How Can I Get My Camyn Boots Darker Again
Most guys endeavour to avert darkening their leather boots. Simply maybe you lot bought a pair online and the lighting in those marketing pics made the color wait lighter than you expected.
The good news is, you can darken leather boots very easily. If you wanted, you could with just well-nigh any oil in your kitchen, like vegetable oil or olive oil — simply don't really do that.Some oils tin become rancid, and you don't want to walk effectually with stinky fatty on your feet.
In this article, we'll go over vi methods to darken leather boots — and about of them are very easy to do at home.
- How to darken leather boots
- Method ane: Mink Oil
- Method two: Other Animate being Oils and Mixed Oils
- Method 3: Coconut Oil
- Method iv: All Weather condition Boot Oils
- Method v: Huberd'south Shoe Grease
- Method 6: Use Leather Dye or Polish
- How to darken leather boots don'ts
- Wrapping Up
How to Darken Leather Boots
I've tested virtually of these ways to darken leather on my ain boots and will include before and later on pics and a few videos when I can, but if there's a mutual method I haven't tested, I'll mention that and betoken you to the source.
Too, I'll let you know how the type, age, and quality of the leather might touch on the result, so you can become all the facts earlier trying anything at home.
Method i: Mink Oil
Pros
- Softens and reconditions your leather
- Adds some water resistance
Cons
- Darkens only a few shades
- Won't work well if you have newer boots or boots that still have a lot of oils in the leather
- If your boots have aged unevenly, the kick may get darker unevenly. Areas with scuffs and heavy abrasion may take darker spots
Pure mink oil will darken your boots 2 to three shades darker considering it adds wet looking fats and oils to the leather. Information technology's a type of creature oil and is a byproduct of the fur industry. It's quite pop amid boot guys considering it'southward college in unsaturated fats than most other animal fats but information technology has a super long shelf life and is really constructive at securely penetrating leather.
At that place's liquid mink oil and mink oil paste, but note that a lot of products marketed as "mink oil" comprise other fats and additives to help lower he cost. An example is Sof Sole's Mink Oil, which is mostly beefiness tallow.
If yous're going to buy a mink oil composite, Crimson Wing Mink Oil Paste is a blend of mink oil, lanolin, and silicone. Lanolin is from sheep and gives wool its water resistance and anti-bacterial properties.
[Pick upwardly some Red Wing Mink Oil hither.]
The Best 100% Mink Oil Production
- Saphir'due south Mink Oil
It's the but product I recommend that'south 100 percent mink oil. How does it compare against composites?
Benefits of Mink Oil
There are quite a few other benefits of using mink oil equally well.
It'south less probable to go rancid than vegetable oils similar olive oil or canola oil (don't use either). It also has a decent shelf life and can stay in the pores of your leather for a long time without smelling gross.
Information technology gets deep into the leather, makes your boots more water resistant, and protects against sweat stains and salt. And so it'due south popular for use on hard wearing boots and it'due south standard outcome in some military orgs.
Mink oil will darken your leather, but it may accept away the natural shine of your boots and dull the shine of leather, giving information technology a matte appearance. If that'south fine with you lot, it's super effective at conditioning and waterproofing.
[Learn More than: The Ultimate Guide to Mink Oil on Boots | Benefits, Alternatives, and More than]
How to Apply Mink Oil Paste
- Remove all dust and dirt from your boots. Brush the entire surface lightly with a horsehair brush.
- Heat upwardly a fingerful of paste with your fingers a chip if it's solid.
- Utilise lilliputian; excess oil is bad. Rub in with a white cotton cloth in a small circular motility or employ your hands.
- Leave for at least one hour to allow it to go into the leather.
- Polish the leather to remove any backlog.
- Repeat if desired.
[Learn More: Red Wing Kicking Oil Vs. Mink Oil – What'due south All-time for Waterproofing and Maintaining Color?]
