I've used Holland Bowl Mill Bee's Oil, which is a blend of natural beeswax and mineral oil. I bought an 8 oz. container 5 yrs. ago and still have 1/3 of it left. I also use it to condition my wood cutting boards. I used mineral oil once, and I found it to be runny and leave an oily residue. The Bee's Oil is a paste wax consistency. I scoop it out with a white cotton dishcloth (which I've dedicated for this use only) and just rub it on like a wax shoe polish. I clear the countertops & island, put on some good music and work at getting all the surfaces covered. When done, I take a clean cloth and buff it up. It was recommended to me to do at night when you can keep everything off the counters and allow it to air dry overnight. There is not much residue, once you buff it. And the color on mine deepens slightly for a while. I did it about once a month for the 1st three months after we had it installed. Otherwise, once a year. I like seeing the variations in the greys of my stone, instead of having an all-black shinier look. Our soapstone counters get a lot of use in a kitchen where there's year-round entertaining at our lake house. I bake a lot and roll dough directly on my island. The soapstone looks as nice as it did when installed - except for one "ding" when I dropped a glass on it when unloading the DW. I purchased my Holland Bowl product online on my soapstone fabricator's recommendation.

It sounds as though you may have a traditional soapstone which is softer and has more talc. Therefore it takes longer to age or darken. Continue to apply your soapstone wax or oil more frequently.

Thank you Shelbyronnestad. Do you have a gas stove/range (not sure if GooGone has flammable vapors). Did you use mineral oil on your counters or leave yours bare? After looking at the MilkPaint website instructional videos, I may try it again. I waxed my soapstone when my counters were fairly new--about 6 years ago. No problems until I overcleaned them during the pandemic and removed the wax in large patches. I tried to remove the remaining wax (and some nicks) by sanding it off then rewaxing. Per their videos, I didn't completely remove the old product, I used too much new product and left it on too long leaving me with the sticky, splotchy mess that I now need to remove. I really liked the Milkpaint wax the first time!!

Yes, never use any oil but mineral oil! I've never waxed mine. Oil every week for the first month, and then ease off. I probably oil mine once every two months, but I like the "just oiled" look. Super easy to do.