Best Wax Shoe Polish: how to revive your shoes?

A quality wax shoe polish is water and heat-resistant, easy to apply, quick-drying, made of high-quality natural components ideal for many types of leather, provides long-lasting shine and protection, and comes in a variety of color matching.

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Best Wax Shoe Polish: What is wax shoe polish?

It’s hard to beat a pair of stylish leather shoes or boots, making them an excellent part of anyone’s formal or casual wardrobe. Quality leather shoes can last you many years with proper care, and using the best wax shoe polish ensures your shoes stay protected and look their best.

Related: Does Shoe Polish Go Bad Or Expire?

What is Wax Shoe Polish and which is the best? (key takeaway)

The best wax shoe polish gives your shoes a mirror-like shine and does an excellent job of restoring and protecting your shoes against damage. It should be easy to use and help you revive the color of your shoes, seal the leather, and cover scuffs and scratches.

With so many shoe polish products available, choosing a suitable wax shoe polish can be daunting. This guide explores some of our shoe lover’s teams’ top picks of the best wax shoe polish products to help you make an informed decision and keep your shoes looking their best for longer.

The best choice from the Savvy crew:

One of the best wax shoe polish products on the market is Saphir Renovateur. It’s an overall great performing wax, based on natural materials. It will make your shoes look as fresh and new as they were on day one.

Jump right into the Frequently Asked Questions

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Best Wax Shoe Polish Table of Contents

The Best Wax Shoe Polish

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  1. Saphir Renovateur – Overall Best Wax Shoe Polish
  2. Lincoln Stain Wax Shoe Polish – Best Wax Shoe Polish for Boots
  3. Kiwi Black Parade – Best Wax Shoe Polish for A Mirror Shine
  4. Angelus Shoe Wax Polish – Best Budget Wax Shoe Polish
  5. Kiwi Shine and Protect – Best Wax Shoe Polish for Convenience

1. Saphir Renovateur – Overall Best Wax Shoe Polish

Saphir Medaille d'Or Renovator – All-Purpose Leather Shoe Cleaner & Conditioner - With Mink Oil

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Ingredients: All natural

Best for: Restoration

What we like: Effective, easy to use, high-quality, deep conditioning, rejuvenation

What we don’t like: High price

The Saphir Medaille Renovateur features natural ingredients like beeswax and mink oil and is what shoe experts use to clean their client’s shoes. It’s easy to use, effective, and made with high-quality ingredients, earning the top spot of the overall best wax shoe polish.

The award-winning formula used by Saphir has remained unchanged since 1925 and ranks as one of the highest-end shoe care products worldwide. The Saphir Renovateur is a must-have for leather shoe lovers and enthusiasts and is regarded as the best wax shoe polish for restoring your shoes, no matter how old or worn out the leather may be.

It gently cleans, conditions, and rejuvenates your shoes by nourishing and hydrating the leather while restoring color. The Saphir Renovateur can help extend the life of your shoes, and you only need to use a tiny amount for maximum results. It’s for use on all leathers and skins, and you can easily use it with brushes, sprays, polishes, or a cloth.

Despite the high price point, the Saphir Renovateur is worth every penny. The jar can last long, and you don’t have to apply it often to keep your boots and shoes looking their best.

2. Lincoln Stain Wax Shoe Polish – Best Wax Shoe Polish for Boots

Lincoln Stain Wax Shoe Polish Black, Brown, Neutral Variety 3 fl oz, 3 Pack

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Ingredients: All natural

Best for: Everyday work boots

What we like: Excellent protection, glass-like shine, easy to use, good spreadability

What we don’t like: It can dry out after a while

The Lincoln Stain Wax Shoe Polish has a long history and is a tried and true polishing solution if you want to give your leather boots a high-gloss shine. It was the preferred boot polish for the United States Marines for decades and is chock-full of nutrient-rich beeswax and carnauba wax.

The Lincoln Stain Wax Shoe Polish can preserve and protect your boots and shoes while giving them an almost glass-like texture and surface for a sparkling shine. It offers excellent resistance to the elements making it suitable for work boots that take a beating every day in high activity and the scorching sun.

It’s easy to open and use, and unlike other cans, you don’t have to worry about the tab breaking off and making it inaccessible. You only need to press the lid to open the Lincoln Stain Wax Shoe Polish, and the treatment is fast, with more effortless spreadability and a long-lasting shine.

The Lincoln Stain Wax does an excellent job of extending the service life of your leather shoes and can obscure micro creases that form on the natural flex points of the shoes. It can last a while since you only need a little for an excellent shine, but the hard wax may dry out.

3. Kiwi Black Parade – Best Wax Shoe Polish for A Mirror Shine

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Ingredients: All natural

Best for: Rough users

What we like: Protective, mirror-shine, smooth, nourishing

What we don’t like: It can get messy

Kiwi has been a go-to shoe polish for decades, and the Kiwi Black Parade Gloss Polish can help you achieve a durable, natural shine that doesn’t crack. It’s designed with the roughest users in mind and features 100% natural carnauba wax and beeswax to preserve and protect your leather boots and shoes.

The Kiwi Black Parade Gloss Polish features a simple and highly effective formula to protect your shoes even under heavy use. It’s the best shoe shine wax to give your everyday shoes a strong and distinctive mirror shine. The black parade neutral wax polish for shoes outperforms most competitors and doesn’t cause discoloration to shoes or clothes.

The Kiwi Black Parade Gloss Polish can quickly fill in scuffs and scratches in your shoes, and you’ll love how it smoothly buffs and shines with ease. You can quickly achieve a military-grade shine with the correct application. Ensure you apply it sparingly with light layers and gradually work it into your shoes.

