How To Shine Your Cowboy Boots | Kirby Allison

We love to help people take care of their shoes, and a request that we often receive here is for guidance on how to keep Cowboy boots lo oking good. Well as a resident Texan, it would be remiss of Kirby Allison to not pass on the skills and knowledge needed when learning how to shine your cowboy boots.
So sit back, relax and enjoy this guide, going through all the steps to get your boots looking good as new.
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[@roserstefan]

Only guy I know that would polish a pair of boots wearing an expensive tailored suit. What a guy!

[@logan577]

Yup, digging the garden, cleaning the oven, sky diving, always the suit and tie. What a guy!

[@gatriemacleinn1976]

Kirby is in a class of his own

[@randyfuller7294]

At last a cowboy lesson. Please more western style

[@culichi0776]

Yes. Please do more western style videos

[@gfghjfgfghfj]

Lizards?

[@milantoombs6696]

You did an excellent job on the boots, they look wonderful. Question, do you need a different brush for different colors, like one for black and a different one for brown? Thank you.

[@PikeSlayer69]

Just mink oiled some elk tracker irish setters to this video. Amazing video kirby thank you

[@jamesl5352]

Looks great. I like how the patina shows through. They look like a trusty pair of boots.

[@jd5655]

Thank you for this video! I needed to see how to clean a pair of ostrich boots. I can follow directions but I was afraid to do it until I saw this video. I have all of those products

[@kirbyallison]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GenX6887]

One thing I love about cowboy boots is that some of them can be worn with a suit! More specifically your traditional black cowboy boots. But other boots like snakeskin would work great too with a suit! Of course depending on the leather and the style of the boot.

[@Harleyrk99]

Any cowboy boot goes perfect with any suit. Cowboy boots over dress shoes any day all day.

[@youtubeTrole]

I just got my first pair of cowboy boots yesterday just for this reason.

[@mattheww8504]

Black cherry boots are my go too dress boot

[@RemyNiemand]

They look tremendous. Thank you Kirby. Remy Bangkok, Thailand

[@josefsifuentes4618]

Great video. Thanks. Quick note though, the smooth ostrich leather comes from the belly area of the bird. The legs of an ostrich are scaly and the leather from that part looks a lot like snakeskin. Boot made from ostrich leg are often confused for snakeskin in fact. In ostrich leather, you can get full quill, smooth ostrich, and ostrich leg.

[@Willghanistan]

I've recently made my move to cowboy boots and they last way longer than sneakers. They are a great value for how long they last, even longer when you care for them.

[@yaboi2337]

Nice boots needs a new sole soon but great vid

[@hunterdka]

What would you recommend for a western boot in black cherry? Its currently then perfect blend of black and deep red color. I condition with reptan just not sure on polish.

[@jflint2987]

What a beautiful boot down the the wear on the shaft

[@kurjan1]

Awww... Now I'm going to have to give mine a polish🤗😃. Bit surprised though, you didn't insert boot trees?

[@leezep9794]

Amazing shine Kirby, I will be purchasing the same products to shine my lucchesse boots.

[@boldrich7225]

Perfect, what else can I say!!!!!!

[@jmartin2778]

I have a similar color pair of lace-up boots (Heschung). I purchased some Saphir Hermes red from THP and use it in conjunction with the cognac to give the boots a mahogany tone. They look spectacular. Nice work Kirby and thanks for the vids.

[@dalehoak765]

what about for ostrich skin or alligator skin boots, would the clear cream be the best option @kirby Allison

[@yorchflores1478]

As a man who only wears cowboy boots it was really nice to see you shine sime boots. Thank you kirby

[@randyfuller7294]

yorch flores Me to guy. I wish he would do more on C-boots I were with suits also. Most black and dark brown. Kirby from Texas what else is there to say Maybe a bespoke men’s western Texas suit?

[@yorchflores1478]

@@randyfuller7294 i do wear my boots with suits all the time. Ive become known for that. Im in houston and u know tx is cowboy nation. I really love all my boots, i have a bit of a collection of different colors, shapes and leathers. I stopped wearing shoes altogether like 8 yrs ago and im not going back

[@randyfuller7294]

yorch flores exactly me to sense 1965. From fire engine red to black from snake to elephant and gater we need to tell Kirby that there are lots of us and a series of c-boots and wear would be a good series

[@yorchflores1478]

@@randyfuller7294 u have a bit of a head start on me but me too brother. I have some bright red eel boots also and purple, blue, yellow, green and different kinds of exotics, all the gator family is a must all im missing to finish my "croc" collection is some hornback. Snake skins are in my opinion the softest and most comfortable of all the skins. And a series on western wear would be great. I love all the embroidered western shirts

[@randyfuller7294]

yorch flores Wow now I am really jealous I don’t have all those colours wow purple man awesome. I had a purple sport coat boy purple boots would have been awesome. Thank you for your input.

