Natural oils are not solvents. They don't flash off the surface or dry in seconds — they need time to work into the timber. Jojoba and other conditioning oils benefit from a moment to settle before you buff away the excess, and the whole practice rewards a little patience.

Apply a small amount with a clean, soft cloth and spread it thin and even. Then stop. Give it a few minutes — longer in cold weather, when everything moves slower. You'll see the finish change: the wet sheen dulls slightly as the oil is taken up, and the surface begins to look settled rather than shining.

That dulling is your signal. Buff gently along the grain with a dry part of the cloth and bring up a soft, low lustre. If you buff too early, you'll only move the oil around and lift most of it straight back off. Wait for it, and the conditioning oils have time to do their work.

It is a quiet, unhurried job. Done properly it takes minutes, and it asks only that you let the materials do what they do at their own pace.