Caring for a leather hat

[treadlightly]

I'd be interested to know what you owners of leather hats use to care for them. Oil? Wax? A combination of the two? Or are they best left alone?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Laurentius]

Seems logical to treat them the same as you would a pair of leather boots. I have used Grangers G Wax on mine, sparingly.

 

[ozzy1977]

I have not put anything on my Jacaru, since buyimg it in Sydney in 2002, still as good as new too

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Until a few months ago I would have whole heartedly recommended Sno-Seal which I have used on most of my leather items since 2008 & found it great stuff but !!!!.....bought a new tin recently & what a deception !..........completely different formula (colour, texture; smell) & it's more like vasseline than a bee's wax compound . I may just use melted bee's wax from now on or try the Granger's G-wax & hope that hasn't changed.
I would definately go with wax rather than animal fats (neetsfoot, mink-oil etc.) Some of the Aussie leather hat manufacturers make their own leather cream, never used it but I think it's similar to the wax/oil dressing used on oilskin coats.
I don't know what kind of hat you have but not all leather can be made water repellent.

 

[santaman2000]

Don't have a leather hat. But if I did I'd use baseball glove oil.

 

[Wulfman]

After getting drenched a few times last year and my beautiful hat looking like a mutated sodden yorkshire pudding. I decided to spray mine with a few coates of Scotchgard, giving a few hours between coates. The result was amazing, water just glides off the hat doesn't get wet and there is no difference in appearance. I applied this in September and it still works fine.

 

[hedgedruid]

Sprayed mine with a simple leather protection type spray been fine for a couple of years still shedding water easily . Quick shake when going indoors and most of the water comes off .