There are many ways of treating yourself after you receive your hard-earned money. You can decide to enjoy your dinner in one of the best hotels in town. Or buy stylish leather boots. This is where our topic guide revolves.  Leather boots are hard and durable.

When they are new, they may be uncomfortable and cause blisters to your legs. Throwing them away is not a solution we would recommend. We want to help you continue wearing your boots. For that reason, this article gives you various ways in which you can soften your hard leather boots.

How to Soften Leather with Saddle Soap

Saddle soap contains crucial components that work best in giving your leather boots a soft feel the soft feel. The process of using the saddle soap on your leather boot is more straightforward and quick. For this process to be successful, you may need to incorporate other items such as alcohol, and Vaseline alias petroleum jelly.

  • Prepare the leather boots
  • Before anything else prepare, your leather boots and make them ready for this procedure. Use a damp cloth to clean them. There is no need to clean the boots if they are still new. The sole purpose of cleaning your boots is to wipe the dust to make it to proceed with other steps.
  • Get a cotton ball and soak it in rubbing alcohol. Ensure that the cotton ball is well damped with alcohol.
  • Rub the boots repeatedly until they are well saturated. This works miraculously in loosening up the leather.
  • Get a damp cloth and rub it on the Surface of saddle soap. Rub it continuously until it develops a lather.
  • Take the damp cloth that has saddle soap on it and rub your leather boots.
  • Leave the leather boots for some time for them to dry.
  • Once the boots have dried, apply petroleum jelly on them. You can use your fingers to ensure even distribution of the jelly. By now, you should fill that your leather boots t soft.

NB: You must have noticed that we have indicated the use of alcohol in step 2. This is not the normal alcohol that you find in a liquor store. Applying that kind of alcohol on your shoe will only give it a weird smell. You can get rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol at a medicine store or supermarket. With that information, you are now good to go.

If you feel that this method is not working for you, then consider using mint oil. This oil works best in restoring the dried out leather. Also, mint oil comes to stop further breaking of your leather boots. The process of applying mint oil is easy and straight forward. Here is a step by step guide of applying mint oil.

  1. Prepare the leather boots
  • The preparation is the same as when applying saddle soap.
  1. Apply mint oil
  • Mint oil is a soft thick waxy substance. It is advisable that you use a dry cloth to apply on your leather boots.
  • The best method of applying mint oil on leather boots is to melt it and ensure it is runny. This ensures the oil gets in all regions that are causing you blisters.
  • Rub the oil in all the seams and joints.
  1. Leave the leather shoe for 24 hours
  • The time duration you leave your leather boot to soak in mint oil determines how your soft your boot becomes. Suppose you can give your boot more time, the better. This is because the leather is able to absorb more moisture.
  • Ensure you flex the boots around the rear beam.
  1. Work on the remaining oil
  • You can notice after 24 hours; there is some mint oil that is left and is yet to be absorbed. Use your index finger and work in patches to ensure that much of the mint oil has been absorbed.
  • You can use a heat gun on your leather shoe. This ensures that your boots have absorbed almost all the mint oil you had applied.
  1. Polish your boots
  • Complete the process by applying the polish you normally use. Now it should be much easier to break into your boots. You don’t have to worry about blisters you are now good to go. Polish them until they shine. Being smart should be your weakness.
  1. Wear the shoes
  • You may want to feel whether there is some change immediately after completing the process. You can walk with them for half a day. This complements the work you did before, and it is always advisable to do it.

Tips: If you want to bypass all this process, then you can purchase shoe stretchers. You only need to fill them in your boots and leave there for some time. You realize that they will do the job done for you with time.  Also, you can purchase a stretching spray. This speeds up the process, and you don’t have to wait for eternity for your shoes to soften. These are some ways that can help you bypass the steps we have listed above.

How do you soften stiff leather?

How do you break in leather boots?

How to break in new boots and not feel a THING
  1. Socks will save you. Find a thick pair of socks and wear them inside your boots around the house for a bit.
  2. Try adding heat.
  3. Bring some back-ups.
  4. Try the freezer trick.
  5. Wear blister plasters.
  6. Take them to a professional.
  7. Follow Jess on Instagram.

