Wax VS Cream Shoe Polish: Demonstration

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Are you using the right polish for your fine leather shoes? While wax polishes tend to be the most common polish you'll find in stores, it doesn't mean you're giving your shoes the royal treatment.
Wax polishes are primarily used to bring up the shine in the leather shoe; the high concentration of hard waxes in a wax polish is what allows you to produce a high gloss shine. However, a wax polish does not offer the same level of nourishing and conditioning as a cream polish does.
We recommend using the Saphir Pommadier Medaille D'Or cream polish before applying any wax polish to your shoe, as it does a better job of nourishing, conditioning, and renovating the leather than a wax polish does.
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**Products featured in this video**
Saphir Pate De Luxe Wax Polish
www.kirbyallis....
Saphir Pommadier Cream Polish
www.kirbyallis....
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Wax polish:
Wax polishes are primarily used to create a nice shine on leather shoes due to the high concentration of hard waxes. The hard waxes allow you to produce that high gloss shine but do not offer the same level of nourishing and conditioning as a cream polish. We recommend using the wax polish to supplement a cream polish.
Cream polish:
The Saphir Medaille D’Or cream polish is considered by shoe aficionados to be the best shoe polish in the world. The Saphir Medaille D’Or cream polish is made from all natural pine turpentine and does not use any petroleum-based solvents to penetrate the leather. By using all natural pine turpentine, this polish ensures that it will be taking the best care possible of your high-quality leather shoes. Cream polishes do a better job at nourishing, conditioning, renovating, and/or recoloring your leather shoes and prevents any risk of damage from silicone or other resins. In addition to using the cream polish, we recommend using the wax polish to achieve a high gloss shine.

[@kirbyallison]

Enter for a chance to win a FREE Saphir Shoeshine Starter Kit. Sign Up Here: www.hangerproject.com/giveaway/ This comprehensive kit contains everything you need to begin taking the best care possible of your shoes. Giveaway ends January 29th. Good luck!

[@psilocybemusashi]

Kirby, Have you ever tried Griffin shoe polishes. I was surprised by the nice finish it produces for something I found randomly in a grocery store.

[@brandonbentley8532]

I've grown up with commonly found Kiwi products but now know Saphir is really in a whole other league.

[@brandonbentley8532]

@@psilocybemusashi I'm not Kirby but he (Kirby) did a video with other brands, even high-end polishes. What sets Saphir aside is it uses a natural pine turpintine, not a petroleum based one. Petroleum at first might look great but over time will lead to cracking...I've learned from the pro Kirby!

[@joeglowacki1535]

Kirby, no shoe trees? You must put shoe trees in your shoes the moment you take them off. It will help,retain the shape as they dry out. We do sweat

[@REY-RUM]

What hair product do you use???

[@Matthan678]

These shoe cleaning videos by Kirby are absolutely outstanding. He explains WHY processes are necessary which is so important. Everything he says has a clear, precise meaning and is in a logical sequence. I have learned a huge amount from them. Many thanks to you Kirby.

[@JohnnyArtPavlou]

Like Reviewbrah’s older brother.

[@thibaultbossert8863]

It's so good he even puts it in his hair

[@Naitik46]

😂

[@altoticket]

Why am I on a watching spree of shoe polishing videos at 2 am - if I dont even take care of mine?

[@poetic_justice]

Exactly!

[@dimarcodrahgi5866]

Yup 2am for me here too

[@AA-wd2or]

It's relaxing some call these behaviour ASMR response

[@jt0851]

Because self improvement never sleeps.

[@mistermastermind528]

@@jt0851 exactly. I also did not take care of my shoes so watching these videos is a means of learning them.

[@carlolaput2597]

Thank you for always mentioning the warning about over waxing in areas where the shoe flexes, which causes the cracked white appearance, more people need to know about that

[@metamorphomisk]

How do you remove those?

[@al4381]

@@metamorphomisk he says at the end of the video you can just brush them off with the same brush

[@cyberla]

This guy is awesome! He's like a young/old guy lol. Thank you so much for the tutorial and invitation for help 👊

[@rayrobinson6841]

Love this guy ,, I can believe how many young men don't know how to polish a pair of shoes. " unbelievable " great video. Young men don't know how to dress like a gentleman these days.. Nice to see someone still knows how it's done..fantastic teaching aid.

