Can You Use Coconut Oil As a Leather Conditioner?

In a (coco) nutshell, nah, you shouldn’t use coconut oil to condition your boots or leather goods.

Of course, you’ll find people online who say that you can condition leather with coconut oil, but there’s just no reason to risk it when leather conditioners are readily available on the market.

To get to the bottom of why coconut oil isn’t ideal and what the possible exceptions to the rule are, we checked in with our expert professional leatherworker Michael Batson, Vice President of North Star Leather.

Even though some of the best leather conditioners contain small amounts of coconut oil, should you put pure coconut oil on leather?

“The companies who make actual conditioners spend a lot of time and money on science and testing,” says Batson. “There are much better alternatives.”

The ideal conditioner will offer a good balance of moisturizing, waterproofing, and improving the leather’s appearance or luster. In a pinch, coconut oil will do for moisturizing, but it’s likely that it’ll irreversibly darken your boots and leave them feeling greasy — and while oil is hydrophobic, it’s not an especially effective waterproofer. Coconut oil is also solid at room temperature, so it can leave white splotches on your boots. 

Still, many conditioners do contain small amounts of coconut oil, so we’re going to explain the benefits of conditioning leather with coconut oil and which coconut oil alternatives you should use to help keep your boots in the best condition possible.

Coconut Oil vs. Coconut Oil Leather Conditioner?

It’s pretty straightforward: coconut oil is oil derived from the coconut. Coconut oil is high in saturated fat. Unlike most oil, which is liquid at room temperature, coconut oil is a white solid until 78° F, then it turns into a clear liquid.

Coconut oil’s solid state solid at room temperature is one reason it’s not the best as a leather conditioner. Under certain conditions you can get fat spew, or white blotches of fat on the surface of the leather.

Different types of coconut oil are refined and processed in different ways, extracted via centrifuge or pressed, whole kernel or skin removed, and so on. Each of them may have a substantially different effect on your boots, which is another reason not to use it. You just don’t really know what you’re putting on your boots.

While most cobblers, leather companies, and leather goods manufacturers don’t recommend using pure coconut oil, there are a lot of products for conditioning leather goods that contain a small amount of coconut oil. There are also homemade coconut oil conditioner recipes if you’re feeling crafty and don’t mind taking a risk.

First, a bit about why you should condition your leather.

Why Leather Needs Conditioning

Leather is, or used to be, skin and consists mostly of protein and fat. Skin needs moisturizing to keep it young and durable. Yes, like your face.

During the tanning processes, water is removed from the animal hides to prevent the leather from rotting. When you buy a leather product, it will have anywhere from 5 to 25% fat added back into it. Tanneries use a very specific mixture of waxes and oils to get the leather’s desired softness and strength.

The important thing to keep in mind is the fats and oils in the leather prevent it from becoming dry and brittle and falling apart. You need to condition dry, old leather with oil.

The difficulty is knowing what type of oils and fats are best for the type of leather you have, when to add more oils, and how much to add.

[Op-Ed: You Use Too Much Leather Conditioner]

Does Coconut Oil Damage Leather Boots?

Treating leather with coconut oil does have a few upsides: it will soften the leather and provide a thin layer of waterproof protection.

Because coconut oil is a natural oil (like neatsfoot oil, olive oil, and mink oil), you may get darker leather if you use it, albeit temporarily. But what it’s best known for is leaving a spotty, patch-like appearance to the leather and sticky feeling. Some people like a darker leather than what they bought — see Nick‘s darkened Iron Rangers above — but if you have a nice pair of leather boots, you probably want to keep the leather in its natural state.

When Carl Friedrik, a well-known maker of high-end leather bags, tested coconut oil on their Palissy Briefcase, the coconut oil darkened the natural color of expensive cognac vegetable tanned Italian leather. They don’t recommend using coconut oil on leather.

Also, it’s very easy to over condition your boots. If you do that, the leather pores will clog up, and the boots won’t be as breathable. People who have used coconut oil frequently also say that it can over soften the leather, leaving it prone to scuffs and making it less durable.

“It’s not ideal and it won’t give the best balance of waterproofing and color preservation and moisturizing like properly formulated conditioners will,” says Batson. “Look, coconut oil will moisturize the leather, so it’ll do in a pinch. I’ve even heard of people using a dab of Vaseline. If all you want to do is moisturize the leather and you don’t care what it looks like or if it’s the best waterproofer, try it! I just don’t recommend it as part of your normal boot care routine.”

Why do Some People Recommend Coconut Oil on Leather?

First, it’s worth mentioning that plenty of blogs still recommend using coconut oil on leather goods, so you might wonder why.

This is a holdover from 5 to 6 years ago when the Goodyear Welt boot enthusiasts and others on Reddit were experimenting with different leather conditioners. There’s a popular leather care guide that recommends coconut oil, but the mods updated the guide and no longer recommend using it.

That was part of a bigger wave of interest. If you check out the search term coconut oil on Google trends, you can see that peak coconut oil buzz occurred in March 2014 and January 2016.

“If your job assigned you some remote area the world where don’t have access to a variety of conditioning products, I understand that you’re going to have to figure it out. If you’re able to buy a conditioner online and you’re just wondering if you can avoid making that purchase because you already own coconut oil, I’d advise against it just because there are much better alternatives,” Batson concludes.

Does Coconut Oil Waterproof Boots?

Coconut oil will add a bit of water resistance, but remember that on a warm day the oil will become soft. If you want boots that will hold up against the elements as well as possible, it’s suggested you go with something more heavy duty like mink oil or Obenauf’s. Just remember that products intended to increase a boot’s water resistance will make them darker. 

