When we talk about shoe shining, the mind naturally goes to the “shine”—but the first thing to learn is proper skincare. Just as skin stays healthy when it is cared for properly from a young age, shoes need regular care from the moment they are bought. If you rotate three or four pairs, once a month is the routine to aim for. Brush and cleanse to remove the dirt thoroughly, then nourish and moisturize with cream. That alone will give shoes a remarkable glow. Finish with polish on the toes, and your feet will look downright seductive.
Set yourself apart with gleaming shoes: shoe-shining edition
“Cleansing matters more than anything. If you don't remove the dirt properly, it's like putting on fresh makeup without taking off the old.”
Step.1 Insert shoe trees
Before starting, it is very important to insert shoe trees and restore the shoes to their proper shape. This smooths out the creases and makes dirt easier to remove. Always choose shoe trees that fit the size of the shoes.
Step.2 Brushing
Brush away the dirt on the surface. Futamura uses a fairly soft horsehair brush. The trick is to move the brush back and forth between the toe and the heel.
Step.3 Cleansing
Take some cleaner on a cloth and wipe one whole shoe in a single go. Repeat this about three times, or four or five times if the shoes are very dirty. Think of it as cleansing off old makeup before applying new.
Step.4 Apply emulsified cream
Spread a thin layer of neutral emulsified cream with a brush, working it in especially where the leather is worn. A brush is used rather than a cloth, since a cloth would soak up the cream.
Step.5 Brushing
Continue brushing to spread the cream evenly, working outward from the areas you concentrated on, such as the toe and heel, to the whole shoe. Don't forget to scrape out any cream lodged in the wear creases.
Step.6 Dry wiping
Wipe off the excess cream with a dry cloth. You don't need a special glove like the one in the photo—an old T-shirt will do. Wipe as if you were trying to remove every bit of cream you applied.
Step.7 Apply polish
With a cloth wrapped around your finger, rub over the high-shine polish so the friction heat melts the wax into the cotton. Then work it in, only on the toe, as if filling the pores of the leather.
Step.8 Wait for it to dry
Once the whole toe is covered, be sure to wait about 30 seconds. If you move on without waiting, the cloth will soak up the polish before it has penetrated the leather.
Step.9 Brushing
Once the wax has set white on the surface of the shoe, use a brush to work it in. Here again a firm pig-bristle brush is used. Moving the brush quickly from side to side brings out the shine.
Step.10 Dry wiping
Use a cloth to polish the surface further. A mirror shine, achieved by adding drops of water while buffing, is popular too, but a brush and cloth alone give plenty of luster and a refined finish.
Step.11 Done
The whitish bloom is gone, and the leather has regained its natural, refined luster. The toes gleam beautifully, too.
Colored cream can bring shoes back this far!
Take a look at the photo above. This is no staged effect for the sake of the article. It shows a pair of leather shoes neglected for more than six months, given the basic care described above. The only difference is that a colored cream was used. Total time: under ten minutes. Now go and rescue your own shoes!
Apply colored cream mainly to the worn toe and heel, then spread it over the whole shoe. As before, an amount the size of two or three grains of rice is enough.
