What does baseball glove oil actually do for the glove leather?

As a seasoned leather expert, I've spent more than 38 years perfecting the art of leather care and maintenance. One of the most important aspects of caring for baseball glove leather is understanding how leather conditioners work within the fiber structure of the material.

Leather conditioners like Mitt-Spit Glove Oil are designed to penetrate the fibers of the leather to provide much-needed lubrication, hydration and nourishment. The fiber structure of leather is a woven mass of fibers that is incredibly complex, with tiny pores and channels that allow for breathable flexibility. When leather becomes dry it loses part of its volume so it shrinks and becomes brittle. This loss of oils and moisture, leads to cracks and wear.

Leather conditioners are typically made up of a combination of oils, and other nourishing ingredients. The problem is not all leather conditioners are the same. Oils used in many conditioners should not be used on baseball gloves because they are exposed to a lot of sun, they can turn rancid. This is where Mitt-Spit Glove Oil stands apart. It doesn’t have the potential for rancidity. Whereas mink oil, for example has a high tendency for rancidity. The correct conditioning compounds work together to infuse the leather moisture and help to restore its natural oils. As the conditioner seeps into the fiber structure of the leather, it helps to loosen and soften the fibers, making them more pliable and resistant to damage.

The molecular structure of leather is particularly unique, with its tightly knit and interwoven fibers. This complexity can make it challenging to ensure that leather conditioners penetrate deep enough to provide adequate moisture. However, high-quality conditioners like Mitt-Spit Glove Oil are designed to permeate through the material's complex fiber structure, providing deep conditioning that can restore leather to its natural soft supple nature, prolonging the life of the glove.

What about vaseline for my glove?

For years people swore by using vaseline on their mitt. With it’s thick viscosity it gives the user the sense that your applying something good to your glove. Is this really true? Let’s take a look inside.

First, not all “Vaseline” labeled products are the same. It depends on how it’s processed. But generally speaking Vaseline Petroleum Jelly is intended to create a barrier to lock a skin’s moisture content in. It’s a thick, viscous barrier that sits on the skin’s surface.

This works if the skin is a living organism, like your skin, where the moisture needed for healthy skin comes up from inside your body.

With a baseball glove, the leather is no longer living and doesn’t have its own source of moisture from the inside. Vaseline, acting as a barrier on the surface, does not bring moisture into the leather’s internal fiber structure.

What it does do is add substantial weight to the glove without adding moisture internally. The added weight makes the glove more difficult to handle. And, it can be problematic to the ballplayer fielding a ball.

Also, vaseline is sitting on the surface, creating a slickness, making it more difficult for the glove to “hold on to” the ball. It doesn’t make sense to have a slippery mitt that adds to the chance of making an error in the field.

Because of its chemical composition, it doesn’t evaporate easily. It stays put until you remove it or it wears away.

Finally, its blocking properties don’t allow the leather to breath.

Vaseline Petroleum Jelly manufactured by Unilever in India. It is made from water, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycol Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Mineral Oil, Dimethicone, Petrolatum, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Acrylates/c10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Stearamide Amp, Cedrol, Dihydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride and Hydroxyethyl Urea.

Bottomline is that it doesn’t do terrible harm to your glove leather but doesn’t do any good either.

Use products that are intended to improve the health of your glove leather. That’s what the tech team at Advanced Leather Solutions did in creating the Mitt-Spit line of baseball glove care products. The are engineered to specifically improve the leather’s health and performance without adding weight to the glove.

Check out the Mitt-Spit line of products here: Mitt-Spit.com or click here Mitt-Spit Baseball Glove Care Products for the most advanced and effective care products for your glove.

Mink, Neatsfoot or Olive Oil on Baseball Gloves --- Here's Why Not.

Mink oil comes from the skin of a mink.   Neatsfoot come from the hoof of a cow and other animals. Olive oil from, well olives. Animal or vegetable oils are never good for leather because of the potential of rancidity.  The oil can turn rancid.

To understand why, here's a short chemistry lesson.   There are two ends of the animal or vegetable oil spectrum: There is Saturated oils on one end and Unsaturated oils on the other.   Saturated oils are really stable, whereas unsaturated oils can be unstable.

There is a scientific method for testing this.  It’s called the Iodine Value (sometimes referred to as Iodine Index).  The higher the iodine value of an oil, the less stable it is, which means more sensitive to oxidation.   Simply put, the more likely to go rancid.  

The Iodine Value of mink oil is between 80 and 95.  Neatsfoot oil runs between 69 - 75. Olive oil is way up there as well at around 85. These are pretty far up that scale. Mitt-Spit glove oil is about 1. The same low rancidity potential exists for Mitt-Spit Break-in. That means virtually no chance of rancidity with Mitt-Spit products.

Mink, olive and neatsfoot oils all have fairly high Iodine Values.  There are 3 other factors necessary.  Exposure to air (oxygen), heat and light. This is why olive oil bottles are generally green (not clear glass), are stored with the cap on tight and supposed to be stored in a dark cool place.

Your baseball glove however is outside in the sun, exposed to air and gets plenty warm.  So your mitt is exposed to all three factors: Air, Heat and Light.  If it's loaded with olive, mink or neatsfoot oil, It doesn't take long for the oil in the glove to go rancid. What does this mean to you?  Anything going rancid in the leather will help deteriorate that leather.  It will make your glove smell and is generally unhealthy. Yuk!

Mitt-Spit products on the other hand is made from an oil that is often found in cosmetics, or even as a food additive.  It's very safe for your mitt too.  As mentioned, Mitt-Spit glove oil and Mitt-Spit Break-in have an iodine value of about 1.  For the sake of your glove,use Mitt-Spit products. If you invest in the correct care products, you’ll never be sorry. Go here to buy Mitt-Spit Products.