Leather clothes and accessories are very convenient and practical for everyday life. They are not easily soiled, wear-resistant and do not lose their external attractiveness over time. But external factors can sometimes lead to subduing of the material. How to soften the skin? Will the product have to be thrown out or can it be reanimated?
How to proceed?
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 from the front of the skin will not harm it, even if you get in 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 thing. Today, many methods have been devised to help solve the problem. There are three main options for action:
- Folk methods or, in a modern way, "life hacks".
- Professional skin care products.
- Dry cleaning services.
These methods of softening the skin are arranged in increasing order of value. 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 by members of online communities. Unfortunately, experts do not recommend using these means, albeit affordable, but harmful to the products. Softening the skin with glycerin makes it fragile, and sunflower oil has only a temporary effect. Subsequently, the product will stiffen even more, and the skin from sunflower oil will become unpleasantly glossy.
Goose fat
Our grandparents also knew how to soften the skin on shoes - with the help of goose fat. The goose needs to cut out the fat, melt it in a pan and let cool. Lard is formed, which needs to be rubbed on the skin until the fat is no longer absorbed. If you believe the reviews, then in this way you can reanimate even the old chrome boots. Seasoned shoemakers also use goose fat.
Unfortunately, the availability of this method can be argued - you must have a goose on hand. If he is not at home, then he can be bought in a store 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 dab the surface of gloves, shoes, or clothing 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 very 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 . It is enough to put on gloves, squeeze a small amount of cream on your hands and massage them, as in the usual procedure for hand care.
Shoe cream
Shoe care products can help soften the skin 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 clothes in a thick layer and left for several minutes. If shoe polish is used not colorless, but suitable in color, then the color of the product can be updated at the same time.
Home ointment
Another folk remedy is a beeswax ointment. It is drowned in a water bath, after which it is mixed with castor and turpentine. Such a cream will not only soften the material, but also protect it in bad weather.
Paraffin
How to soften the skin on shoes, if it is completely new and threatens the appearance of corns? To do this, rub the backdrop with paraffin or wax. In addition, you can walk along the back with a hammer, but this is a rather dangerous measure - you can damage the integrity of the skin.
Professional Tools
There are a number of manufacturers that are designed to deal with the problem of hardened skin. Professional shoe products will help - on each of them the skin type and manufacturer's recommendations are necessarily indicated.
What brands should be purchased? 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 recommend saving on skin care, as it is much cheaper to buy an expensive product than to buy expensive gloves or shoes every year.
Today, manufacturers such as Salton, 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 professional products of these brands that can be called the “golden mean” in the issue of softening methods for leather products.
How to soften the skin of a product with a larger surface, such as a leather jacket? Suitable spray to soften the "Peel".
Specialist help
If the product is not amenable to either folk methods or professional sprays and foams, then you should consult a specialist. Some owners of leather products do not at all risk acting on the skin with something on their own, but immediately run to dry cleaning.
It is worth choosing the one whose list of services includes processing accessories and leather clothes. Professionals will work with the product using proven technologies. Unfortunately, such services are not cheap. Therefore, this method is the most effective and high-quality, but inaccessible.
How to soften new shoes to avoid the formation of corns? To do this, you can contact the shoe shop. The shoemaker has in his arsenal special tools with which he will process the shoes in order to then place the pads in it. This method carries some risk - under the influence of pads, the seams can burst, and the product deteriorates.
For prophylaxis
Genuine leather products are not only expensive, but also require careful care. It is much easier to prevent troubles than to spend money and effort on fighting them. It is impossible to protect shoes or gloves from street dust and dirt, and contact with road reagents in winter is inevitable. But the basic rules for the care of shoes and other leather products have not been canceled yet:
- If the skin is still wet, then it needs time to completely dry - a day or two. If we are talking about 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 in a day the dirt can be absorbed. Then even professional tools will be powerless, and it remains only to mask the spots.
- Shoes should only be worn with a spoon, the laces should be unlaced, and the zipper should 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 the products require repair, you should contact a specialist immediately.
- Care products for shoes or other products must be selected carefully. It is important to consider the type of skin and manufacturer's recommendations. Truly high-quality universal remedies do not exist.