Method 2: Other Animate being Oils and Mixed Oils
Pros
- Besides atmospheric condition your boots, soften the leather
- Adds oils back to onetime dry leather
- Add h2o resistance to your boots
Cons
- May expect greasy and uneven
- Could change the appearance of leather, leaving it with a matte finish
There are leather conditioners that will darken your boots that are made from other animal fats, sometimes mixed with a range of other substances like lanolin, saps, and different oils.
Products that say they are mink oil often don't have much in them, they are generally tallow. For example, I've used Sof Sole Mink Oil, which 1 would rightly think has a lot of mink oil in it, but Sof Sole Mink Oil only has around v-15% mink oil, and contains 55-85% beef tallow. Meet the results beneath.
[Read my full review of Sof Sol Mink Oil Here]
As you tin come across in the motion picture in a higher place, the leather darkened significantly. A few days later, it had lightened up a fleck.
Other tallow based conditioners include Fiebing's Neatsfoot Oil, which contains 100% neatsfoot oil. (That'southward rendered from the shin and feet bones of cattle.)
Fatty conditioners as well might leave the leather with an uneven discoloration beyond the boot, especially older, well-worn leather that may take abrasions, wrinkles, and dry out patches. These tin can get darker than areas of the kicking that nevertheless take lots of waxes and fats.
[Get the lowest toll for Sof Sole Mink Oil here!]
How to Apply Creature Fat Conditioners
1) These sorts of products oftentimes need to exist heated upwardly before applying then it sinks into the pores of your leather boots before drying. Some people put mink oil in a coffee loving cup and microwave it and so utilize a cloth to apply information technology, just I merely heated it upwards in my easily and rubbed it in.
2) Rub it deeply into the creases and cracks of the leather.
3) Wait a few minutes and wipe abroad whatsoever excess — important considering the rest can attract dirt and dust easily.
4) For best results employ i coat, permit it dry completely, then apply a second glaze.
[Read More: Kiwi Conditioning Oil Review – How to Utilise and Before & After]
Method 3: Coconut Oil
Pros
- Like shooting fish in a barrel to detect, modestly priced
- No animals needed
Cons
- Doesn't darken the leather much
- Sometimes leaves blotchy, spotty leather
- Might leave backside white residue
This section could have been well-nigh vegetable oils, merely most oils in your kitchen aren't suitable for putting on boots.This is because they're high in unsaturated fats that can get rancid — non and so for coconut oil.
Coconut oil was a popular DIY conditioner on the message boards last decade, only is less popular now. A lot of people volition say that information technology doesn't darken your leather much, while others merits it will. The main unlike seems to exist how much you use and the type and condition of your leather.
To darken your leather with coconut oil, use a lot and reapply until you become the correct shade. There are mild risks, like spots and white residue if y'all apply backlog oil. If you clog up the pores in the leather too much, your boots won't breathe as well.
Honestly, compared to proper leather conditioners, I don't think in that location are too many benefits to using coconut oil to darken your leather boots. If you add together the proper amount, it won't darken the leather much.
Here's a discussion on Reddit that shows pretty skillful results, only other people take had bad experiences using coconut oil to darken leather. Issues might be that inferior quality leather yields spots or that the oil solidifies at room temperature and doesn't evenly move through the leather fibers.
Birchees Leather Conditioner contains kokosnoot oil, but also has birch tar, which makes the leather dark.
Method 4: Birchees
If you desire to use a product that both darkens and protects your boots, but doesn't have animal fats and instead uses institute derived oils, utilize Birchees Leather Conditioner.
Birchess is a fantastic conditioner that too adds water resistance, softens the leather, and will make them a few shades darker as you tin see in the image higher up.
Based on a centuries-quondam method of conditioning leather, Birchees darkens but can besides be buffed to a shine. To larn more than, check out the link beneath.
[Review: How to Use Birchees Leather Conditioner]
Method five: All Weather Kicking Oils
Pros:
- Darkens leather boots the most, other than dying
- Adds water resistance
Cons:
- Blocks the pores on leather boots, making them less breathable
- Might make the boots a matte colour
I found this out when I accidentally darkened my Red Wing Fe Rangers with Obenauf'south Leather Oil, which is a mixture of beeswax, propolis, and oils. It darkened them a ton, and it hasn't faded, and so it darkened the leather more than I expected. These days, many guys say they like the color.
