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.

This was my 1st time using a leather protectant, and the boots I used them on I bought used. When I received the boots I could see just by looking at the leather that I would need to find some oil to treat the leather because it looked so dry, cracked and sort of ‘frizzy’ especially where there was knicks and scratches. Before I even used it my husband and saw the tin and said ‘what’s that for? That’s the best stuff for baseball mits’... so there’s another plus. I was expecting it to deepen the leather, I could tell by the test patch I did. I was ok with the color change and actually ended up loving how it turned out, even better than the color it was prior to conditioning them. I don’t know if it was because these boots were in desperate need of moisture, or if it would have that drastic of a change on a darker pair of boots. They look great and I can tell the change in the feel of them. The oil seemed to just fill in the scratches but at the same time left no residue. I didn’t have to wipe off any excess oil after it dried like the instructions said. It’s a great product and did exactly what I was hoping it would do. I would definitely recommend. Hope this helps.

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.

A couple of years ago I asked my parents for a **good** leather purse for Christmas. Not a popularly name branded anything, but one from a retailer that offered a lifetime warranty on the leather (the retailer with the "No bull guarantee"). The purse has been the love of my life - lol. But I've not treated her so nicely. Just like me, without a good moisturizer, she's starting to look a bit long in the tooth. Remembered that back in the 80s, when all my shoes were actually leather and only cost $7 at the now defunct Pic 'n Pay, my Mom would make me use mink oil to keep those flats looking new all year round. I don't know if the mink oil she kept on hand was just rancid or a bad brand or what, but it had a very mild icky smell. This stuff - just the cheapest I found on Amazon above 4 stars - has no smell (I have bloodhound nose. I can smell vaguely stinky from 2 miles away 🤢) and made my black leather crossbody look like brand new. I didn't use the mink oil per directions, wipe on thick and then wipe off excess after awhile, I just used sparingly as I would if I was putting moisturizer on my face and then 'massaged' in with a good cotton cloth. I wish I had a microfiber buffer pad but it was totally fine without. Don't hesitate to try this mink oil; definitely do not let the low price fool ya... this stuff is quality!

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.

I’m glad I bought this product. It gave life to my boots from Rockport again. I was using my pair of boots constantly for more than half a year, and I hadn’t given them the correct care. Some parts of them had already gotten scuffed up and the color faded. I had heard from a Youtube video that “mink oil” can protect boots , and I went straight to Amazon to get it. I haven’t tried enough other brands in order to make a fair comparison, however this product has done a good job. I took a picture before and after applying it, and the differences are very evident. They did get a bit darker, but it’s nothing too different from the real color they had before. I saw that my boots were faded in some parts more than others, and therefore I didn’t think that the colors would be equal after I applied it. However, I was wrong, the color is now uniform over the leather, and the scuff marks were covered up. They look like the first time I took them out of the box. Obviously this product doesn't do miracles, so if you're a person like me who wears his boots almost everyday then you've got to apply this mink oil to yours more often. I’ve also got to mention that, I did notice a slight smell that reminds me of fallen dry leaves when they get wet on a rainy day. In spite of that, the scent does go away after the oil is applied on the boots. Overall, good product and I’m pleased with the results.

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.

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