[@georgebulbakwa9017]

Whatever happened to those cowboy boots you were being measured for?

[@kirbyallison]

The Lee Miller boots are still waiting to be made. I am almost at the top of the long waiting list that Lee Miller has for a pair of his boots. Fingers crossed for later this year.

[@nospin1394]

First timer by chance and not quite what I was looking for but your knowledge and enthusiasm kept me interested enough to see the end product. I did not know the many steps involved. Like anything it’s what you invest into it. Definitely going to check out more episodes.

[@ShoeShineMex]

Hello, i have a pair of cowboy Boots with Elephant skin in the vamp area, what product do you recomend for elephant? Is fine if i use Saphir neutral cream on them?

[@straycat62]

yes but follow up with a boar/pig bristle brush to clean the textured leather up .I believe Kirby did a video on elephant leather too

[@iammoemcdonald]

What brand of cowboy boots are those?

[@paulcastellano3373]

Do you ever worry about getting polish on your bespoke suits. Your a better man than I am Gunga Din

[@LinusScrubTips]

I hate pigmented polish, ruins the patina of boots. I bought a pair of vintage red wing 899s that some goober put brown polish on. Had to wipe with rubbing alcohol to get the bulk, then saddle soap. After conditioning with bick 4 the beautiful oro russet came back to life. Probably going to put some heavier mink oil based liquid just to make sure the leather is really oiled again, even if darkens it for a year or so.

[@clydechavez3483]

I really liked the way they looked after the buffering with the pig bristle brush at 13:03 than 23:32. All it needed after that was a neutral wax and do the heel and soles. That cream kinda covered the natural grain of the leather. Of coarse that's just my preference .Just saying.

[@petersilecchio4417]

Hi. Loved Your Video! You really worked very hard. But well worth the work, they came out Beautiful! Hope Someone wears them.

[@TheJoelhd]

Do you ever use a boot tree when polishing?

[@armondoblake35]

Great job on the boots.Wish you would of shown how to prep the soles.

[@mamboleg]

Interested to know why you didn’t use some sort of boot tree to keep the shape of the shoe whilst shining?

[@gabrieleamornim960]

Would be good to know what socks are the most proper to use with cowboy boots, I have seen whites sport, and sheers socks, hey first coment 😘😘

[@txrazor2643]

As a boot wearing Texan, I prefer boot socks. They usually cover the calf and have a little padding in the heel and toe box. This is to prevent any slipping, especially with new boots. Then again I know people who will wear any kind of sock.

[@jeremypope-levison721]

I really only ever wear boots, and I wear ankle socks mostly with boots. People think I am crazy, but I find that a comfortable boot can have any sock worn with them

[@randyfuller7294]

Gabrielle Montiel Good question I usually ware white socks my self but suffering from sock drop. But sheer socks do not feel rite. Would love to find a knee high thicker boot sock.

[@perla_aka_mimi]

I can tell he really likes to shine boots he is very concentrated while shining and he can do it Olin a expensive suit

[@Jim58223]

Were these the boots you had made by Lee Miller? What ever happened to that set of videos? Thanks.

[@kirbyallison]

No these are some boots that were sent in to us for a shine. The Lee Miller boots are still waiting to be made. I am almost at the top of the long waiting list that Lee Miller has for a pair of his boots. Fingers crossed for later this year.

[@Jim58223]

Kirby Allison Ahh I see, well wish you luck.

[@jimnaysium2290]

How do I get my boots shined and such by you? I wear them to work on a cow farm every day, can they be shined?

[@jimnaysium2290]

Also, how would I remove the black wear marks from where my pant hems and spurs sit on the boots?

[@azkafen9306]

For my boots after cleaning out a stall or a shift out in the fields, clean the boots with bick 4 wait till they dry than switch to the saphire products he shows here. As for the spur marks thats a tough one. Good luck

[@Ryan-ft8dz]

Do you wet the Dauber before dipping it into the soap?

[@Ray-wb3tr]

I have a pair of cowboy boots with colored stitching on the toe area. What can one do in this case so as to not change the color of stitching? Thanks.

[@straycat62]

I would use neutral in any area you don't want colored. Thats what I do.

