How to Dull a Shiny Black Shoe

New black dress shoes often come with gloss on them which is a little too shiny for most people. Depending on personal taste, you may not like that shine, which is due to a high concentration of wax and other polishing substances that are produced for leather.

If you’re planning to attend a party and don’t want people commenting on how blindingly shiny your shoes are, you should consider the tips in this guide to dull them a little.

Note: Be careful with any chemicals you use. You might have read or heard that nail polish remover is good for this purpose, but you’ll end up permanently dulling your shoes if you use it.

Instructions

1

Wipe with a dry cloth

After getting new shoes you should wipe their surface using a soft and dry piece of cloth to remove the coating of shiny material like wax. If you keep changing the layer of the cloth after every wipe, you should be able to dull your shoe after a few wipes.
2

Use nail polish remover

You can also try using a little nail polish remover and wet the cloth slightly. Now rub the cloth over the shoe once again to remove the polish.

In the start just rub the shoe once and wait for a few minutes to see the effects of the nail polish remover. If the leather is not discolored you can go ahead and wipe the shoe again till it is as dull as you want.
3

Apply cream shoe polish

Now get some cream shoe polish with leather moisturiser and gently apply a coating of it. Although the cream shoe polish is designed to improve the shoe’s shine, it is a step you should not miss. Applying nail polish remover breaks down certain oils and chemical on the leather surface.

Therefore, it is extremely important to apply cream shoe polish in the end to avoid cracks in your the shoes.
4

Use minimal polish for shining

In the future, whenever you shine your shoes, you should take a very small quantity of polish and work with it until you need more. Applying a lot of polish ruins the look of your shoes and gives them more shine than you would like.