Red Wing'southward Boot Oil is another popular option. also made from mink oil, only it's silicone-gratis and has added pine pitch. That's made from the sticky sap in pine trees, which are known for beingness pretty darn tough and weather resistant, as far every bit trees get. Pino pitch has had many uses over the years, including a long history of being used every bit a preservative. On boots, the thought is that it helps to provide a barrier to the elements.
Huberd's is a popular option volition definitely darken your leather boots. I tried it on some Chromexcel Captain boots and they were never the same again: blotchy, oily, their famous depth of color ruined. Merely if you take some matte leather boots and you lot just want them to be able to withstand the elements? Huberd's is great.
[Review: When You lot Should and Shouldn't Use Huberd's Shoe Grease]
[Get Huberd'south Shoe Grease for the lowest price on Amazon]
With no artificial ingredients or solvents, it's total of natural ingredients like beeswax and pine pitch that needs to be softened before applying, but then information technology hardens and creates a nice barrier around the leather that can handle anything you throw at it.
Method 6: Use Leather Dye and Polish
Pros
- You can choose from tons of colors
- Done correctly, y'all tin become an even coloring and almost new looking boots
Cons
- The DIY approach has risks like an uneven color or non getting the correct color
- Won't provide significant weatherproofing
I'm going to include shoe polish and products with dye in this department, like Kiwi shoe polish
All of the previous methods on this listing apply leather conditioners. They darken the boots because they add more fat and oils. There'south a lot of benefits to them — extending your boot'due south lifespan is one — but they rarely look shinier.
So if you want darker boots — like much darker — you lot can e'er dye them with alcohol based leather dyes.
I'd take mine to a cobbler for this, especially if I liked the boots. There are DIY methods for doing this, and some people take had slap-up success at it. Others not so much; it'southward difficult to use dye to the boots evenly. If the boots are used, then scuffs and other blemishes can cause the dye to appear uneven.
How To Darken Leather Boots: Dos and Don'ts
- First, this is important. Once you lot darken, you probably won't exist able to become back to a lighter shade. The boots may lighten up every bit the oils and fats are removed over time, only if yous're using dye or colour smooth, you can simply become darker.
- Don't darken suede, nubuck, rough out, or similar finishes.
- Don't use just any old oil in your kitchen. Some cooking oils, vegetable oils like olive oil, and canola oil volition spoil and become rancid.
- Over applying is a bit of a relative concept every bit you may need to over use to go the boots every bit nighttime as you'd like. Most people consider darkening to exist a sign of over application of conditioners and oils, simply in this case that'due south what nosotros are looking for. Too much conditioner can clog the pours in the leather and reduces the breathability.
- My suggestion is to utilise a small amount slowly over the course of a few days until y'all become the shade you lot want. Stop if y'all meet whatsoever spots or white residual. If y'all go these, don't worry, over time the oil will estrus up and motility effectually the leather and even out. It may have a few wears.
Wrapping Upward
If you want to darken leather boots, these methods will certainly aid you forth your fashion. But recall that it may non exist possible to back to a lighter shade, especially with the dyes.
Washed correctly, darkening your leather boots tin lead to really dainty, rich colour, merely don't overdo information technology. If I was hard pressed to say which method was the all-time, I'd say Birchees and Ruby Fly's Shoe Oil all gave my boots a much darker look, with Birchees the best for guys who want a darker kick that can however handle a polish. If yous desire to effort dyeing them, I'd recommend taking your boots to a cobbler.
The following two tabs alter content below.
- Bio
- Latest Posts
Karl is an It product manager living in South Eastern asia who gets a boot out of durability and dependability. He believes form and part are not mutually exclusive. When he'south not working, he'southward searching for the all-time bespoke menswear in South Eastern asia and beyond.
Source: https://stridewise.com/how-to-darken-leather-boots/