Mink Oil for Conditioning and Waterproofing Leather

Pros: Doesn't have an overwhelming smell (I also use gloves!) Easy to use Clear directions A nice size package - I have done 18 purses and 14 pairs of shoes, a leather jacket, and I still have about 1/3 of the jar left Protected some of my purses from the rain spots they get, now those spots roll right off Perked up my shoes nicely, I did add some hair dryer heat to a few of them and that set it in well Waterproofed my flats and ankle boots for a recent trip to rainy ireland and my feet were dry and the leather actually stayed perfectly intact with no damage after 17 days. Used paper towels and also rags, both work well Used with or without heat, both work well (heat does shrink up your leather back to original form a bit better though and the shoes feel fresh!) Makes my jacket and leather flat shoes SO SOFT! Cons: I don't like my hands greasy so I used gloves There is an odor but it isn't as pungent as many Cannot tell if there are other ingredients added to this that would possibly dry out leather (several months later my leather is not dry or cracked at all) Verdict: I did read and see all of the mixed reviews on using mink oil. For hours I read and debated with myself about using this at all. I am glad that I took the gamble after all. I am on crutches permanently and depend on the durability of leather products more than anything else, which also means I use leather in all weather. This has solidly improved the leather that I have over six months into using and I am pleased.

Good stuff used it right away on my leather watch straps worked great

As far as mink oil goes this product works as advertised. I used it on leather and it did a fine job of waterproofing, and conditioning the boots. It's inexpensive for mink oil relative to the other brands but I think it does just as good a job as any out there I have used. I wouldn't give it 5 stars as it's not head and shoulders above others, but I would have no problem recommending it or buying it again. It actually IS mink oil, which is actually a plus versus others that have miscellaneous other ingredients in them. Just as a note and not why I am giving only 4 stars...mink oil was recommended to me by multiple sources for a cheap and easy way to restore black rubber trim on an automobile. This absolutely works to shine up the dingy rubber trim around my car's windows. It went on easy and shined up the rubber well. I am guessing it also penetrated the rubber and may help to condition it somewhat. However, after one automatic car wash the shine was all gone. I don't think it could stand up to the chemicals in the wash and truly cannot be a substitute for other auto care products designed for this use. Again, not a reason to ding this product, but if you are looking at mink oil for this purpose, I offer my experience to say look elsewhere.

Used on old dried leather belt holster that was hard as a rock, so old the thread was coming apart on the sewn seams. Have new thread to hand stitch everything if leather is renewed. Rubbed product in over every surface. Initial coat soaked in almost immediately, as soon as it was applied the area dried out, so I continued to apply product the first time with several coats. Couple days later repeated process. Will treat a couple more times to finish hydrating the leather, but it is already flexable and not cracking. Using a soft bristle brush now to work product into leather. There is a wax or paste base to product that remains on outside of leather which appears to protect and seal the leather. Buffing seems to produce a mild shine. The very light tan color of the dry leather has changed to a dark brown. Also used product on a black leather shoulder rig that had stiffened up. One coat and it is flexible again. Product seems to work well.

Ink oil is my choice for softening leather. This three pack was priced right. Normally I'd pay about $10 per can, the 3 pack was a great way to save $. Have already used this on several leather items. Works as you'd expect (quickly and nicely softens). Would buy this again in the future.

A man once told me his WWII bomber jacket survived to present day because he took care of the leather by applying mink oil. I had always used a conditioner and it left my leathers oily (even after attempting to wipe off the excess), so I thought I’d buy some mink oil products and give them a try. This particular product is a paste and goes on very easy. I used a cheap washcloth from the dollar store to apply. You have to make sure to get to all of the seams and hard to reach places. As I was involved with sleeves of the jacket I was working on o noticed that the front panels (where I’d started) were dry to the touch (I had not yet tried to wipe it off). The leather was pliable and looked brand new! Quick note…. My leathers, when brand new, we’re stiff. Wearing them broke the leather in. I live in Az where the sun likes to destroy leather. This product won’t bring back the original feel of the leather, but it will make it smooth, revitalized and look like a million bucks. The mink oil smells pleasant, not strong or obnoxious. And brought back the rich deep black color it had when new. As an added bonus my hands were also softened by the small amount that touched my skin during application. It does not leave a greasy residue. All and all I am thrilled with this product. My motorcycle leathers need to last…. $400-600 for a jacket means I need to care for them, only applying the best product I can find….. this stuff is it!! In closing I will add that 12 hours later I did a second coat. Not because visually it needed it but because illness’s kept me from driving and the leathers sat for a few years. All I can say is the second coat felt needed and worked great!! Check out the picture I included. Left side not yet treated, right side treated. I have gloves, chaps boots and more that need attention. This will be my go to product for now on! Happy shopping!

I am hard on my leathers like gloves and handbags. Always buy sturdy high quality mostly pebbled leather (Italian leather) gloves, shoes and Coach/Dooney & Bourke/M Kors bags--and yet the wear and tear leaves signs. So, I institute regular "leather spa" days where they are gently cleaned w/ soft moist cleaning liquid-dipped linen linen rags and, once naturally air dried, are being rubbed in mink oil. Let the mink oil-like wax soak in/penetrate, afterwards use either cotton or small wool rag and re-polish in circular motions. Much, much improved! Impregnated and protected my items look, feel and work better. Oh, I have my 'leathers' literally for decades. Leather is a natural product and I treat it thus with care and appreciation. Mink oil is excellent for it.

My leather oxfords were starting to dry out from weather changes, mostly to do with rain. I researched conditioning and waterproofing products and bought this. I mean my shoes were less than $100, so it made little sense to spend a fortune on leather care products. This Soft Sole Mink Oil works great. It revived my shoes and made them look better than when they were knew. I splashed water on them after the oil dried, and they're definitely splashproof (I've no idea what they mean by waterproof and I guess that'd work better for boots anyway). The main issue is that the oil smells quite a bit. The Amazon box it came in along with everything else inside was smelling of the stuff. And to clarify, the oil was still sealed and inside a plastic bag. The other things aired out, but I needed to get a thicker plastic bag to keep the oil in or else all my shoe care products would be smelling of the oil. I'm quite sensitive to chemical smells, and this one is at the limit for me. It's bearable but barely. But for less than $5, I really can't complain as it revived and waterproofed my shoes.

The product is very good, just wondering maybe Amazon should keep it in the cool place, not in the 50°C UAE room temperature

Good one but be carful it makes the leather darker.

Some of the oil leaked out and causing the packaging and casing oily. Perhaps happened due to the weather and movement during the transportation. Applied the oil on my light colour boots, it does change to darker colour as expected. Never tried the waterproof capability on purpose.

My wife bought this mink oil to use on a few of her leather products - primarily boots. We stumbled around from product to product until we landed on Mink Oil and decided to take a chance based on a few articles we'd read and the relatively positive reviews. The good news is, the product works extremely well. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to catch her BEFORE she had applied the product. All I have is an after photo. However, in my opinion, the oil restored a healthy shine and deep red/blacks to my wife's boots without too much fussing. First, she scrubbed her boots with this Moneysworth and Best Saddle Soap Tub to clean off the salt and grime, and then she just followed the mink instructions, and bam -- results! The shine is deep and perdy. And keep in mind, these are 3 (red) and 5 (black) year old boots, respectively. The best part is that we barely had to use any, so $8 is going to go a long way. My wife said, "I barely got a divet [of oil] out. I wouldn't be surprised if it lasted my lifetime." As far as protecting goes, I look forward to updating this review. As of now, I'm definitely satisfied that we chose this particular mink oil.

Made badly scuffed natural leather boots look good again