I ordered the product from ebay , and have used it on my cutting boards and butcher block island. I really like it. It's easy to apply, leaves a nice sheen and she was quick to ship it for me.

Maybe I'd make my own at some point, but really just want to buy something pre-made for now.

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I don't know about Holland Mills wax product but I love their bowls!! I use Boos Mystery oil on my BB counter and my bowls.

I have a butcher block island that I finished with pure tung oil (from Real Milk Paint Co). I initially did 5 coats, cutting it with their citrus solvent (orange oil) so it would dry faster. It has been a year and 3 months of regular use and I am just now getting to the point I think it could use a fresh coat. I debated between mineral spirits and pure tung oil initially, but I knew I wouldn't reapply the mineral oil like I should. I am so happy with the longevity of the tung oil and would do it again in a heartbeat. I don't know about using it for the cutting boards that are used frequently, even though it is deemed food safe, but I wouldn't hesitate for second putting it on decorative bowls and baskets. Maybe the tung oil will give you the lasting effect you are wanting? Plus - when used with the orange oil, it smells so good! :)

You might check amazon.com for the mineral oil/beeswax/carnauba wax material they carry. Forgot the name, but search for mineral oil & beeswax on amazon & it'll come up. This is the least expensive (per ounce, including shipping) I found and I like the carnauba content. It's a harder & drier (non-tacky) wax than beeswax and should wear better. I've formulated commercial materials with carnauba..good stuff. The mixture on amazon is made for butcher blocks, but I used it on my soapstone countertops...nice so far. Big improvement over straight mineral oil.

I just looked up what guy in newhouse suggested, it's Chef's Catalog Butcher Block conditioner. I'd like a mixture that's not tacky, maybe I'll try that.

Is there any reason why you should not use the bees wax/mineral oil combo on a butcher block? I do have some that I use for my soapstone, when I oil it, and when the butcher block was being installed by Grothouse, I mentioned that I might try it on the block and the installer said they don't recommend using any wax, just mineral oil. I got distracted and never got around to asking why no wax. Can anyone think of a reason why this may be?

Evil...that's the stuff. Fast shipping too..a couple days.

Donna, I wouldn't worry about it. Wax is a common & VERY old finish on wood. You may have heard of "Johnson's Paste Wax", it's still available today. It was created to wax the exotic wood parquet floors that were fashionable (and installed by Johnson) about 100 years back. Wax was used on wood long before that. Your installer may of wanted to steer you away from waxes in general as not all of them are food-safe. Beeswax & Carnauba are food safe.

Many furniture "waxes or cleaner-waxes" have notning to do with actual wax as the functional component is silicone oil & this isn't food safe.

I used the mineral oil/beeswax combo from the ebay seller and it is great. Very fast shipping and it lasts a long time too. I believe her site is called Wooden Wonders.

Wooden Wonders Beeswax Butcher Block Conditioner is hands down the best choice for a number of reasons. First it's made from high quality beeswax (normally the end cappings from fresh beeswax) so it's cleaner than the wax most people use. They ship it out quickly and when you order more than one tin at a time you get extra tins shipped to you as a bonus so it's considerably less expensive than Holland Mills product. You can order it on ebay or directly from their website. They don't overcharge for shipping like some places. You also don't have to be worried about getting overcharged for shipping, they routinely refund amounts exceeding their cap which presently considerably less than the cost of a flat rate box... this is great since a flat rate box can hold lots of tins. We use it on both our soapstone counters and all our wooden kitchen butcher blocks cutting boards and utensils.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wooden Wonders Beeswax Butcher Block Conditioner

Hi cat_mom!

We use the Holland Mills magic mix on our butcher block (and when I type "we" I of course mean "I") and I like it. Like you, I didn't want to make my own and learned about the Holland Mills mix here.

I do it at night (ahem, I mean when I do it, and I should definitely do it more often than I do!) because I massage so much in (and my hands / cuticles love it!), letting it absorb through the night. I rub in a layer, then like an hour or two later I rub in another, and then I go to bed. By morning it's no longer greasy.

How are you? I hope you're having a good new year! Genki's nestled in my hip and Dashiell's on my chest as I type this -- they're "helping" me communicate with our NY kindred spirit!

Thanks for the responses! Of course, now I'm even less sure of a decision--some of my favorite people have spoken up for different products--how to choose? LOL

Quick shout-out to rmkitchen!!! We're doing well here. Hoping the economic downturn doesn't hit too close to home (employment). Had hoped to continue our long-awaited projects (renovations) this year, but DH thinks we should hold off awhile....

Our cats are doing very well, although both need to lose some weight (as will their mom if she doesn't stop her mid-winter overindulging and snacking!). Hope you, DH, and your beautiful boys (and your fur-gang) are just terrific!

Hi - a couple of you have mentioned using these mineral oil/beeswax conditioners on your soapstone as well as on butcher block. Can you tell me about using it on soapstone? If you use the Wooden Wonders product, how easily does it go on versus the oil combo? I have a lot of soapstone, installed a couple of months ago and have been using mineral oil (a thinner version). It seems like I have streaks no matter how well I wipe off the excess oil. I'm thinking maybe these products would be better. Thoughts?