Isn't it also now a suspected carcinogen?
On a similar vein, I'd try Jack Daniels.
EDIT - oh, hell, I suppose I should give a serious answer as well. I don't know if my main Strat had a gloss neck when new or a matte or semi matte, I suspect the latter but it's certainly polished up to a gentle gloss on the back over the years. It's also gotten its share of dings, and I think because of that it isn' very "sticky"... but I definitelty have buffed my share of necks down to bare wood before, especially in my Ibanez superstrat days.
One, if you go all the way down to bare wood, hit them with some Tung oil or something similar periodically, some kind of a penatrating finish that, after you buff it back with whatever you use to sand, will still feel like bare wood but will protect the wood and help keep it a litte more stable around humidity swings - I forget if you're in New Englad too but unfinished necks move a LOT over the year here.
Two, as an alternative to steel wool, I've started using 3m buffing pads on fretwire, and it'd probably do an awesome job taking a gloss neck and buffing it to a matte finish. No little wool wire particles to stick to your pickup polepieces either (if you use steel wool, try taping the pickups with painters tape, then adding another layter to trap all the partivles when you're done and peeling the base off to remove all the little threads. Or, just remove the neck.).
But, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Scotch-Br...21-abf3-3e79637cbdb1&pd_rd_i=B00LWTWCKY&psc=1
I mostly use the grey Ultra Fine, and it's fairly akin to 0000 steel wool. You can buy them on their own, but it might not hurt to have some of the coarser ones around too.