“If all you want to do is moisturize the leather and you don’t care what it looks like or if it’s the best waterproofer — in other words, if you got a pair of boots you don’t care about, try it! I just don’t recommend it as part of your normal boot care routines,” says Batson.

[Related: The Right Way to Waterproof Nice Boots]

DIY Coconut Leather Conditioners: Should You Use Them?

If you really love your boots, be very careful with recipes you find online. They are fine for experimenting, but the companies who make real leather conditioners test the heck out of them, and random people on the internet, not so much.

We have found recipes out there circulating that include both lemon juice and white vinegar, but our experts say there shouldn’t be any acid at all in a homemade conditioning recipe.

Instead, check out this more balanced (and acid-free) homemade boot conditioning recipe from Scott Wolf on Leatherworker.net 

• 25g | 0.88oz  Beeswax
• 25g | 0.88oz  Shea butter
• 17g | .6oz      Jojoba ( beads or oil)
• 17g | .6oz      Castor oil
• 17g | .6oz      Coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons   Anhydrous Lanolin

Instructions: Put a pot on low heat and melt the shea butter. Once it liquifies, add the beeswax and wait until that melts (grate it if you didn’t get it in pellets). Then take it off the heat and quickly stir in your oils. It will start hardening up as it cools so put it in jars and get cleaning!

Avoid other DIY conditioners with acidic ingredients, and never try out a new recipe on an expensive pair of boots you love.

Which Oil Should You Condition Leather Boots With?

Different types of leather (smooth, waxed, roughout, suede, shell cordovan) all have their own care instructions, and that includes what type of conditioner to use. That said, I don’t recommend pure coconut oil on any of them because there are better products out there.

These conditioners have been specially formulated by experts to condition different leathers or to add water resistance. There’s really no one-size-fits all types of leather conditioner.

There’s a real advantage in knowing what you’re getting. You’ll know how much the leather will darken, how to apply, and so on. -Michael Batson

Jump to a quick care overview for each type of leather.

Leather Types

• Smooth Leather
• Waxed
• Roughout
• Suede
• Shell Cordovan

Smooth Leather

Smooth leather is pretty generic term. It might be “corrected” (sanded down smooth) or show some visible grain from the animal skins. The characteristics of smooth leather include the easily recognizable skin pores of the animal and the textures of each individual skin.

They should be regularly moisturized with a cream or conditioner. Surface scratches can be treated with a colored polish like Kiwi.

[Related: The 9 Best Leathers for Boots]

How to Condition Smooth Leather

1. Remove surface dirt with a clean brush or cloth.
2. Clean with Leather Soap if needed.
3. Apply Shoe Cream or Leather Conditioner evenly with a clean brush or cloth.
4. Buff with Horsehair Shine Brush
5. Store with Cedar Shoe Trees

Best Conditioner for Smooth Leather: Cobbler’s Choice

Waxed Roughout/Suede

Waxed leathers have a visible waxed coating and matte finish. The grain or flesh side of the hide may be waxed. The wax coating can be left to age naturally or reapplied as needed.

How to Condition Waxed Leather

1. Remove surface dirt with a clean brush or cloth.
2. Deep clean with Leather Castile Soap, if needed.
3. Suede and roughout don’t need to be conditioned; instead, you can read our guide to waxing suede or roughout.
4. Store with cedar shoe trees.

Roughout Leather

Roughout is a full-grain leather that has been processed for use on its reverse or flesh side.

This is an extremely durable material that typically only requires regular brushing to redistribute the natural oils found in the leather.

How to Care for Roughout Leather

1. Use a wire brush to remove dirt and stains.
2. Use a suede brush to restore the nap.
3. Remove remaining surface dirt with damp cloth.
4. Store with cedar shoe trees

[Learn More: Suede vs Roughout Leather – What’s the Difference?]

Suede

Suede is a leather that has been adjusted on its flesh side to create a uniform texture and soft temper.

It often has a nap or fuzziness to it. You don’t want to add coconut oil or any oil to suede because you will ruin this nappy texture and clog the pores.

How to Condition Suede

1. Remove surface dirt with a clean brush or cloth.
2. Use a suede eraser to lift marks and stains.
3. Use a suede brush to restore the nap.
4. Apply silicone waterproofing spray to preserve color and texture.
5. Store with Cedar Shoe Trees.

[Please Don’t Wreck Your Suede: Everything You Should Know About Caring for Suede]

Shell Cordovan

What you need: clean damp cloth and a clean horse hair brush, Shell Cordovan cream.

Shell cordovan is a fibrous layer of horse hide found only on the horse’s rump. It is an extremely durable material with nearly no visible grain and can achieve a glossy finish.

How to Condition Shell Cordovan

1. Remove surface dirt with a damp cloth or brush.
2. Apply cream evenly using a clean cloth.
3. Allow to dry
4. Buff with horsehair brush.

[Learn More: The 7 Best Cordovan Boots]

Wrapping it Up

The downsides of using coconut oil are clear – it’s difficult to apply the right amount, and too much oil may over-soften and weaken the leather, causing your boots actually to wear out faster. It can leave white splotches on your boots in addition to leaving the leather darker and greasier. You also only gain a bit of water resistance compared to real leather conditioners.

We recommend you skip the DIY hacks like olive oil, baby oil, mineral oil, coconut oil, and other kitchen oils and just invest in some decent leather conditioner – affordable, easy to order, and an extremely low risk of ruining your expensive leather boots.