SANDAL CARE & FACTS
UNISEX SANDAL DESIGNS
Our designs are unisex and the sandals are hand made from start to finish.
Check our special orders here.
All sandals are custom-fit to your measurements. We also bevel the edges of the leather straps to make them more comfortable.
The top part of the sole is made of leather and the bottom part is made of rubber. Our leather sandals get a beautiful dark color as time goes by; they also mold to your feet, since natural leather always gives and stretches out.
HIGH QUALITY LEATHERS
We use high quality calf leathers tanned in the tanneries of Crete.
For our high-quality color leather sandals, we use leathers that come from the traditional tanneries of Italy.
NATURAL MARKS AND TEXTURE
The natural leathers, we use, have natural marks & texture, which make every pair of sandals unique. Marks and texture are not a defect; they are a plus -it is your guarantee you are getting real and natural leather. Leathers treated with dies do not have these marks and do not darken with time.
NATURAL LEATHERS GET DARKER
The leather of our sandals, when exposed to sun light, starts getting darker; it also gets darker with applications of baby oil or Vaseline. Some people prefer olive oil because the leather gets darker sooner. Olive oil, though, mixed with human sweat can go rancid, over time. So, if you sweat a lot avoid it.
SWEAT & WATER
Our leathers get darker with water as well but avoid getting them wet!
Water and excessive sweating can seriously damage all leathers. Especially sea water is the worst enemy of leather sandals, with the exception of acidic sweat that’s even worse.
When your feet sweat a lot, your leather sandals get some whitish sweat-marks especially on the leather sole. This is due to your sweat’s chemical compounds, like: ammonia and urea. These compounds are produced when your body breaks down proteins from the foods you eat.
YOUR DIET HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE AMOUNT AND THE ACIDITY OF YOUR SWEAT AND THE HEALTH OF YOUR SANDALS
Your sweat’s acidity can ruin you leather sandals, in no time. Your sweat contains sugar and salts, such as sodium, chloride, and potassium.
Excessive sweating can be caused by genetic factors or various medical conditions. Most commonly though it is caused by anxiety or foods and beverages that contain:
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) – a flavor enhancer added to thousands of processed foods you eat daily. According to some researchers: “It’s one of the worst food additives on the market!” Also: Caffeine (chocolate, coffee, tea), hot sauces and spices, such as curry or cumin, dairy products, eggs, meat, canned and packaged snacks etc and of course Alcohol and smoking.
An unhealthy diet can make your body produce lots of highly acidic sweat.
ACIDIC SWEAT:
Acidic sweat (that can damage easily the leather of your footwear) is an indication of an acid imbalance in your body. Try eating highly alkaline foods like: fruits and vegetables, instead of the fast food that turns your body into an acidic powerhouse. If you do not care about your own health, do it for your hand made and custom fit leather sandals!
SANDAL CARE:
WASH YOUR FEET DAILY
Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) requires some extra personal hygiene. Make sure you wash your feet daily, twice if necessary.
GIVE YOUR SANDALS TIME TO RECOVER
If your feet sweat a lot, do not wear the same sandals for two days in a row, let them dry completely before wearing them again. Natural leather is highly absorbent and sweat can soak them through! It might not be visible but your sweat can rich the core of your sandals.
SHOE-NAILS & SANDAL CARE:
excessive sweat can oxidize the nails
We use shoe-nails and leather glue to bond the various parts together. With the nails and the glue, the sandals become really strong.
However, if your feet sweat you will soon see black stains on the surface of your leather sandal-soles (around the nails), so you have to take some special sandal care. Excessive sweat oxidizes the metallic nails. To avoid that, you have to put some clear nail polish on the nails before you wear the sandals. Let the nail polish dry well before you put the sandals on. Reapply the nail polish regularly – It all depends on how much your feet sweat and how acidic your sweat is. The dark stains disappear with time as the leather gets darker.
Sandal care involves the following:
Use leather cream (seal cream – saddle soap) to keep the natural leather healthy. You can find it in all Leather-Care Stores. Apply some cream whenever you see that the leather looks dull and dry. If you do not do this, and if your feet sweat a lot, the leather will start deteriorating. It will soon start cracking. Eventually your sandals will start falling apart.
Avoid getting them wet in sea water, but if you do, rinse them with fresh water and let them dry, in room temperature -no heaters, no direct sunlight. Then apply the leather cream or regular baby oil. The cream or the baby oil will make them a bit softer again. Keep them away from puppies as well as some adult dogs (they love to chew on them!!!).