It quickly permeates your leather and nourishes your shoes with every application, and can satisfy your aesthetic and functional needs. However, the Kiwi Black Parade Gloss Polish can get messy when misapplied, so ensure you’re gentle in areas where shoes crease the most.

Related: KIWI Shoe Polish Review

4. Angelus Shoe Wax Polish – Best Budget Shoe Polish

Angelus Perfect Stain Shoe Wax Polish, 2.6oz

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Ingredients: All natural

Best for: Value-oriented users

What we like: Leather preservation, color restoration, cleaning, easy to use

What we don’t like: Reacts with salt

The Angelus Shoe Wax Polish is one of the best beeswax shoe polishes blended with the finest carnauba wax. The Angelus brand is well-established and has been operating since 1907 using the same original formula. It’s been tried and tested for over 100 years and is an excellent leather preserver.

The Angelus Shoe Wax Polish offers more than just polishing. Thanks to the finest grade waxes and oils, it can help clean, waterproof, and restore a rich color to your faded leather gear and footwear. The convenient old fashion snap open can also make it easy to access and use

Angelus also covers you if you have a varied shoe or boot collection and need to restore or add some color depth. The Angelus Shoe Wax Polish is available in classic colors like black, brown, gray, neutral, and tan and fun colors like oxblood and navy blue.

It holds together in different temperatures and provides a lustrous, water-repellent finish. The Angelus Shoe Wax Polish is very reasonably priced, and you’re sure to get excellent value and protection for your shoes. However, it doesn’t do well in salty conditions, and your shoes can easily stain when the wax mixes with the salt.

Related: Does Saddle Soap Remove Polish?

5. Kiwi Shine and Protect – Best Wax Shoe Polish for Convenience

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Ingredients: Natural and synthetic

Best for: Travelling

What we like: Self-shine protection, inbuilt sponge, easy application, instant

What we don’t like: Not all natural

The Kiwi Shine and Protect is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a self-shine protective p0lish filled with carnauba wax. It’s one of the best leather shoe wax for quick and easy shinning on the go, thanks to its in-built long-lasting sponge that makes applications a breeze.

The container provides an ideal grip for easy application and convenience, so you can take it with you when traveling. The Kiwi Shine and Protect can help your shoes look new wherever you are, thanks to the wax-rich formula that instantly covers scuffs and provides lasting shine and color protection.

It provides an excellent dense black that covers annoying scratches on your shoes and is also available in brown and neutral. To quickly polish your boots with Kiwi Shine and Protect, simply wipe off any present dirt, shake well and press down on the shoes for an even application.

It’s much easier than wrestling with a tin can, but you must ensure the two-layer sponge on the Kiwi Shine and Protect doesn’t come off and make it useless. The formula also features synthetic ingredients like isothiazol, so it’s not an all-natural product.

Related: Best Electric Shoe Polisher in 2022

6. Saphir Medaille Shoe Polish – Best Wax Polish for Harsh Weather

Saphir Medaille d’Or Pommadier Natural Cream Leather Shoe Polish

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Ingredients: All-natural

Best for: Harsh weather

What we like: Water-resistant, restorative, versatile, long-lasting, easy to use

What we don’t like: High price

If you spend long hours in the rain or snow, the Saphir Medaille Shoe Polish is your best bet for protecting your boots or shoes. It gives your leather products extra resistance to water and moisture thanks to the high wax formula that features beeswax, carnauba wax, and shea butter.

It’s designed to polish and finish leather to restore your shoes’ natural and original shine and luster. The high pigment concentration on the Saphir Medaille Shoe Polish enables a penetrating quality for a fantastic sheen. You can choose from various shades and colors, making a versatile product suitable for different uses.

Apart from leather boots, you can also use the polish to protect your bag and sneakers and keep all leather products in excellent condition. A tiny amount of the Saphir Medaille Shoe Polish can yield excellent results, and the jar will likely last long.

Despite the high price, its premium product will give you excellent value for money by repelling water and protecting your shoes in harsh conditions. The Saphir Medaille Shoe Polish is all-natural and doesn’t feature harmful silicone, petroleum-based, or resin ingredients.

Learn more about wax as shoe polish (video)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best shoe shine wax?

The best shoe shine wax comes from beeswax, carnauba wax, montan wax, or their derivatives. It quickly restores your leather shoes, covers scuffs, revives color, and protects them from damage.

Can the best leather shoe wax make my shoes waterproof?

No. The beat leather shoe wax only makes your shoes water-resistant. Water can still enter your shoes through seams, stitches, and perforated areas.

How long should I wait before buffing after applying the best wax shoe polish?

Give the shoes around 30 minutes to dry or leave them overnight to allow the ingredients to soak in properly before buffing.

Does shoe wax cause damage to shoes?

Too much of everything can be harmful, and if you use shoe wax too frequently, it can quickly build up and dry out your leather shoes.

Can I polish dirty shoes?

No. You should wipe away any visible dirt using a damp cloth or brush. Once the shoes are clean and dry, you can apply the best leather shoe wax for a shiny polish.

Conclusion

The best wax shoe polish should restore and protect your shoes while providing a mirror-like shine. Some of the best wax shoe polish include the Saphir Renovateur, the Lincoln Stain Wax Shoe Polish, the Kiwi Black Parade, the Angelus Shoe Wax Polish, the Kiwi Shine and Protect, and the Saphir Medaille Shoe Polish. Always choose shoe polish made from natural wax to avoid harmful ingredients, and use it sparingly to protect your shoes.

Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have in the comments.

Picture in this post is by Lina Verovaya on Unsplash

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