Shaving Cream as a Leather Conditioner?

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:38 am

I have had great results using shaving cream as a leather conditioner with some of my older jackets. (Using the foam, not the gel.) It does not weigh the leather down and many contain lanolin. Has anybody else used this in the past? Is there any reason not to?

Forrestal · Post by **Forrestal** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:54 am

For many years foam shaving cream has been the “secret” of baseball players for quickly breaking in a new glove, but I’ve never heard any one using it on a jacket.

My experience with saddle soap is it tends to dry out leather. I wonder if the soap in shaving cream will do the same?

Regards,
Forrestal

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:05 pm

I'd think if there was lanoline in the foam/soap, I don't know why not! Otherwise, I'd be afraid of the soap drying out the leather over time, or foaming up if the leather got wet.

Regards! Michaelson

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:06 pm

Yep, I used to use it on baseball gloves. That is what reminded me of this. I was messing around in the attic looking for Christmas stuff and came up with a few of my baseball gloves - including the one I used oil on and tripled its weight :evil: .

The gloves are about 20 years old and still in good shape. Going to Goodwill tonight though as I do not need them anymore. I remembered using Gillette Lemon/Lime shaving cream. I remembered my Dad not being particularly thrilled as well since it was his shaving cream.

Today's shaving cream has a lot of conditioners and such as well. I wonder how it rates? Isn't Letaps sort of a similar cream application?

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:09 pm

Foaming up if the leather got wet. That would be pretty funny

But it would smell nice...

There was a sewage treatment plant in Lawrence, MA that used to get the effluent from a local Gillette factory. I used to fish in the river and all of a sudden the final effluent would be spouting foam.

Many years later, as part of my job, I wound up in a business relation with the sewage plant and heard that although it really made a mess, the place smelled great.

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:13 pm

Letap comes out as a foam, but immediately liquifies, unlike shaving cream that comes out foam, and stays a foam.

Bet the fish that came out of the creek lost their 'fishy smell'. (grins)

Regards! Michaelson

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:27 pm

It was hard to tell as they were floating on the opposite bank

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:47 pm

AH...easier 'catch and release' eh?

Regards! Michaelson

LeatherneckJones · Post by **LeatherneckJones** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 2:11 pm

Just a quick note... in the Marine Corps, the secret to stripping away old polish and getting a pair of boots down to the bare leather (in preparation for spit shining the boots for inspection) was to clean the boots with shaving cream... I can't imagine that using shaving cream exclusively over extended periods are gonna do anything good to the leather... definately a great way to clean leather before applying Pecards, though!!

Texas Raider · Post by **Texas Raider** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:17 am

Unfortunately, my cans of Letaps don't list the ingredients, so I can't compare them for you.

have a nice day.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:16 am

It's a proprietary formula, so I'm not surprised. My old cans of Letap don't list them either.

Regards! Michaelson

191145 · Post by **191145** » Sun Dec 25, 2005 4:00 pm

Rick; I'm impressed with your correct use of 'effluent'. I've been a civil engineer (not so civil these days, since I'm getting ready to retire and really don't give a @#$%) for many years. Wish I'd seen this earlier - I was thinking of picking up an old glove or two.

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 7:47 am

191145 wrote:Rick; I'm impressed with your correct use of 'effluent'. I've been a civil engineer (not so civil these days, since I'm getting ready to retire and really don't give a @#$%) for many years. Wish I'd seen this earlier - I was thinking of picking up an old glove or two.

Don't be impressed. I do not deserve it as I am in the environmental field where we often bandy about words like effluent, influent, volatile organic compounds, persistent bioaccumulative toxins and all of the acronyms that are associated with, well - everything. EPA, POTW, BOD, TSS and I can generate a list that goes into the stratosphere. I do appreciate the compliment though.

zeus36 · Post by **zeus36** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 9:18 am

Rick,

Here is a list of ingredients from an MSDS for Old Spice shaving cream:

Brand Name: Old Spice Shave Cream
Form: aerosol foam
Product Category: Personal care/use >> Men's Products >> shaving cream/gel
Ingredients from MSDS/Label
Chemical CAS No / Unique ID Percent
Fragrance(s)/perfume(s) 000000-00-1
Stearic acid 000057-11-4
Propane 000074-98-6
Isobutane 000075-28-5
Methylparaben 000099-76-3
Triethanolamine 000102-71-6
Butane 000106-97-8
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) 000151-21-3
Water 007732-18-5
Aloe extract 008001-97-6
Lanolin 008006-54-0
Laureth-23 999999-11-0

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 1:07 pm

Nice. Complete with Chemical Abstracts Service numbers. Without including the percentages, it is difficult to determine how beneficial/harmful this may be.

I do know that the ingredients are usually listed from greatest to least amount of chemical. Most of the falmmability in this product comes from the propane/butane/isobutane which is generally a propellant.

Interestingly, stearic acid is generally harmless, but the MSDS for pure stearic acid states "CAUTION! MAY CAUSE IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES, AND RESPIRATORY TRACT" - hardly something you would want to wipe on your skin. But it is a wax-like, fatty acid. Probably used as a lubricant.

Sodium lauryl sulfate and Laureth-23 are used as a foaming agents/detergents/cleaners

Then there is lanolin - a skin soother and absorption agent.

These products have other uses. For more information and also what the ingredients in your shampoo are you can check here.

I do not see anything offhand that alarms me, but I am not a leather expert either. I cannot tell you anything about how it will affect the leather or why.