[@johncas1]

Can you use a neutral polish on the upper

[@SamuelOneSpot]

And here i thought those were your boots

[@vendetta1306]

Mine earned this after serving 6 years

[@NckNck-pu9vb]

Kirby, how do you wear cowboy boots? And when do you wear a pair? Must I live in Texas? I live in San Francisco...

[@NckNck-pu9vb]

Follow up, who makes the best cowboy boot?

[@BayernLean]

Unless he recently started, he doesn’t. He said he doesn’t own any...

[@azkafen9306]

I have a home in the east bay, and a farm house in Arizona. Ive worn my boots with a M2M suit and with jeans they are very versatile.

[@Golf36732]

Wear them with anything. Just find a look and style that works for you and wear them. As far a the best boots, Anderson Bean, Rios of Mercedes, Lucchese, and Hondo boots are excellent choices. Lucchese makes an excellent budget boot in goat skin with their 1883 line as well as the 2000 line. If you have a bigger budget, look at the classics. All these boots are hand crafted in the USA or Mexico. I wouldn’t wear a boot made in any other country but that’s just me. For a more versatile boot, I would stick to the leather or exotic skins and stay away from the rough out or suede. Hope that helps

[@parkerkuehn]

Would love to see more videos doing different kinds of skins and different colored heels on cowboy boots! This video and the elephant video have been very helpful for me

[@madscientist7548]

Like the class of the channel. Feels gentleman like. Got my subscribe.

[@robertrandin9568]

Great job nice video how you been going a little further and do my soles I sand them down lightly and I dressing like brown color to the bottom and it looks like a brand new boot after you're done nobody had videos on redoing the soles

[@josephlittle4119]

Great video thank you for all you do I learned very much about polishing boots

[@dereklucero5785]

I love your vids, and I wished I could afford ostrich skinned boots….. regardless, I learned polishing skills from this video 😁👍

[@richardcampbell5762]

You got a new subscriber. 👍🇺🇸🤙🇺🇸✌️🇺🇸

[@christopherwilson7698]

Never knew I wanted a pair of ostrich cowboy boots till just now LoL

[@onixtheone]

Is pommadier good for oiled leathers or chromexcel? Or should I stick to greasy leather cream?

[@AngelHernandez-sj4nk]

Really enjoy & appreciate your helpful vids!😅👍

[@tojosephc]

What was the first background song played in the video?

[@tojosephc]

What was the first background song played in the video?

[@surinderjitsingh8954]

Please change the cloth

[@TheJoelhd]

I usually only put the wax on the toe of the boot - is this an ok practice or should I cover the entire boot with wax after using the polish?

[@Sleepy731]

Great video! Any recommendations for Stingray boot care?

[@sciavash]

The fact that you wear a suit whilst doing the dirtiest tasks to do gives me anxiety!

[@aaronrussell9484]

Nice! I normally just oil mine but I definatly think its worth the extra steps to get that real shine. Im going to give it a shot.

[@motorockstar8379]

Is this soap appropriate for exotic leathers, such as caiman?

[@benjaminmagnin1583]

What is the brand of these boots? They look great!

[@trashyturboguy1517]

I wonder if Kirby ever wears a pair of basketball shorts and t-shirt...

[@MBr397]

Only in his nightmares!🤣🤣

[@Gt3johnmac]

Kirby, at the beginning of this video I was shocked to see you cleaning and waxing cowboy boots in that sharp suit and tie! You did an excellent job in real time without soiling your sharp outfit! I have been polishing my shoes since I was a little boy. I learned some new techniques from you tonight. ; )

[@madscientist7548]

Wow the finished product looks great

[@masteranakin8827]

More viscous means it is thicker, not more liquid like. If something is thinner then it is less viscous.

[@HighGrade_FireBlade]

How should one care for shoes that are not being worn very often? Since this pandemic I’ve been working from home and haven’t been wearing most of my shoes. Is it ok to just do a full condition and mirror shine and throw them in the box for months to possibly a year without using them? Or should I strip them every so often to recondition the leather?

[@michaelbaerga8932]

If you use the shoes even a few times a week or month. I suggest stripping off the wax’s and recondition every so often and maybe less as often as you normally would. How often you do it is up to you, but I still suggest normally conditioning the leather.

[@christineuniversexy]

Thanks, just what I was looking for!

[@holdthatblaow]

How many suits have you ruined by doing these shoe polish videos? I like to think of myself as someone who is careful but even I make messes when polishing my shoes.

[@kirbyallison]

So far, haven’t ruined any.

[@MTCKIE68]

You can heat up the stuff with a lighter and it's much easier to work in

[@charliemckay6402]

Did you ever get your Lee Miller cowboy boots? Lee Miller seems to have disappeared.

