Do you still have to soak boar brushes after break-in ?

[rudyt]

Another vote for not soaking here. I soaked my brushes for a few minutes for about a year, then one day I was running late and just gave it a quick 10-15 second rinse under warm tap water.

Guess what? The shave was even better in the backbone department, with no problems with lather. Note that I have always loaded with a wet brush and face lathered. Four years later and the same brushes I started with have not become shedders or experienced broken bristles.

To the people who say you HAVE to soak a boar, or that it makes the experience better, please refrain from speaking globally.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Rudyt, there are those who will say poppycock, but I am 100% in agreement. I also do NOT soak.

Mac

 

[rudyt]

Rudyt, there are those who will say poppycock, but I am 100% in agreement. I also do NOT soak.

There are no absolutes; everyone has different faces and preferences, although we may be in the minority here.

 

[Snurgblat]

YMMV

I just soak mine while showering like many others posting before me. To all their own.

 

[Nikonsal]

When using boar I do a quick soak while I make coffee. Just habit, although I don't do this with badger or synthetics. It SEEMS with the boar if I don't do a soak I have to keep adding water as I lather.

 

[Ruva]

I've tried both soaking and not soaking. Unsoaked means I would run it under the tap a few times. For me, I had a hard time keeping a lather with an unsoaked boar. The boar would soak up the water from the soap. Although, it did have stiffer backbone, so that was a plus. Recently started to soak it again and have had better results. Really depends on what you're looking for in the brush.

 

[Try em all]

Quick rinse is enough for me. Works well enough.
I'm not one of those of who finds mystique in the brush ritual. A brush is a brush is a brush.

 

[ackvil]

My routine for all natural hair brushes. Before washing my face I put the brush in warm water if I am doing a warm water shave and cold water if a cold water shave. After washing my face and head I take the brush out of the water.

 

[musicman1951]

Yes, it needs to soak. You'll have to experiment if you need an exact number of minutes. I soak mine while I'm in the shower.

 

[wrightwrjr]

I agree with rudyt. I get much better performance out of my boars if I don't soak them. I just wet them, give them a shake and start lathering. When I soak a boar it tends to retain the lather. I have used boars many, many times and I think the broken bristle issue is no more than a wives tale that has been spread without merit. I have never had that happen.

 

[Big Jim]

I must admit that I don't use a boar often these days although it was my main brush for decades. I learned a lot since joining B&B and what works best for me today when using a boar is to soak the tip only, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the way. This still provides a modicum of backbone while providing a softer face feel. That seems to optimize the boar experience for me, making and holding lather better and a nice feel when applying the lather.

 

[SamplingNature]

I generally fill up my mug with tap-hot water, and soak the puck and boar brush while I shower.

 

[DesertIguana]

I’ve read that you need to soak a boar brush in hot water for 5 minutes before lathering - so that it’s softer, and won’t break any bristles.

After it’s broken in and naturally soft - is soaking for longer than 30 seconds still necessary to prevent breaking bristles ?

I just run under water to wet, shake, and lather.