How to Choose a Good Shoe Polish?

We can judge a person’s personality just by looking at him from tip to toe.  Shoes say volumes about their owners, though the behavioral traits of a person determine his personality. Thus, one should choose one’s pair of shoes, which are comfortable in putting on and which can also radiate. Of course, you need a good shoe polish too that can aid in radiating your shoes and that can optimize your personality in a group. But the point is, which shoe polish, shall we choose?

For centuries, we are using shoe polish to soften and to waterproof the leather. The shoe polish; a cream or a wax polish helps in touching on the shine of the leather of shoes or boots, thereby prolonging their life. While cream polish brings back the color, wax polish is water resistant.  Since, it’s rainy season; let’s discuss about wax polish.

Many abrasives are used in wax shoe polish, for example, Emery, Lough, Chalk, Dolomite, Tripoli, Pumice Diatomaceous Earth, Fullers Earth and Silica to smooth the surfaces of the shoes by rubbing or cleaning. Inert gas is used as an aerosol in the shoe polish. We use different type of waxes, e.g., wax mineral, wax animal, wax hard, wax synthetic and wax vegetable; it maintains luster of the shoes.

The quest for a good shoe polish too needs testing. A good shoe polish spreads smoothly on the shoe and its gloss appears on gentle rubbing with a brush or polishing cloth.  However, it shall not crumble or dry too rapidly and shall not have any unpleasant odour.  Further, if it is kept at ordinary temperature i.e. between 21 degree centigrade and 38 degree centigrade, it will not flow. The aqueous extract drawn from 1g of polish shall not have faint coloration, if we stir it with hot water (temperature maintained at 73 to 75 degree centigrade). Its consistency can be checked by keeping it in an unopened polish container at 8 degree centigrade to 10 degree centigrade for two hours.

As a layman, one should check that

1. Shoe polish shall not be expired;
2. Its container shall be clean, dry and rust proof;
3. The container, fitted with a lid, shall not close or open without much difficulty;
4. Its surface shall be covered with a thin aluminum foil or waxed paper. The size of the aluminum foil shall be slightly bigger than the diameter of the container;
5. It shall be soft, homogenous, semi-solid and free from gritty material;
6. It shall be soft and smooth to touch;. 

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