[@kirbyallison]

He is currently working on them. A very long waiting list with Lee, as he is in high demand. If you look at my instagram page you can see Lee sent the designs for the patterns on the shaft of the boots

[@htuah1]

And doing all that in a great looking suit.

[@BrainwashedTelevision]

Didemt even use boot tree’s

[@leetingler619]

Such style in boot 👢 polishing!

[@j.l.walden9918]

How would you do stingray boots????

[@Golf36732]

I hope you will reply to this because I’m trying to search this out. I’ve heard to not put too much wax on exotics like ostrich and gator. The skins need to breath. You can put creams that have a minimal amount of wax and that is fine. You seemed to put a lot of wax on those boots. Maybe it’s the products you are using but I would like to hear your response to this.

[@kirbyallison]

I’m waxing only the toes. Best to primarily use cream but supplement with wax to elevate the shine as needed

[@Golf36732]

@@kirbyallison thank you

[@jonpaulison2283]

Beautiful

[@nathanhearn8914]

Shinning shoes in a suit! This Man lives exactly how he wants! I love to see it

[@SantiagoTM1]

Mr. Kirby Allison, first & foremost thank you for this great video. I can't remember viewing a video with my 1st cup of coffee. #1: U look sharp Sir, FINALLY, a man who know how to dress & look like a true gentleman Sir Allison. I too once shined shoes when I was a kid & shined shoes in downtown Tucson, that, & a News Paper Bundle. A Newspaper $0.25. I too have 4 pairs of custom-made cowboy boots in Ostrich/Shark/Alligator & Old School Bison (Buffalo) skins. I once dressed like X28 years as a Criminal Defense Attorney. Now, I'm just a Butler to my 3 grandkids & 5 family dogs + a cat. I hardly wear a suit now, only when I dine with my 5 kids, where I require that we all wear our Sunday best, but I still wear all of my Boots. SHining all my shoes is therapeutic to me now.

[@cameronseagraves9323]

That is smooth Ostrich not Ostrich leg the smooth is cut from the side and the leg almost looks like reptile skin and full quills Ostrich is the one is bumpie

[@InGodwetrust7777]

What is the name of those boots?

[@jacksonirick5111]

They are a Dan post boots might be discontinued though

[@stevehovey70]

hope Saphir is a sponsor

[@Ericnelson1001]

Looks really good

[@roywayne5847]

Love Justine boots

[@frankmarti8984]

Very nice thanks

[@KMaybach1]

Dear Kirby, did you clean the leg with the same soap? Thanks

[@ARlELATOM]

2:36

[@KMaybach1]

@@ARlELATOM Thanks, I phrased the question incorrectly. I wanted to ask, what are you cleaning the leg with, before conditioning it.

[@lonestarsy99]

Nicely done Mr Allison

[@rfcorreiaiv]

nice boots!

[@abdulazizalhamar_]

Stunning❤️

[@MichaelCarmichael]

Enjoyed this video that raised questions in my mind. Now that you have abjured the Saphir Edge Dressing & Renovating Recolorant Repair Cream, do you still use Saphir Sole Guard? Would you ever consider using shoe trees to restore, clean, shine cowboy boots? Would you ever consider patinating cowboy boots? Thanks for such informative and demonstrative videos on the restoration of shoes and cowboy boots.

[@kowaltoboggan]

Well done, Kirby!

[@j0shll0yd]

Beautiful!

[@MrBubinski777]

Bravo!

[@CIAG4PNP]

Any way to prevent the shoe wax from cracking under the hot sun? On a hot day the sun always causes my shine to make spider cracks on the toe of the boot. Thank you.

[@randyfuller7294]

0311Devil Dog Boy am I with you on this one. Same problem for us living in the hot desert area’s in California

[@number1pappy]

I'm not saying he doesn't but, I'm just having a hard time picturing this guy actually wearing cowboy boots! Just saying....

[@htuah1]

I like this guy. So sincere and obviously passionate about his craft. Thanks Kirby, for the inspiration.

[@abdullahal-shimri3091]

I've never polished a shoe in my life. Thank Allah, I just buy disposable shoes from Walmart.

[@danielmiles1]

I am not an expert, but I can say for certain this is not ostrich leg. Ostrich leg looks more like a reptile skin.

[@Golf36732]

I didn’t hear ostrich leg but it looks like it could have been smooth ostrich

[@Artessnow]

He said the uppers were cow leather.

[@HarryFlashman.]

I'm really sorry Kirby, but no amount of shine could endear me to appreciate a pair of cowboy boots.