How do you soften stiff leather shoes?

Oil can be of great help when dealing with leather shoes that are too tight. Make sure your shoes are nice and clean before you apply them. The oil softens and nourishes the shoes, which means they will be less stiff if you decide to go with this method. You can use saddle soap, mink oil, foot oil, or coconut oil.

Does Vaseline soften leather?

Yes, petroleum jelly does help with softening leather as well. This works on wallets, bags, shoes, and even watch straps. The Vaseline helps coat and soften the leather to prevent breaking.

What is the best oil to soften leather?

Some of the best oils to use to soften leather products are jojoba oil, olive oil, almond oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil. Before you use any natural oil, ensure to put the leather outdoors, especially when it is sunny. Leave it for ten minutes to open the pores of the materials.

Does vinegar soften leather?

To start with, you can soak your shoes in water – you can either soak it in vinegar or apply a warm cloth dipped in vinegar. Water can help soften leather shoes because it makes the top layer of the leather softer, as well as making it waterproof.

Will vinegar and water ruin leather?

It will not ruin the leather. So, it can make the leather material dry. For this, I recommend mixing 50% water with white vinegar and applying the solution to clean any leather material. This means, if you take 50 ml of vinegar, mix 50 ml of water to prepare a cleaning solution.

How do you moisturize leather?

How to Condition Leather
  1. Remove straps or accessories.
  2. Clean the leather.
  3. Allow the leather to dry overnight.
  4. Wipe away any cleaning residue.
  5. Test a small spot with the conditioner.
  6. Condition the leather.
  7. Allow the leather to rest.
  8. Wipe away any conditioning residue.

What is the best natural leather conditioner?

But according to Rapinchuk, the best chance for a natural oil is beeswax. “Beeswax in a tub is my go-to. Look for all-natural beeswax in a tub that can be applied to a clean cloth and rubbed on the leather,” she adds.

What household oil is good for leather?

Oils like mink oil, essential lemon oil, leather honey oil, coconut oil, and virgin olive oil are some of the available options. Other conditioning agents include beeswax and natural baby soap.

What can I use instead of leather conditioner?

What can I use instead of a leather conditioner? You can use various oils such as coconut, lemon and baby oil. Not Olive oil as it can worsen the condition rather than preventing the damage.

What household items can restore leather?

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You can maintain leather and treat stains with common household detergents and cleaning agents such as vinegar. Moreover, you can restore a leather finish with household oils, such as flax seed and coconut oil.

Does coconut oil ruin leather?

Coconut oil will darken leather, as will other oils like mink oil and neatsfoot oil. Leather will also darken naturally over time as it is exposed to light. If you want to condition your leather without darkening, then you should not use coconut oil. It will make the leather darker.

What is the best oil for leather boots?

Reviews of The Best 5 Oils for Leather Boots
  1. Bickmore 100% Pure Neatsfoot Oil. You could be forgiven for mistaking this product as a bottle of motor oil.
  2. Sof Sole Mink Oil. Mink oil is extracted from the fat of mink pelts.
  3. Huberd’s Shoe Oil.
  4. Obenauf’s Leather Oil.
  5. Red Wing Heritage All Natural Boot Oil.

Should you oil leather boots?

When you get your new boots, the temptation will be to oil them. Don’t do it! Your foot is the mold and you want the leather to break in around your foot without the aid of oil or grease. Excessive oiling during the break in process can result is a sloppy fitting pair of boots.

Is WD 40 good for leather boots?

WD–40 is safe to use on leather boots but make sure to use the spray on dark colored leather only. Applying a coat of WD–40 on light colored suede leather will leave dark stains on your boots which will ruin the look of your boots.

Can I put coconut oil on leather boots?

When the leather feels like it’s starting to get dry, they’re ready. *Always remember to clean the leather before conditioning it. Conditioning with coconut oil works best when the oil is in liquid form. When coconut oil is sufficiently softened, work a thin, even coat of oil onto the boots.