Gel？Bleached？

[lsq998]

For a shaving brush, does "Gel" represent a bleaching operation? Bleaching may affect the brush's lifespan.
Do top-tier shaving brush brands like DG, VC, Wald, The Varlet, etc., use methods other than bleaching in the processing of shaving brushes?

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I suspect that most, if not all, two band brushes are treated, some more than others. The treatment as I understand it is performed by the application of bleach, and possibly some other chemical, to the tips of the knot only, and not to the entire knot. I dislike heavily gelled tips intensely and suspect it is a fad that has passed and tastes are returning to more natural knots. I also suspect that in some cases gelling is simply used to disguise an inferior hair quality. I have not heard that gelling will shorten brush life and I would expect any quality brush, gelled or not, to last many years, possibly even a lifetime, especially as part of a rotation.

 

[lsq998]

I suspect that most, if not all, two band brushes are treated, some more than others. The treatment as I understand it is performed by the application of bleach, and possibly some other chemical, to the tips of the knot only, and not to the entire knot. I dislike heavily gelled tips intensely and suspect it is a fad that has passed and tastes are returning to more natural knots. I also suspect that in some cases gelling is simply used to disguise an inferior hair quality. I have not heard that gelling will shorten brush life and I would expect any quality brush, gelled or not, to last many years, possibly even a lifetime, especially as part of a rotation.

I've heard that bleaching can make the tips more prone to breakage. I also hope for a good brush that can be used for a very long time.So, I hope to buy brushes that haven't undergone bleaching.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I've heard that bleaching can make the tips more prone to breakage. I also hope for a good brush that can be used for a very long time.So, I hope to buy brushes that haven't undergone bleaching.

I stand corrected - good luck with whatever you purchase

 

[rreynoso]

I recently tried a knot and after some lathers this started to happen



More and more... the manufacturer tried to sell me that this was normal when I asked for my money back... "the ephimeral beauty of a flower" or some bullcr4p like that...

And it didn´t made the brush softer than some silvertips I have...

Cheers

 

[Mr. Shavington]

I recently tried a knot and after some lathers this started to happen

View attachment 1754831View attachment 1754832

More and more... the manufacturer tried to sell me that this was normal when I asked for my money back... "the ephimeral beauty of a flower" or some bullcr4p like that...

And it didn´t made the brush softer than some silvertips I have...

Cheers

Yeah, that’s not normal. Presumably over-treated and has damaged the tips quite badly. Declaration Grooming had the same issue with their B12 knot and they issued a recall / refund for it.

Otherwise there hasn’t really been any noise about bleached tips breaking or other issues, and the bleached tip fad has been going on for some years. Treatments these days are usually less aggressive than they used to be when people wanted slimy gelled knots, but even those don’t seem to have had problems (or maybe people grew tired of the gel feeling and stopped using them much).

 

[BigJ]

I recently tried a knot and after some lathers this started to happen

View attachment 1754831View attachment 1754832

More and more... the manufacturer tried to sell me that this was normal when I asked for my money back... "the ephimeral beauty of a flower" or some bullcr4p like that...

And it didn´t made the brush softer than some silvertips I have...

Cheers

UGH!!

 

[ChiefBroom]

This blog post on our website from January 2018 might be of interest to some following this thread. Be sure to scroll down to the photos.

Re: 2CH3K4 knots - https://www.paladinshaving.com/blogs/brooms-blog/re-2ch3k4-knots

 

[kooshman7]

If you read Oumo's descriptions about knots, you'll see more mentioning of this. There is so much the hairdressers wish to keep secret so it's always a question with so much of the process. The gelling is definitely bleaching. I forgot who posted a guide to it, but after that post I have no questions that it's bleaching now that produces that effect. The results of taking a brush that has none of that, and then showing images of the aftereffects left no lingering doubt in my mind. I'm not a fan of it. It's possible it's something that's always been done, but something changed when Rooney introduced 2-band Heritage, and slowly it's been trickling to everything. I noticed the latest Semogue 3-band has a touch of that gel tip feeling to it. It has to be mild for me to tolerate it, but even then it's just that: I only tolerate it.

isp998 has it correct in bleaching does make the tips more prone to breakage. Oumo over the years has been vocal about that aspect that more gelling equates to a lesser lifespan for the brush, and mentioning tip breakage. Add to this people's penchant about saying brushes are meant for using and scrubbing the hell out of them and you have a recipe for disaster. Use the brush how you like folks, but circular motions introduces more potential for breakage of the hair deeper down and at the tips. If people ever take the time to read the care instructions that come with their brushes, all manufacturers agree on this. Even the point of using painting motions to apply lather. You can use it however you want, just don't come here whining when it breaks early.

rreynoso's brush is definitely not normal, and what they told him is complete, utter crap. The brush doing that doesn't improve it. The only hair that improves over time with use is boar, and that's not the tips breaking off, but them splitting into finer tips. I can't remember what happened to the one gentleman's brush that he purposely cut down shorter hoping what was left would split even finer, but I don't think it was successful. It was here about 2011-2012 when it was posted I think.

I'm not usually a fan of most of what Oumo produces, but I do have to say the Origin knot that was introduced recently is interesting, especially the information they give about it. The very first line for the features states it is the longest b adger hair tip in history, with each hair tip retaining its scales intact, making it have extremely high lather efficiency, and number 4 stating it has super long service life, that there is hardly any damage to any cuticle part. 5 is the extreme softness is different from gel tips, and this softness is brought by the super long hair tip, which is super luxurious.

All of that well can be marketing hyperbole. I'm okay with it as it gives some insight into areas not formerly known. I go by what I see visibly, and what I see of the knots I like, even if they are quite pricey. I'm a bit hesitant to buy right away. They introduced Meri, and then just a short time after that they introduced Meri-2 significantly undercutting the price. They did introduce some bleaching to it so I probably got the better deal in Meri. Having tried just about everything, it's hard to find something that catches my eye anymore. What I haven't tried is due to the knots looking like they are bleached and not being to my taste. Took forever to find a Rhodium knot I liked enough to try, but did end up liking that one.

I read years ago the reason why badger was selected so long back as the hair of choice for shaving is because of its ability to retain water like human hair, and they tried any hair they could get their hands on basically. I wish I still had the link to that site. It was such a good read. Dr Dulcamara of BSB Shaving Brushes in one thread somewhere followed up to a post I had made saying that same thing confirming it and further explaining many points in brushmaking. I know that he worked with Vielong for the knots he got when he was doing BSB brushes.