Slitesterk Red Leather Shoe Cream 104 – 50ml Pot for Smooth Leather Shoes

Description

Slitesterk Red Leather Shoe Cream 104 – 50ml Pot for Smooth Leather Shoes – pigment, wax and water resistance for red shoes that have gone flat

Red shoes are a commitment. They are also the pair that dates fastest, because red pigment is the first thing daylight goes after. A pair of red brogues or red Chelsea boots that spends a summer being worn outdoors will come out the other side duller, slightly pink at the toe and generally less confident than it went in, and no cleaning product on earth will bring that back, because what has gone is colour rather than dirt.

A red leather shoe cream puts the pigment back. Slitesterk shade 104 is a clear, warm red rather than a burgundy or a maroon, carried in a nourishing wax cream that feeds the hide at the same time as it recolours it. Fifty millilitres in a pot, and a pot lasts a long time.

It also does something most shoe creams do not shout about. The finish is water-repellent, so a red shoe that has been treated sheds rain instead of drinking it, and rain spotting is the other thing that ruins red leather.

Why choose this red leather shoe cream?

• High pigment load for a colour that fades hard. Red loses intensity faster than any other shade, so a cream aimed at it has to carry real pigment rather than a tint. This one penetrates the leather and camouflages discolouration and scuff marks together. A faded red shoe treated properly reads as red again, not as pink.
• Deep nourishment for the hide. The cream is formulated to feed rather than coat, so the leather keeps its flexibility and strength. Supple leather does not crack across the vamp, which is where good shoes usually die.
• A water-repellent finish. Once buffed, the wax layer helps rain, slush and snow run off instead of soaking in. That protects both the leather and the colour, since water marks on red show up as pale rings. It is a genuinely useful property if you wear the shoes through a British winter rather than only to summer weddings.
• Easy enough for a first attempt. There is no technique to learn. Cloth or brush, small circles, wait a few minutes, buff. Anyone who has never polished a shoe in their life will get a good result first time.
• Covers scuffs rather than highlighting them. A scuff on red leather is pale and obvious, and pigment worked into it fills the scratch so the eye stops finding it. That is worth more on red than on almost any other colour. Deep cuts will still be visible, but everyday marks disappear.
• Fifty millilitres of a colour you use rarely. Nobody wears red shoes every day, so a pot this size will comfortably outlive the shoes themselves. The sealed lid keeps the cream soft between treatments. Kept out of direct sunlight and away from radiators, it stays workable for years.

How to use the Slitesterk Red Leather Shoe Cream 104 – 50ml Pot for Smooth Leather Shoes

Red rewards restraint. The temptation is to load the cloth and go hard at the faded toe, but a thin coat that has been properly buffed does more for the colour than a thick one that has not.

1. Take the laces out and brush the shoes down to remove loose dirt.
2. Clean the leather with a damp cloth or a leather cleaner, then let it dry.
3. Put a small amount of cream on a soft cloth or a dauber brush.
4. Work it into the leather in circles, covering each panel evenly rather than spot-treating.
5. Let it soak in for a few minutes until the surface looks matt.
6. Polish with a brush and finish with a clean cloth for shine and water resistance.

My tip as a shoe specialist

Always run the white-cloth test on red before you wear the shoes out. Red pigment is the most visible of all on pale clothing, and while a properly buffed cream will not transfer, the word properly is doing real work in that sentence. Buff the shoe until you think you are finished, then buff it for another twenty seconds, then drag a clean white cloth firmly across the toe and the heel. Nothing on the cloth means you are safe. Something on the cloth means the wax has not been worked out yet, and another minute with the brush will sort it.

Specifications

Specification summary

• Volume: 50ml pot
• Colour: Red 104, a clear warm red
• Type: Pigmented nourishing shoe cream with a water-repellent finish
• Suitable for: Smooth leather shoes, boots and leather goods
• Not suitable for: Suede, nubuck and patent leather
• Applicator: Soft cloth or dauber brush, then a polishing brush
• Finish: Shine with water and moisture resistance
• Brand: Slitesterk
• Price: £5.99

Frequently asked questions

My red shoes have faded towards pink. Can this fix them?

That is exactly the fault it is designed for. Pinking is lost pigment, and a pigmented red cream puts pigment back. Badly bleached panels may want two thin applications with a proper buff in between rather than one heavy one.

Will it transfer onto my trousers or my socks?

Not once it has been buffed out thoroughly, and thorough is the important word. Brush the shoe well and check it with a white cloth before you wear it, particularly around the heel where trousers brush.

Does it really keep water out?

It gives useful everyday repellency rather than full waterproofing. Rain will bead and run off a freshly creamed shoe, but if you are walking through genuine wet, add a protector spray on top.

Where can I buy the Slitesterk Red Leather Shoe Cream 104 in the UK?

You can order the Slitesterk Red Leather Shoe Cream 104 directly from Shoespecialist.co.uk. We offer free delivery on orders over £50, same-day dispatch when you order before 5pm, and a 60-day return policy.