[@_audacity2722]

Thank you for this video! I started working trades and getting into leather boots and wears a few years ago. I was always hard on my tennis shoes as a kid. I ran them into the dirt. My parents hated how frequently I would destroy them.... But my leather boots last for years! And I actually quite enjoy taking care of my leather. It's a nice way to clear my head and ground myself, shampooing, conditioning, and polishing my leather. I've been wondering if I've been doing it correctly all this time, because my parents are simple city folk who don't know much about leather or how to care for it. I polish with a layer of neutral cream polish, a layer of colored cream polish, and then I finish off with 1 or 2 layers of wax polish. It made sense to me, since like you said cream is primarily for conditioning the leather and wax is used for a protective layer. I'm so glad to finally get confirmation that this is a good method to polish!! Thanks again!!

[@agc11520]

What a really well explained presentation! I was especially in the Saphir range … I have been polishing my shoes since I was about 8 years old (I was born in 1970). You are quite right to point out the quality differential that exists for shoe care products. There are some very expensive and beautifully made shoes, sadly many of the owners have no idea how to care for them. Dress shoes are quick and easy to care for and they look fantastic when they are well cared for. Thanks for the clear and calm stylistic delivery. I will definitely be buying some Saphir products … I am a sucker for high shining my leather footwear. 😂

[@mikeyandalyssab4782]

I keep waiting for the trollie to ride by in the background and then have him walk over and feed his fish.

[@SPookyTheKiller]

4:08 - anyone else noticed, that he switched the side view to the wax polish here? :-D :-D

[@vatankumarattri392]

exactly my point

[@dusanveselka3240]

That's a mistake made by editing

[@grabtharandhishammer8251]

yeah. Did a double take myself. Had to rewind it just to double check

[@austinomoria8218]

me too @@grabtharandhishammer8251

[@JollyDeacs11]

Yes, but now my shoes are so shiny, they reflect the sun onto approaching airplanes... I might have too much shine now?

[@QVL75]

Excellent video on shoe conditioning and polishing, and Saphir products.

[@tigglepig]

A very good tutorial, I will invest in one of those large horsehair brushes ! Thanks.

[@qazmko22]

The big soft ones.. after a harder one filled with polish... even with KIWI will being out an AMAZING shine... I just did that in 5 minutes with a shine kit I found at a Vintage Store.. I highly suggest it..

[@naughtyboy7151]

by far the most decent video on distinguishing cream & hard wax polish

[@michaeldale3096]

I always remove the laces AND I clean the tongue with cream but not wax

[@gesalbte]

Mr. Allison's recommendation (presumably after cleaning and conditioning the leather): - Apply the cream to the entire shoe. After it dries, brush it off with a horsehair brush. Do it 2 or 3 times. 0:27 - Apply light wax to the entire shoe, 1 or 2 coats. Apply multiple layers of wax only to the toe box and hind quarters . 1:13 Mr. Allison showing the result of: - 1 application of cream and brushing. 5:25 - 1 coat of wax and brushing. 8:35

[@christopherwilliams4552]

Thanks for your shoe shine videos. I have found them all to be significant sources of information.

[@andrewgardiner563]

Unexpectedly informative. Everything I was hoping to learn. Thank you for this video. Keep doing these.

[@rodboggess]

I actually did cause damage to my sites using Saphir cream by leaving it on overnight. It turned out that, while I attempted to apply the cream liberally, it wasn’t even, and in places where it was thicker, the dye created stains that left the shoes blotchy.

[@Spaceman2484]

That may just be buildup of the cream, there is a product (Reno Mat I think) that removes the wax finish which may contain most of the dye

[@Maxime-ho9iv]

I think there's a mistake in the editing of the video. 4:08 shows the use of polish where you are at the creaming phase. Great videos by the way ;)

[@hollygolightly8048]

Maxime good catch

[@GarenPhillips]

Mr. Rogers with the boot swag

[@catlady8324]

I came here for the “Mr. Rodgers sweater” comment. Left satisfied! 👍

[@tommartin1223]

I thought so too

[@thetruebrit85]

Best shoe shine boy video I've ever seen! I'm definitely saving this tutorial video. Thanks for sharing. Much appreciated

[@toobalkain]

Perhaps the most important lesson here, don’t apply too much hard wax, it’s easy to overdo it and difficult to remove and those white cloudy lines are very unsightly. I put way too much on a pair of Fiorentini+Baker boots, it multiple de-applications and two bottles of Renomat to remove the redundant layers. It’s also a good idea to watch all these videos as otherwise you might not learn that all old waxes have to be removed once or twice a year, shoes cleaned to their leather so there’s nothing left and then the whole regimen applied again; Renovateur, Pommadier, Pate de Luxe (or Mirror polish).

