see also - Black Polish, Neutral Polish, White Polish, Daubers

Polish can be applied to leather using a dauber, a cloth, or bare hands. Each method has its advantages and drawbacks. A dauber allows rapid application, but can overload with polish easily. As well, it can be difficult to get polish into the welt of the boots with a dauber. Cloths provide more control over the amount of polish applied, but are similarly less effective at getting polish into tight spaces. Bare hands provide significant advantage for regulating the amount of polish being applied and offer a lot of flexibility for getting polish onto the leather in tight spaces. However, it is important to understand that shoe polish consists of a number of substances (for example: White Spirit, Naphtha, Benzene) which can pose significant health problems, particularly if one is chemically sensitive.

Ideally, polish should be applied in a thin even coat, but it is also important that the leather be covered completely. To this end, wax polish should be applied with firm pressure and brisk strokes. When applying wax polish with bare hands, it is helpful to briskly rub the polish between one's hands to melt the polish, making much easier to distribute on the leather. The consistency of cream polish means that it can be applied without as much force and without any effort to soften the polish beforehand.

Care should be taken to avoid getting polish on surfaces that don't respond well to polish, including laces (laces may be removed prior to polishing), sole edges, and non-leather or non-polishable leather parts of the boot (man-made shafts, suede, or oil-tanned leather).