Conditioners VS Lotions

[bikermutt07]

So, in a Facebook forum someone asked the difference between a leather conditioner and a leather lotion. 

I've never given it much thought and treat them kind of as the same thing. Can anyone shed some light on the actual difference in them?

Is lotion more for chrome tanned and conditioner for veg tanned, maybe???

Any help is appreciated.

 

 

[ScottWolf]

All the "lotions" I have encountered are in a creamy liquid state and conditioners are in either a semi solid(shoe polish tin) or straight liquid state(neatsfoot oil).  As far as ingredients go, they all tend to have some of the same things known for conditioning leather.

The lotions tend to use a combo of water and chemical mixtures to keep the conditioner(s) suspended in a fluid state if you look at the material safety data sheets for them. Most of the "lotions" are usually for items like car and furniture upholstery and even some clothing. The creamy liquid state makes the application easy and it doesn't run like a liquid would when applied to those type of items.

Here is the kicker though. Having looked at a lot of MSDS, it has become apparent to me that Any conditioner that is in a lotion or a semi liquid state ( squeezed out of a bottle) is more water/suspension chemicals/preservatives than actual conditioner percentage wise. Typically as much as 50% or more is anything but a known leather conditioner. In some cases, several known conditioners are used, but they typically fall into the 5-10% range each in the combined mixture. This can sometimes also apply to semi solid conditioners, which is why the MSDS is so useful an item to look at if you want to know how much actual conditioner you are getting. With semi solids, this also falls into simple science, as mixture ratios of oils to non oils will determine if the end product is solid like shoe polish or soft like a body butter/balm. With liquids/creams, all they need to do is suspend the ingredients in their liquid form and don't have to worry about how solid they are, which is why 50% or more is that suspension liquid.  

[bikermutt07]

3 hours ago, ScottWolf said:

All the "lotions" I have encountered are in a creamy liquid state and conditioners are in either a semi solid(shoe polish tin) or straight liquid state(neatsfoot oil).  As far as ingredients go, they all tend to have some of the same things known for conditioning leather.

The lotions tend to use a combo of water and chemical mixtures to keep the conditioner(s) suspended in a fluid state if you look at the material safety data sheets for them. Most of the "lotions" are usually for items like car and furniture upholstery and even some clothing. The creamy liquid state makes the application easy and it doesn't run like a liquid would when applied to those type of items.

Here is the kicker though. Having looked at a lot of MSDS, it has become apparent to me that Any conditioner that is in a lotion or a semi liquid state ( squeezed out of a bottle) is more water/suspension chemicals/preservatives than actual conditioner percentage wise. Typically as much as 50% or more is anything but a known leather conditioner. In some cases, several known conditioners are used, but they typically fall into the 5-10% range each in the combined mixture. This can sometimes also apply to semi solid conditioners, which is why the MSDS is so useful an item to look at if you want to know how much actual conditioner you are getting. With semi solids, this also falls into simple science, as mixture ratios of oils to non oils will determine if the end product is solid like shoe polish or soft like a body butter/balm. With liquids/creams, all they need to do is suspend the ingredients in their liquid form and don't have to worry about how solid they are, which is why 50% or more is that suspension liquid.  

Thanks for that. If you don't mind may I copy and paste your answer? I won't use your user name.

[ScottWolf]

19 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

Thanks for that. If you don't mind may I copy and paste your answer? I won't use your user name.

sure, go ahead. 

[bikermutt07]

Thanks again.

[Fowardwego]

And now for the rest of the story?

Hello. Hope I didn't miss something but it seems to me that the question was only partially answered. It is helpful to know about the environmental/chemical issues. But I am also interested in whether using one vs the other  impacts on the end result differently. For example, on boots. Will using one vs another result in a different look or feel to the boot? How about comparing something like mink oil paste to "leather lotion" or "conditioning oil in a tin. Do the boots end up looking or feeling differently if one vs another is used. So, my question isn't about which is better or worse chemically (as important as that may be) or if one is easier to use or less likely to spill. I'm not even interested if one is more waterproof than another. My question is about whether I'm more likely to be successful reaching my goal of having a nice  looking pair of boots that is not tacky or sticky or too dry or too flakey  if I use one type over another. Any ideas about that? Is one easier to get a shine with than another? Do you need to polish first or after with one and not the other in order to end up with a shiny (not mirror shine) pair of boots?

[tsunkasapa]

You have a "a nice  looking pair of boots"? Mine are covered with 'shud', asphalt and sometimes concrete. I don't think I have owned a "a nice  looking pair of boots" in my life. Waterproofing and conditioning are the only things I consider.. And yes, I wear the same boots to a wedding or out to dinner as I do to work. For what you want Kiwi or Lincoln probably has what you want

[JayEhl]

On this subject, I made a belt for my wife from a belt blank that I purchased.   After tooling it, and dying it, I was afraid the black dye was going to rub off so I think I over did the resolene three or four coats) Its now kind of stiff.  Would a conditioner like neetsfoot oil make it more supple?  or what would anyone recommend?    And for future reference, was resolene the best choice? 

 

[tsunkasapa]

To be honest, I highly doubt that NFO can penetrate 3-4 coats of resolene. I would 'work it' around a smooth pole or pipe. I have done that with older leather that has stiffened. I use the corner post of the chainlink fence, about 3 1/2".

[JayEhl]

I checked to make sure the dye was set and even after two coats the dye still rubbed off.  I probably got frustrated and did too much on the third coat.... LOL.  Or I'm guessing that Resolene wasn't the best application? 

[chrisash]

A simple test would be to find a piece of dried up old leather and apply each to half of it, and compare the results. to me its about how much gets absorbed into the depth of the leather by the treatment rather than just the surface finish, is one partr more flexible than the other would be a good test. also there is a difference in waterproofing the grain and conditioning the leather