Care

Exotic skin needs less than most people give it. The whole protocol is three things you own already, applied on a schedule.

Cream, cloth, cedar.

The routine

After every wear: Trees in while the shoe is still warm. Wipe the scale with a dry cotton cloth, following the direction of the rows.
Every fourth wear: A pea of exotic leather cream on a cloth, worked in flat, left ten minutes, buffed off with a soft brush.
Every two months: Edge dressing on the sole edge and heel stack. This is where a shoe starts to look tired first.
Twice a year: Deep condition, then rest the pair for a full week before wearing again.
Every two to three years: Send them back for a resole. The welt means the upper is never disturbed.

Five things that ruin a pair

Wax polish: It fills the seams between the scales and dries white. Cream only, never a hard wax.
Heat drying: A radiator or hair dryer lifts the scale edges permanently. Wet shoes dry at room temperature, trees in.
Saddle soap: Too alkaline for exotic hide. It strips the finish and leaves the tiles chalky.
Silicone protectors: They seal the surface and stop the skin breathing. The leather hardens underneath.
Two days running: Every shoe needs twenty four hours to dry out. Rotating two pairs more than doubles the life of both.