Do you have one or multiple pairs of leather shoes, but do not really know how to take good care of them? Then this guide will help you on the way. In three simple steps we will explain to you how to clean, colour, shine and protect your favourite leathers shoes. The first time you will probably take a bit longer to shine your shoes, but with a little practice you will become a shoe shining expert in no time! If you are in need of a more in-depth guide be sure to check our advanced shoe shine guide.
Introduction
Cleaning and conditioning
Start by removing all dirt and sand from your shoes with a brush or moist cloth. Apply Saphir Médaille d'Or Renovateur by using an applicator cloth. Make sure to distribute the cream evenly over the entirety of the shoe (except the soles). Allow the cream to soak into the leather for at least 5 minutes before brushing/buffing off any excess Renovateur cream with a horsehair brush. Renovateur will nourish the leather deeply.
Your shoes are now clean and nourished. At step 2 we will explain how to shine, recolour and give the basic level protection to your shoes.
Shining and recolouring
Apply some Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier shoe cream by using an applicator cloth or brush to evenly distribute the cream over the shoes. Allow the cream to be absorbed by the leather for about five minutes. Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier cream will nourish, recolour, protect and give a soft shine to your leather shoes. Brush your shoes with a horsehair brush to create a nice shine.
Tip: Depending on the damages or fading of the colour of your shoes you can apply+shine Pommadier cream up to three times to get better coverage. Check our Saphir colour guide to pick the best matching colour cream/wax for your shoes.
After finishing with this step your shoes will be recoloured and have a nice matte shine. At the third and final step we will discuss how you can waterproof your shoes and give them a high shine finish.
Waterproofing and high gloss finish
use Saphir Médaille d'Or Pate de Luxe to create a waterproofing high gloss finish on your shoes. Begin by applying a very thin layer of Saphir Medaille d'Or Pate de Luxe shoe wax. Be sure to spread the wax over the shoes as thin as possible. Afterwards, shine your shoes with preferably a cotton cloth (or a brush) to shine up the wax polish on the shoes. For new shoes or shoes that haven't been shined recently it can be beneficial to repeat this step once more after you are done.
Are your shoes fitted with leather soles? Then also give your sole edges a shine using Saphir Médaille d'Or Pate de Luxe.
Which colour shoe cream and/or wax should I pick?
Shoe polish will almost never exactly match the colour of your shoes. Even though your shoes are made and branded the colour ‘Cognac’ there are still many interpretations of what the colour needs to look like. To pick the right colour product for your shoes be sure to check out our Saphir Colour guide. We also give recommendations on when you should go for a neutral/colourless cream and when you might need a pigmented shoe cream.
Shoe shine guide for beginners
Recommended products
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Saphir Médaille d'Or
Renovateur
£16.75Saphir Médaille d'Or Renovateur, 75ml. Colourless renovating cream. This cream is perfect to restore your leather shoes or other goods. We advise y...
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Saphir Médaille d'Or
Pommadier shoe cream
£16.0026 colors availableSaphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier shoe cream, 75ml. Pommadier cream shoe polish is enriched with beeswax and shea butter. This very elaborate formula ...
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Saphir Médaille d'Or
Pommadier shoe cream 100ml
£19.006 colors availableSaphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier shoe cream, 100ml. Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier shoe cream is a shoe polish enriched with animal (beeswax) and veg...
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Saphir Médaille d'Or
Pâte de Luxe shoe wax 50ml
£9.0012 colors availableSaphir Médaille d'Or Pate de Luxe Wax 50ml. This luxurious shoe wax is 100% natural and contains several different types of wax, such as from anima...
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Saphir Médaille d'Or
Pâte de Luxe shoe wax 100ml
£16.0013 colors availableSaphir Médaille d'Or Pate de Luxe Wax, 100ml. Does best: Creating shine Also great at: Protecting and nourishing Most used for: Most smooth leath...
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Saphir Médaille d'Or
Lotion
£15.00Saphir Médaille d'Or Lotion, 125ml. We advise to use Saphir Lotion as a first step in the treatment of your smooth leather shoes, when you're not g...
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Saphir Médaille d'Or
Mirror Gloss wax
£21.007 colors availableSaphir Medaille d'Or Mirror Gloss Shoe Wax. This shoe wax by Saphir Médaille d'Or is a combination of natural hard waxes used to quickly build up a...
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Saphir Médaille d'Or
Vegetable tanned leather cream
£17.75Saphir Médaille d'Or vegetable tanned leather cream 75ml This cream has been specifically developed for cleaning and nourishing vegetable-tanned le...
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Saphir Médaille d'Or
Sole guard
£18.00Saphir Médaille d'Or Sole Guard 100ml. This protective vegetal oil is specially formulated to offer the best protection for the exterior of your sh...
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Saphir Médaille d'Or
Leather Cleaner
£17.00Saphir Médaille d'Or leather cleaner This cleaner is great at removing old shoe polish from your shoes to give them a fresh start. The product is e...
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