After the cream has dried, take either a large horsehair brush or a dry, soft cloth and buff the shoes. Apply gentle pressure and use the same motion that you did in step two. 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. 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. 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.

Shining shoes isn’t just a way to make yourself look better. It’s an opportunity to have a few precious moments to yourself. What Next?

Best Brands & Where To Buy

Laying out some newspaper works well for this, as would an old towel you no longer care about. The towel is preferable, as it’s reusable and thus greener. Lots of footwear resources will tell you to apply polish at this point. We prefer to apply a leather cleaner/conditioner first. There’s no sense trapping old surface dirt underneath a layer of polish. All you have to do is dab a small amount all around the shoe, but be sure to test the product in an inconspicuous area such as the top of the heel counter to make sure that discoloration won’t be an issue. Be sure to use a cream color that closely resembles the color of your shoes. If your shoes are an unorthodox color, opt for a neutral shoe cream. After applying polish, you can let the shoes dry for as long as you like. The idea is to let the polish really get into the leather and nourish it, and the longer you let it sit, the more opportunity it will have to do this. Step 5. Buff We find that it’s best practice to remove laces where applicable and to keep your shoe trees in. Step 2. Brush

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. I may have missed it but did you ever include steps to buff out the wax polish between each application? If not you really should. Piling layer upon of wax like that will suffocate the leather and dry it out. It’s skin, dead and tanned but still skin, and just like the skin on your body you need to let it breathe to stay healthy. When I polish my shoes I always use a good buffing cloth or a second horsehair brush to buff out and remove any excess polish after every single application. This ensures that just enough wax stays behind to give the shoes that wanted shine without completely choking off the leather. 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.

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. 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 Even if your shoes aren’t terribly dirty, we still advise using a leather conditioner at this point. For all intents and purposes, your shoes are made of animal skin and as such always benefit from the nourishment that a high-quality leather conditioner will provide. Step 4. Polish 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.

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? 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. Before applying any actual polish, you’ll want to brush your shoes. This removes surface dirt and other schmutz, and it’s particularly important to get into the welt of the shoe, right where the upper meets the sole. Stuff gets caught in there like you wouldn’t believe, and there’s no better time than now to remove it.

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. The final stage is the hardest and in reality, will be what you will have to learn on your own, just by continuously practicing. That being, I will still try and walk you through it. As you have already applied several layers of polish onto the shoe, you have a nice coat on by now which will allow you to directly add water to the mix, as in the old spit’n’shine. The way that I do this is to again affix the t-shirt to my hand, and then lightly dab my wedding finger (or equivalent on my right hand) into the tin of water to get a drop of it on the tip to then apply to the leather before polishing over. To learn more about caring for your shoes visit one of our comprehensive guides on men’s shoe care below: 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.

Saphir: Saphir is known amongst shoe enthusiasts as the be all, end all of shoe care products. Using the highest grade natural ingredients, Saphir cream is to shoes what Bentley is to cars. 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 BuyDelivery times listed are estimated and unfortunately may take longer than shown. Some countries not listed above (Rest of World) can take up to 1 month to arrive. Please note that the links are for shoe polishes and creams, but each of these brands sells a full range of shoe care products.