how often do you condition your bags?

I conditioned a leather bag only once (Apple Leather Care) and it left a gummy residue on the bag. Fortunately that was only a Roots bag. My luxury bags I haven't touched and they look perfect, even the vintage ones.

Delighted to hear it!

That's the problem with these so-called conditioners. They often promise to seal and 'protect' using chemicals rather than just moisturise.

Better to use a no-colour leather cream if anything and only after cleaning (with a soft dry brush - no water) than these 'hairspray for handbags'. Even then once a year is plenty - if needed.
 
Delighted to hear it!

That's the problem with these so-called conditioners. They often promise to seal and 'protect' using chemicals rather than just moisturise.

Better to use a no-colour leather cream if anything and only after cleaning (with a soft dry brush - no water) than these 'hairspray for handbags'. Even then once a year is plenty - if needed.
This might sound terrible, I haven't tried this, but is leather cream more or less like the no-colour creamy shoe polish? Or no?
 
This might sound terrible, I haven't tried this, but is leather cream more or less like the no-colour creamy shoe polish? Or no?

I think you may need to look at the list(s) of ingredients on each product, as depending on brand and country 'conditioner's' and 'creme's' meaning can be interchangeable.

There are 2 or 3 stages to conditioning: cleaning, feeding and protecting. It's at the cleaning and protecting stages one has to be most careful.

Cleaning: Some cleansers (including saddle soaps on some leathers) can strip leather of its natural moisture, can take off the finish and open pores making it more susceptible to the damage from the elements. Be very careful if anything calls for more than the merest drop of water.

Protecting: Wax in a product will seal leather, repel water and restore shine but it can also mean that no further moisture can be added if/when needed. Similarly silicones and other ingredients in products can make leather look better but only short-term*.

Feeding is where (usually) leather cream comes in. It puts back natural leather-compatible oils into the leather and makes it less liable to crack, softens and protects longterm.

*Shine should come from continuous brushing (polishing) between wearings, leather's natural sealant.
 
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I think you may need to look at the list(s) of ingredients on each product, as depending on brand and country 'conditioner's' and 'creme's' meaning can be interchangeable.

There are 2 or 3 stages to conditioning: cleaning, feeding and protecting. It's at the cleaning and protecting stages one has to be most careful.

Cleaning: Some cleansers (including saddle soaps on some leathers) can strip leather of its natural moisture, can take off the finish and open pores making it more susceptible to the damage from the elements. Be very careful if anything calls for more than the merest drop of water.

Protecting: Wax in a product will seal leather, repel water and restore shine but it can also mean that no further moisture can be added if/when needed. Similarly silicones and other ingredients in products can make leather look better but only short-term*.

Feeding is where (usually) leather cream comes in. It puts back natural leather-compatible oils into the leather and makes it less liable to crack, softens and protects longterm.

*Shine should come from continuous brushing (polishing) between wearings, leather's natural sealant.
Thank you for the detailed info papertiger!
 
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I resell thrifted and garage sale finds, and all of those get a cleaning and conditioning with Leather Honey, which has worked well for me so far! Funny enough, I’m not in the habit of doing it on any of my own bags, but maybe I should start.