Have you ever conditioned your leather? If you haven’t, then you are shortening its life. As a natural product, leather needs moisture to last, and that moisture comes in the form of leather conditioner. Understanding how a leather conditioner, like Leather Honey, protects your leather items will help you understand why this is an investment you can’t afford not to make.

Understanding What Leather Is

Imagine the skin on your body for a moment. Do you ever condition it with moisturizers or lotion? Of course you do, especially when the air gets dry. 

Leather is also skin, but unlike the skin on your body, leather is no longer receiving nourishment and moisture on a daily basis. The only moisture it receives is the moisture you put on it. If you are not moisturizing it, it can dry out.

Dry leather, particularly when used for clothing, loses is flexibility. This means it’s no longer comfortable to wear. Over time it can crack, which ruins it. When you’ve spent $300 for a quality piece of leather clothing, only to find that it cracks and breaks when exposed to the elements, you’ll quickly understand why it’s so important to condition the leather.

Leather Conditioner Moisturizes and Protects

Not only does leather conditioner, like Leather Honey, moisturize your leather, but it also protects it. Quality conditioners soak into the leather fibers to moisturize them, then provide a protective barrier against water and moisture, which can damage the leather and lead to premature cracking. If you are regularly wearing your leather items in a wet environment, conditioning them is a must.

How Often Should You Condition?

Leather items should be conditioned the first time they are used, because few leather items come pre-conditioned. Once this initial conditioning is complete, the number of times you need to condition will vary depending on many factors. One of these is the environment. If your environment is dry and hot, conditioning more frequently will be necessary.

Another consideration to make when deciding how often to condition is how frequently you wear your items. If you only wear them occasionally, you can condition once every six months, or either before or after you store the item for the season. If you wear them daily, you will need to condition more frequently. A dry, chalky appearance is a sign your item needs conditioning.

Finally, consider the condition of the leather. Leather that is old and thin will need to be conditioned more frequently. It simply cannot hold the conditioner as long as newer pieces.

A Word of Caution About Conditioner

Many people who use leather conditioners for the first time are surprised that it darkens their leather. Some think that this is staining the leather, but it is not. This is simply a natural part of the conditioning process. As the leather soaks up the moisture, its color will darken slightly. It generally returns to the original color with a bit of time.

With a conditioner like Leather Honey, your leather items can withstand years of use. You’ve invested well by purchasing leather. Now keep it healthy with a quality leather conditioner.