How To Darken Leather Boots?

Michael Weinstein

Entrepreneur

Michael Weinstein is a seasoned writer and a dedicated expert in work safety, footwear, and popular shoe brands. With years of research and expertise, he's...Read more

Michael Weinstein

Entrepreneur

Michael Weinstein is a seasoned writer and a dedicated expert in work safety, footwear, and popular shoe brands. With years of research and expertise, he's...Read more

Darkening the boots regularly is a part of maintenance. Some say polishing, but here polishing with a brush and making it dirt free after every use may not be enough for your great looking leather boots.

However, to make it survive for the long run, the boots need some natural products that refine the boots nicely and also be able to fight with the wind and dust.

Here, you get to know about some methods that you can follow to darken your boots and avoid some mistakes that can gradually ruin your footwear. So, go through the entire article to know about how to darken leather boots.

How To Darken Leather Boots?

There are plenty of natural products that can darken your leather boots elegantly. Darkening leather boots doesn’t mean you make your white boots into black. It defines that your boots need to look like a clear, smooth and attractive touch by darkening them. But can you darken your boots with natural products? Yes, you can.

Here, mink oil and neatsfoot oil are very acceptable products to shine your leather boots in the market. However, some alternatives like coconut oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil can cleanse the leather boot with a beautiful glace.

To know how to darken boots, we have gathered the best 5 methods that will definitely help you to reach your goal without spending too much money on it because spending money consequently may not be a sensible initiative for anyone.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil mainly contains triacylglycerols and polar lipids that can easily inject some life in faded and old things. The best thing is it is a natural way to darken your leather and it is easily found in any grocery shop. But how to apply it, I think you need to know those steps.

1. Acquire any vegetable oil like coconut oil, canola oil or olive oil. These all have a huge amount of natural nourishment to get leather to darken.
2. You will need a piece of rag in this step. You can use a soft cotton napkin as well.
3. Dip some drops of oil on that rag. Then squeeze it. Make sure you don’t drop too much oil on it.
4. Gently wipe the leather boot all over it.
5. After finishing this step, rest at least 24 hours. At least, overnight you must keep it aside for rest.
6. It is a safe and polishing step to darken your boots but after starting the steps make sure you clean the boots with a soft brush for cleaning the excess dirt.

Conditioner

When you apply conditioner on your leather boots, surprisingly it works really amazing. Conditioner carries silicones, oils, and emollients that are comparatively less harsh than soap and detergent. However, any type of leather conditioning like full grain leather, bonded leather or saddle leather darken process is work with apply conditioner. Here, how to darken saddle leather you will know in this article. To apply the conditioner some steps you can see below:

1. Clean your boots first.
2. Apply the conditioner gently with your hand and a brush. Here leather smoothing conditioner is also available in the market.
3. Spread the creams all over the boot to moisture the leather.
4. Wait 10 to 15 minutes and wipe it with a clean cloth.
5. Check again, is there any leftover cream in boots, if so clean it completely.
6. Buff these with a brush or a clean napkin again.
7. Keep it in an airy place for 24 hours to set the moisture.

Mink Oil

Does mink oil darken leather or not. Mink oil is a type of cosmetic product specially designed for shining leather. Besides, it is not a new product in the market. Centuries and years are gone of using this oil. It is made up of 70% oil and 30% fatty acid. Similarly, it is produced by animal mink. The source is pigs, other lubricants and physical properties similar to human sebum. To apply it:

1. With a light application of mink oil, it spread to the sole and fiber to darken the leather boot beautifully.
2. Softly massage the mink oil with a rug so that it covers the entire leather surface.
3. Massage with circular motion gently to get the original color of boots.
4. Keep it in a dry place to absorb the oil for 6 to 12 hours.

Synthetic and Blends

These synthetic blends are the mixtures of so many oils and petroleum products, waxes, and tree resins, etc. It is an ideal product for darkening the boots with conditioning. This blend gives a waterproof and shining texture to the boots. To know how to darken finished leather items, the synthetic blending procedure is the best for going with the boots for the long run without side effects.

1. Take a lint free damp cloth to wipe this mixture to the boots.
2. Brush with your finger to the boot’s entire surface. It thrives with the bacteria and reduces bad smell.
3. Massage the product gently and sit for 10 minutes. Here, you can use a sponge as well.
4. Wipe it nicely.

Leather Dyes

Two types of dyes you will find to darken and polishing your leather material. Water based dyes and alcohol based dyes. For your information, these two dyes work beautifully in boot shining and darken procedures. But while choosing leather dyes water based dyes are highly recommended for you. It makes your leather soft and dark. You will find the available dye colors that match your leather shoes.

1. Before applying the solution, make the leather moist with water.
2. Now apply it with a brush or paintbrush if you have one. Or you can wrap plastic or napkins to avoid the chemical on your hands.
3. Keep this boot in a bit of a dark place for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. It should be dry and take a look if the boots need any second coating or not.
5. After drying it, wipe it off the excess dye solution.

Which Method Should I Use?

In this article, you will find tons of methods but it doesn’t matter. You should pick a method that makes you comfortable to darken the boots. But we suggest, if you have a DIY flair and want some natural techniques to do your work, vegetable oil, and leather conditioner methods are the safest. However, unknowingly you just saved your money and settled your work at the time. It’s like a big win right?

Another scenario, if you can drop some cash but do not have enough time to do all this stuff, just shop for better products. Now, we will suggest synthetic blends or dyes. Choose your brand because spending money can’t reach you to the best one. You have to look at it.

What Will Happen If I Apply The Wrong Products?

We all may know that using the wrong products can ruin the entire settlement. Talking about methods and techniques is useless if we purchase the wrong product. However, to darken your favorite pair of boots, applying the wrong product can damage the boots. To clarify the mistakes, we should know what worst thing might happen. Some serious damages like:

• Using products like harsh soap and powerful detergent can make leather dull and color will be damaged.
• Germs and fungi can thrive inside the boot sole.
• The boots might fall apart or shrink.
• It can become so hard inside that you can’t even wear it.
• Easily the boots attract dust and mud.
• The dye contains chemicals and the wrong dye contains imbalanced chemicals. So, the boots can be worn and damaged to absorb the wrong chemicals.
• It might lose its moisture and can develop scars.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still, so many questions can come to your mind about darkening the leather boots. Let’s have a look.

Can warm water be usable in leather?

In the oiling procedure, omitting warm water would be better but before the darkened steps rinse with lukewarm water can be a good initiative. Here, make sure the boots are completely dry before darkening up.

Is there any problem if I over-condition my leather boots?

Yes, too much conditioning can blockage the pores of boots entirely. Also, if the leather boots have moisture already, do not put another layer of moisture in it. In that case, it will lose its breathability power.

Is Vaseline harmful for boots?

Vaseline can be a great product to smoothen and moisturize your boots. It has no excessive and powerful chemicals that can harm the boots.

Can you dye leather with coffee?

You can but the result is uncertain. You might need too much coffee for this step. Besides, the white pair of boots will change their color but not so much. But in the dark process, your dull and faded piece of leather will work with coffee.

Do you burnish leather before dyeing?

Dyeing is a very important and workable step to darken and change the color of the boots. But if you do not burnish the boots before they die, the result will be damaging boots after some use.

Final Words

This article contains the ways, methods, tips, and tricks about how to darken leather boots and how to apply the solutions as well.

In brief, once you find your way to darken the boots, you may make all shoes as new pairs. Pick the easiest and safest one that is very much over you. Additionally, whether you choose the natural way or artificial way, purchase the best product to keep your boot and your feet safe.