[@jumboJetPilot]

I’ve always applied hard waxes with water-dampened cotton balls. After sitting a few minutes I’ll then go over the shoes with new damp cotton balls; more-or-less the classical “spit shine” technique. Once you master the technique then your shine, just like mine, will challenge the best, most mirror-like shine in the world. You can do that maybe ten or so times before you then strip all the polish and then repeat as desired.

[@jaxson1948]

Great Job Kirby!

[@Dolritto]

Melting them together gives very satisfying mix.

[@hopepeacetrust]

My bro was in the army and watching this reminds me of the days he taught me and made me polish his shoes whenever he came home on vacation... This man in a way looks and sounds like my brother 😂😅😊... I had to apply the cream polish and leave the shoes in the sunshine until the polish gets absorbed for 30-60mins and then i had to polish it with the brush until each and every surface reflects light like a mirror

[@briarboy8959]

Thanks Mr. Rogers.

[@slim555555]

Exactly, a homey neighborhood touch.

[@qed4050]

Always a pleasure to watch your vidios

[@theoppiesghost]

He is the absolute best.

[@rumbatumba3458]

Thank you for the clarification and thank you for the lesson!

[@robertdouglas9345]

Discovered your channel just recently, great content! Keep up the good work, God Bless!

[@leftwomen8417]

I'm a bootmaker and footwear repairman; retired after 40 years in the shoe retail and repair business. My best advice to preserve and care for your shoes or boots is to never use any product that soaks into the leather. Products like shoe creams, waterproofing oils or sprays are harmful to the leather if used regularly and a waste of money. The only product to put on shoes is wax polish. I always told my customers use it often but lightly. The best way to polish shoes is to spritz the outside of the shoe with water to remove the dust and slight dirt. If the shoe or boot is quite dirty then rinse it under a faucet with cold water, never warm or hot water. Before the shoe dries add a light coat of wax polish (I recommend Lincoln was polish but Kiwi is ok). Use a horsehair polish dauber or a cotton cloth and use a polish that is color similar. Though a neutral polish will protect it will add a slight white discoloration if applied to darker colored shoes. Neutral polish works best on white, beige or light grey tones. After applying the polish buff with a horsehair brush or a cotton cloth. I recommend this method for all leather shoes or boots no matter the environment. Polish often but lightly and the leather will respond even better in time and the process will become easier.

[@arncj18]

but for sway there is only spray that works..

[@amalgamated6448]

Great video! I have some new Doc Martens that I want to shine up. Using some cream, and later gonna wax them. Thanks for the great tips!

[@AIntel540]

Great way of explaining.

[@nigelpate6751]

Thank you, bought saphir cream, wax and sole guard for my English Barkers.

[@j.walker6845]

These tutorials are very useful!

[@rbjstudio]

Great vid, short and to the point, I wonder what I did wrong when my shoes become a little white! Gracias

[@FrankGutowski-ls8jt]

Cremes contains emulsified lanolin. Waxes contain carnauba, which produces the best shine.

[@anthonyweisse9758]

Great video!

[@TH-gr2pz]

Rocking that Mr Rogers outfit!

[@Matthew-wi5si]

Loving that Mister Rogers sweater

[@zaidkhalid5263]

excellent video

[@fahren1962]

J'ai enfin réussi ! Merci Kirby !

[@lizzapaolia959]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing this information 👌

[@Bladesmobile]

Thanks for this and all your videos Kirby

[@davidvianello5881]

Alleluia! At last explained. Thank you ❤

[@jamesbryce2865]

Kirby! You are going to have to begin stocking deeper. I went to order some basics, and you're out of stock once more. Love your channel and site, but I'm forced to go to Amazon to get the products I need today. I'd rather buy from you Kirby, and be able to tell my friends to as well. I'm in love with this stuff and giving it as gifts now, it truly is like nothing else out there.

