Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased a used pair of Doc Martens in auction (they used to be sold here, 12152), I'd estimate them to be about 15-20 years old. They had sat for a while, and the leather had dried out quite a bit, along with the expected light scuffing (see the "before" photo). I took the balsam to them in two applications, first a general application to loosen them up, then again to fully treat the leather. I was apprehensive of part of the second application because Dr. Martens' site said to treat the INSIDE of the leather as well. Since it wasn't absorbing as readily or quickly as it should have (again, OLD boots), I took a chance on the beeswax component in the balsam, and used a hair dryer to gently heat the leather. Success! It melted the balsam enough to be almost immediately absorbed into the leather, restoring it to it's previous glory. If you take this route, make sure you keep the dryer moving, because heating can also shrink the leather if you aren't careful. The After photo shows the boot shortly after treatment (though my cat looks nonplussed). The boots will come out far softer using the recommended process, if you're into doing restorations, I really recommend this product.