Footwear needs to provide support, but also needs to be soft and flexible to maintain comfort. During the manufacturing process leather undergoes a procedure called tanning. This process adds tanning agents to maintain the structure of the leather, enabling it to keep its shape and provide support. Leather is also lubricated to increase suppleness and reduce friction between its fibers. When leather absorbs water, tanning agents and lubricants are lost, which causes the leather to become dry, stiff and prone to splitting. Nikwax Conditioner for Leather will nourish leather with tanning agents and lubricants to keep it in top condition.
Leather is hardwearing, breathable and provides a high level of support, making it an ideal material for footwear construction. If leather becomes wet its breathability will be reduced, leading to wet feet from condensation. Tanning agents and lubricants can be leeched out by water, causing leather to become dry, stiff and prone to splitting. Therefore, it is important to condition leather by replenishing tanning agents and lubricants, as well as maintaining Durable Water Repellency (DWR).
Anyone who is active outside in damp or wet conditions will benefit from breathable waterproof footwear. Whether you're a mountaineer or dog walker, or you work outside as a farmer or surveyor, you will need good footwear.
If you have new smooth leather boots, Nikwax Conditioner for Leather can be used to break them in without over-softening and also add Durable Water Repellency (DWR). It should also be used periodically to maintain your smooth leather footwear; nourishing the leather by replacing tanning agents and lubricants, stopping it from becoming dry and stiff. Nikwax Conditioner for Leather can also be used to restore suppleness to dried out leather and prolong the useful life of footwear.
Traditional leather conditioning products may be made with animal fats and therefore encourage microbial growth, which can affect the stitching on your boots and also encourage leather to rot! Additionally, these traditional leather conditioning products are easily over applied and this can damage the support of your footwear. It is very difficult to over apply Nikwax Conditioner for Leather because it is a WaterBased product and stops being absorbed once the footwear is fully treated.
The WaterBased formulation can be used on wet or dry leather. It is absorbed into the leather where it is needed most and will not over-soften. Nikwax Conditioner for Leather has been specifically designed and optimized for breathable waterproof smooth leather footwear. It conditions leather by replenishing tanning agents and lubricants, and can be used to either break in new leather or revitalize dried and cracked leather. Nikwax Conditioner for Leather also adds Durable Water Repellency (DWR) to smooth leather, maintaining breathability. It is non-flammable, contains no harmful solvents and is free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fluorocarbons.