[@kirbyallison]

James Bryce James - like what? We ran out of a few things because the winter storm knocked one of our deliveries off. But we do need to work on better in-stock percentages.

[@jamesbryce2865]

Today, it was... Renovatuer, Dark Brown cream Polish, Black Cream Polish, small welt brush. Those are the ones I remember, and just double checked. OOS. I know they are more obscure, but I've been wanting the Deer bone, and basic horn shoe horn for a while as well.

[@kirbyallison]

James Bryce Shit man. Sorry. PM me and I’ll take care if you. Will resolve Monday.

[@kirbyallison]

James Bryce We just got the deer bones on Thursday. Should be back soon.

[@jamesbryce2865]

No worries, I'll PM, but it's a good problem for you. The channel is working to reach people and they are responding. Thanks for taking care of us.

[@macallanvintage]

Its great to use a Cream Polish to nourish and enhance colour richness. But using waxes thereafter is outdated and unnecessarily laborious. Since you want the wax to give a great gloss and repel water, simply spray any silicone-based spray on top of that leather. Buff with a soft dry cloth. Easy and quick. No more cracking due to flexing. No more thick buildup of old wax layers. No more messy hands and hard labour work.

[@rachelso6013]

you covered everything i want to know! thank you!

[@romanmuradyan220]

Merci Monsieur Kirby pour ces explications, vous êtes aussi très élégant british 👔🎩👞

[@anthonys5568]

Well said Sir, thank you.

[@zellacollier7771]

This is a great feature.

[@pytucalopez]

Love this!!!

[@danstewart2770]

I do Kirby Allison's videos instead of yoga. He's such the quintessential gentleman that his videos are literally therapeutic. Great for blood pressure management - all the while leveling up your class coefficient.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

so you can't sit in padmasana? It's not mutually exclusive with watching Kirby Allison vids! thanks

[@christianroman780]

great tutorials, so easy to follow!

[@BeezerWashingbeard]

I love the look of my wax polished toe caps, with a gradient towards the body of the shoe. My problem is that it only takes a couple drops of rain to mess it up. If the leather underneath swells up, because of the saturation of the rain water, the wax cracks.

[@xenonram]

That's weird. I wore highly polished shoes in ROTC, and they were never affected by water. It is a wax, and water can't penetrate it. So maybe you're using a poor quality wax?

[@rohittheinvincible]

Informative video Kirby.

[@MyBinaryLife]

You really can smell the difference with saphir, it smells soooo good

[@kevink1595]

Thanks for the clarification...truly appreciated!

[@kirbyallison]

Sure thing, Kevin! Glad it was helpful.

[@PS12505]

Polishing shoes with white cuffs. Insane, bold.

[@timstein9779]

The Goyard piece on the credenza.

[@ag1now]

Excellent video.

[@magnoliamike]

Question: how often should you clean your shoe brush

[@zyante1]

Useful. I want to freshen my red shoes up but wasn’t sure about which product to use and how to match color

[@tammyt.b.1078]

I actually mixed your purplish, violet and magenta and made a good purple for my Dr. Martens. You Blue was perfect for my brighter blue DMs.

[@kirbyallison]

Awesome! Yes, the polishes can certainly be mixed!

[@mantaskazlauskas6499]

Great video. Thank you 🙂

[@hamdiv4569]

Hi! I have a wild raw hide shoe from vivo barefoot shoes and I wear them everyday. They get dirty and wet though. I don’t care about shine. I only care about keeping them clean and want them to last as long as possible. Thank you!

[@jub62202]

Very informative. Nice video.

[@bambaam7186]

top quality content!

[@austinharding9734]

dude, you totally dominate the show shine videos on this site, props to you sir, you found an empty niche and wasted no time in total occupation of the topic, you should just start your own website, ill bet you have a pretty loyal following as it is - u can call it like... shyouShine or ShuShine.com or U-shine.com or YouBuff, since "shoe" and "you" rhyme you know, it should be something clever like that cuz one key component to make it successful is giving it a witty clever domain name; something ANYone can remember, and since nearly everyone knows youtube, you can take advantage of that build on its already established name

[@kirbyallison]

I want to start "ShoeShineForum.com" What do you think? Community for all of us shoe lovers.

