Clothes and accessories made of leather are very comfortable and practical for everyday life. They are not easily soiled, wear-resistant and do not lose their visual appeal over time. But external factors can sometimes lead to tanning of the material. How to soften the skin? Will the product have to be thrown away or can it be reanimated?
What should I do?
If leather clothes or gloves get dirty, it is easy enough to wipe the product with a damp cloth and the problem will be solved. A small amount of water on the front side of the skin will not damage it, even if you get into a leather jacket in the rain or accidentally step into a puddle with a leather boot. But a large amount of water can wet the inner surface of the skin, and then after drying it will become excessively hard and dry.
But do not rush to get rid of your favorite things. Today, many methods have been invented to help solve the problem. There are three main options for action:
- Folk methods or, in a modern way, "life hacks".
- Professional care productsleather.
- Dry cleaning services.
These ways to soften the skin are arranged in ascending order of cost. The cheapest way will be to cope with the problem of folk remedies at home, but you will have to answer for the result yourself. Consider each of the possible options in terms of efficiency.
Glycerin and sunflower oil
These are quite popular methods that are often shared with each other by members of online communities. Unfortunately, experts do not recommend using these means, albeit affordable, but harmful to products. Softening the skin with glycerin makes it fragile, and sunflower oil has only a temporary effect. Subsequently, the product will harden even more, and the skin from sunflower oil will become unpleasantly shiny.
Goose fat
Even our grandparents knew how to soften the leather on shoes - with the help of goose fat. It is necessary to cut the fat from the goose, melt it in a pan and let it cool. Lard is formed, which needs to be rubbed into the skin until the fat is no longer absorbed. If you believe the reviews, then even old chrome boots can be revived in this way. Experienced shoemakers also use goose fat.
Unfortunately, the availability of this method can be challenged - you must have a goose on hand. If he is not at home, then you can buy it in a store or on the market. But the amount of time spent and the cost of the bird is commensurate with professional skin care products.
Castor oil
Skin softeners are sold at any pharmacy. One of them is castor oil. They need to soak a cotton swab and wet the surface of gloves, shoes or clothes several times. The tool is recognized as effective and harmless to the product - the material will again become elastic and soft. At the same time, castor oil is quite inexpensive, and to apply it, you do not need to spend a lot of time on additional manipulations, as is the case with goose fat.
Hand cream
How to soften the skin of gloves easily and simply? It turns out that any ladies' hand cream will help. All you have to do is put on gloves, squeeze a small amount of cream onto your hands and massage them in the same way as with normal hand care.
Shoe cream
Shoe products can help soften the leather of any product. So, shoe cream can be mixed with ordinary baby cream in equal parts. The resulting mass must be applied to shoes or leather clothing in a thick layer and left for several minutes. If the shoe cream is used not colorless, but suitable in shade, then you can simultaneously update the color of the product.
Homemade ointment
Another folk remedy is an ointment based on beeswax. It is heated in a water bath, after which it is mixed with castor oil and turpentine. Such a cream will not only soften the material, but also protect in bad weather.
Paraffin
How to soften the leather on shoes if they are brand new and threaten to cause corns? To do this, the back is rubbed with paraffin or wax. In addition, you can go toback with a hammer, but this is a rather dangerous measure - you can damage the integrity of the skin.
Professional products
There are a number of manufacturers that are designed to deal with the problem of hard skin. Professional shoe care products will help - each of them must indicate the type of leather and the manufacturer's recommendations.
Which brands should I buy? This question is quite difficult to answer, since the price range in stores is designed for any wallet. It is worth noting that experts still do not advise saving on skin care, since it is much cheaper to purchase an expensive product than to buy expensive gloves or shoes every year.
Today, such manufacturers as S alton, Ecco, Salamander are famous. They offer a fairly wide range of products for various materials, including leather - natural and artificial. Buyers note the acceptable quality of any of these products. Given the affordable price and ease of use, it is the professional products of these brands that can be called the "golden mean" in terms of methods for softening leather products.
How to soften the skin of a product with a larger surface, such as a leather jacket? A leather softening spray will do.
Expert Help
If the product does not lend itself to either folk methods or professional sprays and foams, then you should contact a specialist. Some owners of leather products do notrun the risk of affecting the skin with something on their own, and immediately run to the dry cleaners.
It is worth choosing the one whose list of services includes the processing of accessories and leather clothes. Professionals will work with the product using proven technologies. Unfortunately, these services are not cheap. Therefore, this method is the most effective and high-quality, but inaccessible.
How to soften new shoes to avoid blisters? To do this, you can contact the shoemaker. The shoemaker has in his arsenal special tools with which he will process the shoes in order to then place the lasts in them. This method carries some risk - under the influence of the pads, the seams may burst and the product will deteriorate.
For prevention
Genuine leather products are not only expensive, but also require careful care. It is much easier to prevent trouble than to spend money and effort on fighting it. It is impossible to protect shoes or gloves from street dust and dirt, and contact with road chemicals in winter is completely inevitable. But no one has yet canceled the basic rules for caring for shoes and other leather products:
- If the skin is still wet, then it needs time to dry completely - a day or two. When it comes to shoes, it is better to have two or three pairs in reserve, and while one pair is “resting”, wear another.
- Pollution and dust must be removed immediately upon arrival from the street. If you leave this activity “for later”, then after a day the dirt can be absorbed. Then even professionalmeans will be powerless, and all that remains is to mask the stains.
- Shoes must be worn only with a spoon, laces must be unlaced, zippers must be unfastened to the end. Do not save time and neglect these tips, otherwise the shoes will quickly deform and lose their original appearance.
- If products require repair, contact a specialist immediately.
- Means for the care of shoes or other products must be selected carefully. It is important to take into account the type of skin and the recommendations of manufacturers. Truly high-quality universal products do not exist.
