A soft rag is the best tool for applying conditioners to leather. Chamois leather (pronounced “shammy,’ and sometimes spelled that way in the U.S.) works well — it’s soft, non- abrasive, and won't be hurt by having leftover conditioner dry into it.A soft cloth like flannel also works, but may grow stiff once the conditioner dries, meaning you'll need a new rag each time. Apply the conditioner by bunching the rag up a bit and wetting it (if using a liquid conditioner) or covering it with cream (in the case of cream-based conditioners). Buff it onto the shoe with a gentle, circular motion, spreading it out into an even coat that doesn't leave any standing on the surface of the shoe. Think Mr. Miyagi — “wax on, wax off.” You want to work in small, smooth circles without pressing down hard. Most conditioners sink in quickly, so don’t worry if the leather looks unchanged. As long as you've made a couple passes over it with a well-coated cloth, the conditioners there, doing its work already. You don’t want to apply so much that there's a standing sheen or coat on the surface of the leather. That means the leather’s already absorbed all it needs to, and is slowly soaking up more, which will make the fibers swell. Step 4: Wipe the Dress Shoe CleanMICE YOU VE COVETED ath Ee surfaces of the shoe, give it a quick, gentle wipe with a dry cloth. Make sure it’s clean — you don’t want dirt getting caught in the conditioner as it sinks in. Let the shoe stand and air-dry completely before applying anything else to it, especially a wax or a polish. AWord on “Conditioning Polishes” There are a number of products that claim to work as both conditioners and polishes. You apply them like a regular shoeshine, and the oils in them sink into the shoe leather. These aren't bad products. They probably won't hurt your shoe. But they're not all that great, either. Conditioning oils need time to sink in while the dyes and other compounds evaporate out of the leather, leaving it clean and freshly-oiled. A layer of wax or polish makes it hard for the process to work through completely, leaving traces of other elements in the fibers of the leather. Use conditioning polishes in a pinch — a small tin works well when youre traveling and are short on space — but try to use a separate conditioner at home, and let it sit and sink in properly before applying any kind of polish. Habit 2: Condition Your Shoes for a Longer Shoe Life Conditioning is the critical and often-forgotten step between cleaning and polishing. Well- oiled leather has a Life of its own: smooth, supple, and resistant to scratching and scuffing as well as the cracking caused by drying. Good oiling habits will add an unmistakable glow to your leather shoes, and will help keep them flexible and strong for many years beyond their untreated lifespan.BONUS = TNE Lea tier COMOIMIONETS | USE dre Lea tt OS YER Ae Oy SON} Ale Chamberlain's Leather Milk. (http://www.leather-milk.com/} ystem.com?subj pport httos’//thestylesystem.com/wp= request from The Style Sytem). You can also call us at +1 785-236-8366. Log out login.php?action=logout)