To bring the Shine, out of your Shoes.
A Guide To Get That Shine You Need.
Going to any formal occasion, one expects and could say necessary to dress to your best. Wearing a tuxedo, a smart casual outfit and the most applicable of them all would be a dress uniform. Every single one of them has a very common factor which ties them together, a good pair of leather shoes.
With them, comes the labor of getting them to the best shine.
One could debate, to get a pair of pre-shined leather shoes or send your shoes to a boot polisher and part with some cash so that they would do the gritty work for you. However, in my experience, shining your own pairs brings about a certain satisfaction and pride when you walk in them. As the famous Italian fashion designer once said, " Be well dressed, behave like a gentleman, and keep your shoes shined." - Joseph Abboud.
There are more than a few ways to get your shoes to a pristine shine. Nevertheless, the most effective way in my experiences, is the long road. There is no instant shoe polish or liquid polish which is going to get you to where your shoes need to be. This involves some time and effort, if you are shining a new pair it would take around 45 minutes and any subsequent shine can be done in half the time. Let us start of with what you are going to need to build a shoe shine kit.
Contents Of A Shoe Shine Kit
After the first 10 minutes, you will start to notice the shine forming. Do not falter my friend, keep circling if it is your first time shining them for at least another 30 minutes. Remember to change the cotton or tissue if it gets dirty with excess wax. When you are satisfied with the level of shine, you can now start to polish the pair.
Give your pairs quick swipes with the shine cloth to complete the shining process. This is however just your first layer of wax. To get a good and durable shine, 2-3 layers are recommended. To add another layer, just apply more wax with the brush and start the process over again, but this time you do can apply it in half the time required for the first shine. Here are the finished product!
In the above picture the shoe on the left has been shined to 2 layers while the shoe on the right has not been shined. Don't they look like they are different pairs of shoes!?
Here are both pairs shined to 2 layers. As you can see, there is a major difference to the way the shoes look. Thus I completely and always recommend anyone who needs to wear a pair of leather shoes to just take a bit of time to get them looking their absolute best!
There are more than a few ways to get your shoes to a pristine shine. Nevertheless, the most effective way in my experiences, is the long road. There is no instant shoe polish or liquid polish which is going to get you to where your shoes need to be. This involves some time and effort, if you are shining a new pair it would take around 45 minutes and any subsequent shine can be done in half the time. Let us start of with what you are going to need to build a shoe shine kit.
- A tin of wax polish. ( My favorite brand would be 'Starwax Shoe Polish' )
- A shoe polish brush
- Some cotton balls or soft grade tissue paper
- A Shine cloth
- A cup
First of,properly clean your shoes with a brush or a wet cloth. Allow the shoes to dry first before applying any wax.
Once the shoes are dry, you can start applying some wax onto the shoes. You can do this by dabbing the shoe polish brush with wax and brush the wax onto the shoes. Special regard given to get the wax on evenly and on all parts of the shoes that you wish to shine.
Once you are satisfied that the wax has been evenly spread throughout the shoe and into
every nook and corner, the time consuming part begins. Start off by filling your cup with some very hot water. Then grab the cotton balls or tissue and gently damp them into the hot water. Be careful not to burn yourself! The idea is to get it lightly moist and not dripping wet. Now, make small circular motions on the shoe with light pressure. This will take awhile. Sit back, listen to some music and circle away!
After the first 10 minutes, you will start to notice the shine forming. Do not falter my friend, keep circling if it is your first time shining them for at least another 30 minutes. Remember to change the cotton or tissue if it gets dirty with excess wax. When you are satisfied with the level of shine, you can now start to polish the pair.
Give your pairs quick swipes with the shine cloth to complete the shining process. This is however just your first layer of wax. To get a good and durable shine, 2-3 layers are recommended. To add another layer, just apply more wax with the brush and start the process over again, but this time you do can apply it in half the time required for the first shine. Here are the finished product!
In the above picture the shoe on the left has been shined to 2 layers while the shoe on the right has not been shined. Don't they look like they are different pairs of shoes!?
Here are both pairs shined to 2 layers. As you can see, there is a major difference to the way the shoes look. Thus I completely and always recommend anyone who needs to wear a pair of leather shoes to just take a bit of time to get them looking their absolute best!
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