[@erichschmidt8987]

I like to apply the waxes with my bare fingers. It’ll requires less polish and actually melts the wax onto the leather and leaves a nice shine.

[@timothymarchant]

My shoes have been cracking around the exact area you were saying. Ruined my expensive shoes. Will be using shoe cream going forward. And switching to sapphir

[@leftwomen8417]

Shoe creams will cause cracking on the stress points and offer absolutely no protection from water or perspiration. Remember anything that soaks into the leather opens the door for everything else to soak in. Wax polish does not soak in, but actually sets on the surface of the leather adding protection and yet maintaining breathability.

[@Eric-sh2ok]

@4:11 looks to use a different polish? Am I wrong? Just looking for clarification.

[@joepasquarello1273]

Old trick: put a flame to the paste wax and let it melt for 15 seconds or so then apply the molten wax and polish away.

[@dennisrodash3763]

GReat Video, thanks

[@chpstaker]

My shoes are two tone. Black and brown. Do I need two colors of cream and/or shine?

[@michaelespinosa4004]

That is exactly the information I was searching for. Fantastic explanation with demonstration.

[@omarkomiha9429]

Would you advice removing the shoestrings prior to polishing the shoes?

[@mharmaansheikh6388]

You have a new subscriber mr allison and that's me

[@spl4028]

Excellent, thanks

[@dinotrinh1693]

Thank you for sharing. What is the reason to apply water on the wax to make it look glossy?

[@KaitanX]

Nice Video! He reminds me of Mr. Rogers

[@dontlookback3549]

A young Mr. Rogers peddaling shoe polish!

[@PavedParadise541]

Thanks Mr Rogers Jr.

[@kunalpunjabi1987]

what did you use from 4:08 to 4:12..?? cream or wax

[@jorgevega238]

Great detail

[@polanialmoni6274]

For smooth leather boots, what are the proper steps and products? Are those right? 1.clean 2.renovateur conditioner 3.colored medaille d'or 1925 beeswax cream. 4.medaille d'or wax. 5.mirror gloss wax on hard parts. 6.finish with water resistant spray.

[@monobgantonina5577]

Do you need a different shining brush for every colour?

[@kirbyallison]

monobg antonina Two brushes - one for dark polishes, like black, and a second for light polishes, is all you need.

[@monobgantonina5577]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply!

[@carlschumacher3257]

don't forget to polish the sole's and heal of the shoe's.

[@ThuhoanNguyen]

Carl Schumacher with cream as well? I find it not good enough for recolouring the sides of the sole. But I admit that im using a burgundy cream on dark brown soles xd

[@Marcover4831]

This movie its really help thx👍

[@nonenoneonenonenone]

Meltonian. Or whatever. It's also effective to use a neutral polish first, or second. The more layers, the better the visual.

[@MaZEEZaM]

Very helpful, thanks

[@mosemazzola5483]

How to remove the white buildup in the “bend area”? Is it enough 1925 creme to solve the problem? Or need the Juvacuir? Thanks Mr Kirby!!!

[@wholeNwon]

My tube of black Meltonian cream must be 50 years old and still produces a beautiful shine that, unfortunately, is somewhat less durable than harder paste polishes.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

what is Meltonian Cream MADE of? I just found my Dad's unopened glass container - sealed and fresh - probably 60 years old or even older!! I'll look for a date on it. thanks

[@seymourbutts2010]

Who else is here and doesn’t even own a pair of dress shoes

[@steveweast475]

Soon...

[@TuDoorCinema]

Best comment

[@aaronolson2234]

Kirby, so refreshing to get this kind of advice from someone who isn’t a total prick or a class warrior or any of that. You come across as a well spoken gentleman who enjoys fine attire and looking good (and having fun with it). Stumbled upon your site and blog as I was researching Saphir shoe products. So glad we have you out there. Aces!

[@TheSultan1470]

Wimp

[@samuellucky3025]

How can one go into wholesale of this polish... Where can one get the product at chipper price

[@gyahahaandkyahaha1345]

I heard turpentine is dangerous for your health and that even absorbing it through your skin is dangerous? Should I be using gloves when working with these creams?

[@Da_padilla]

Once I put my shoe wax, to protect the shoes, should I even be using the conditoner/polisher? I'd imagine it won't work the same over the waxes

[@justchilling9442]

Really helpful, thanks