Shoe care guide

Step 1 : Preparation

If your shoes are wet after a shower, let them dry on the side for a few hours to aerate the wet sole, always away from a source of heat (e.g., avoid radiators…).

Before starting the maintenance, please remove the laces, to avoid soiling them but also to facilitate the use of the different products.Place the shoe trees in the shoes to restore their original last.

Tip: If you have difficulty removing your boots, tap firmly on the heel with the palm of your hand to dislodge them.

Place your shoes and various care products on a table high enough to have a comfortable working position.

Step 2 : Remove dirt

Using your horsehair shining brush, brush vigorously without pressing, your shoes to remove all the excess dirt (dust, gravel, different residues…).

Do not hesitate to insist on the tripod.

This step is important in order not to trap dirt in the leather when you are going to add care products.

Step 3 : Clean and nourish

With the use of the shoe trees, this step is the most important maintenance.

The lotion will act both as a make-up remover and as a moisturizer on the leather, cleaning it from the remains of the shoe polish and nourishing it.

Wrap your rag or old cotton t-shirt around your forefinger and middle finger and lock it with your thumb to get a flat surface.

Place a hazel of universal Saphir lotion on your cloth and apply it to your entire shoe through small rotational movements without pressing.

You can insist on flush folds to “iron”. Let dry for a few minutes.

Step 4 : Nourish the greased wire

This step is often forgotten and neglected, as it really changes the overall look of the shoe and gives it a longer life.

Tap your tripod brush into the Everest wax jar or grease jar and brush around the shoe to nourish the “little dots” seam and its sticky thread.

Do not hesitate to overflow on the side of the sole and heel.

Step 5 : Remove excess lotion

Make a ball with your rag and rub all over the surface of the leather to remove excess universal lotion.

The general appearance will immediately move from the matte to the gloss. You can also rub the heel and flank of the sole to make them shine.

Step 6 : Wax and shine

Take back your rag wrapped around the index finger and middle finger and apply a little shoe polish on your entire shoe.

We advise you to use a little darker shoe polish than the leather of your shoe to give it a very light patina over the interviews and at the same time avoid to bring out the folds of the leather.

This step will close/ fill the pores of the leather, make the polish shine, and protect it from possible bad weather by waterproofing it. Let the shoe rest for a few minutes and brush the entire leather with your horsehair brush again to shine and shine. Your shoes are now clean, nourished and beautiful.

Step 7 (optional) : "Glaçage"

The icing is an optional step that will protect even more the front of the shoe but above all bring it a varnished appearance, particularly elegant. Technically, it is a matter of saturating the leather in waxing that will be crystallized with water giving it a varnished appearance.

We advise against freezing a new shoe, leather will evolve during the first ports, relax and folds of ease will appear to the shape of your feet.

The frosting is applied to the rigid parts of the shoe: on the hard toe at the front and on the buttresses at the back. Indeed these two parts are the only ones that will not relax and that are intended to maintain a balance on the shoe.

For a frosting, you can use the same shine as the one used previously or switch to a darker shade (for example a dark brown for a cognac leather shoe) to create a slight visual contrast that has depth.

Open your wax jar and apply a little water to its lid. Wrap your rag around the index and middle finger and apply a little waxing on the part to glaze, using small, very delicate rotary movements.

Then add a drop of water and continue these small circles. Icing is not technically difficult to achieve but it still requires learning and a lot of patience. It is now necessary to reproduce these two stages waxing/water in order to obtain the ideal marriage and this varnished aspect. Many layers may be needed. The secret is not to press and "listen" to the leather.

For this step we strongly recommend you to watch the video below ( minute 7:44 ), made in collaboration with Bonne Gueule to better understand and train you in this technique. If you are in Paris, know that we regularly organize «ice nights» in our boutique in the 9th arrondissement, a friendly time where we will teach you with pleasure how to ice your shoes.

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