CARE FOR YOUR LEATHER AND FAUX LEATHER SHOES

How much it hurts when you've stored your leather/faux leather shoes in a box or just sitting in your closet for sometime, and the very day u decide to rock it, u notice cracks or worst still the leather has started peeling! Very disappointing and the last thing you want to deal with at that point.

CRACKED AND PEELING LEATHER SHOES

This can be avoided and like we'd always say, you NEED to care for your shoes like you do your weaves, clothes and jewelry.

If they are from the best designers in the world, consider it as protecting your investments and if they are your everyday high street brands and you are on a budget, consider it as prolonging the life span and getting good value for your money.

Most times, the fault is not always the manufacturers, yes some qualities are questionable and down right tacky, but if we put in the work, our not so highly priced brands can last as long as the designer ones and NOT look all beat up after just a few wears.

Back to caring for our leather shoes..

Without proper conditioning and care, leather can dry out until it eventually cracks and falls apart, and you'll no longer want to wear them out of the house, even if they did cost a small fortune.  

While some people are content to throw on a coat of shoe polish when their shoes start to look shabby, to really protect your leather shoes and keep them looking their best, there are four steps to follow.

• Clean
• Condition
• Polish
• Preserve or Weatherproof

CLEAN

1. If it is between wears, clear the surface of your shoes of dirt and debris by wiping down with a soft cotton cloth (it could be an old cotton Tshirt ).

COTTON SHIRT

2. Make some soapy water with liquid soap and warm water in a small bowl ( we recommend the use of hair shampoo with an oil base).

BOWL OF SOAPY WATER

OIL BASED SHAMPOO

3. Dip a cotton cloth in the mix and squeeze out any excess then wipe the entire shoe area clean.

CONDITION
1. This is basically to prevent drying which leads to cracking and eventually peeling. Because most of our shoes are faux leather, we recommend the use of deep oils like castor oil, ori (shea butter) or olive oil.

SHEA BUTTER

CASTOR OIL

*NOTE: When using shea butter, it's advisable to melt it to its liquid form in a microwave oven to avoid over load of the product.*

2. Apply very little amount on a piece of cotton cloth and wipe down the entire surface of your shoes with little pressure.

3. Leave to dry for a few minutes and apply a second coat.

POLISH
If the shoes aren't real leather, I would skip this step. But for genuine leather products, invest in a good leather polish, it could be liquid, wax or spray.

LIQUID SHOE POLISH

Limit the use of polishes as some of the chemicals they contain end up drying the shoes which we are trying really hard to avoid.

I have heard of simply using the inside of banana peels to polish leather as well.... sounds interesting and worth trying. I would keep you posted on that.

PRESERVE/WEATHERPROOF
1. This is to protect your shoes till the next wear. You may have to do this more than once if you wont be wearing them within a week or at most two.

2. Any water based leather cleaner would work just fine, a popular one you can find in any open market is the Abro Leather cleaner.

LEATHER LIQUID CLEANER

3. Just one burst of the spray is enough to clean the entire area of one foot. You want your leather shoes to breathe so don't clog them with over use of products.

Finally, always leave your shoes in a well ventilated area, heat is the No 1 destroyer of shoes. 

MOBILE SHOE RACK



INBUILT SHOE CLOSET

 

 

Take good care of your shoes and get the best value for your money.

SHOP STYLE, SHOP QUALITY BRANDS AT AFFORDABLE PRICES... SOLE.DIVAS!!!