Question on boar brushes and face-lathering.

[shave/brush]

I don't understand how the brush breaking in will allow for more lather. I'm sure there are many guys here that can get 3 passes with plenty of lather. What I don't understand is why I cannot? I use a shave stick and I load my face with plenty of soap. The brush breaking in with more split ends should not effect how much lather is held in the brush.
I'm at a lost to understand this.

 

[OtterLunacy]

My guess is that more hair in a brush = more lather created and retained. How fine and densely packed the hairs are almost certainly matters too. Boars start with relatively few hairs compared to badger and synthetics, and they are quite large. "Breaking-in" refers to those hairs splitting into two or more pieces, so its not just face feel that is effected--performance also increases as the effective knot density increases. Another way to put it is more surface area = more, better lather. Breaking in a boar = exponentially increased surface area.

 

[rabidus]

The one the left is broken in and holds allot more lather than the new brush on the right. Both knots are supposed to be the same size.

 

[D1dad]

When the hairs split your golden. I personally think a broken in boar is the best brush ever.

 

[objectuser]

I think when a boar is broken in, it makes far better use of the lather that's loaded because of all of those fine split ends. I think my RR Silvertip synthetic does it even better, but I get more lather out of the same load time with my best boars than my (only) RR Chubby Extra Silvertip Badger.

But they definitely have to be broken in.

 

[Akke]

When the hairs split your golden. I personally think a broken in boar is the best brush ever.

i really agree in this, fully broken in boar.

(my boar hairs has splitted even upp to6!!!).

This makes boar much softer than silvertip. 6splits is insane.

 

[shave/brush]

It seems there are at least a few guys here that have no problem getting 2 or 3 passes using a boar brush with a shave stick. I have not been using my boar brushes regularly so they have only broke in a little more. I'll have to try it again with a stick.

 

[Akke]

look single bristle, has they splitted in how meny splits? Sticks are little bit harder to get soap from, specially if you shave everyday. Facial hair scrapes soap from stick. So, if no hair, stick does not releas so easy soap.

 

[shave/brush]

look single bristle, has they splitted in how meny splits? Sticks are little bit harder to get soap from, specially if you shave everyday. Facial hair scrapes soap from stick. So, if no hair, stick does not releas so easy soap.

Plenty of soap will get on your face even if you shave everyday. It's all in the bristles. I have no problem with my synthetics. Maybe when it breaks in more.

 

[Akke]

looks like that has started splitting, looks like there can be 1-3splits, that will be more wider from top after more use, it should lather already. One thing is that boar does drain water, and if not soaked for long and deep enough, it will drain lather. Actually all bristles in boar that are dry, will drain lather.

At the morning i woke upp, i put my boar to soak, i soak in deep water, almost to the handle (choose selfh if you want to do it to handle). i let it soak while i go eat and drink coffe. Maybi its soaking for over 10-30min... After this its very soft, no sticky feel on face.

Keep working with that boar, it will be better and better. Also, make sure that it dryes after every shave. Tips dryes fast, they are dry next day, but knot takes little longer maybi 2 days.

Btw, very nice looking brush that

 

[Akke]

On the pictures right side, there is an 3 splitted hair, that is veeeery soft on face, just soak it long time. Its getting in man!

 

[shave/brush]

The brush is a Badger & Blade 10th Anniversary brush. I think it still has a ways to go to be broken in. I don't use it enough.

 

[SterFry]

Your brush isn't broken in.

Also, how long are you soaking the brush?

 

[shave/brush]

Your brush isn't broken in.

Also, how long are you soaking the brush?

I don't think you can tell from that picture alone if it is broken in. Although I'm sure if it were more broken in it might work better.
I thoroughly soak my brush for about 10 minutes. I think I need to use it more. Right now I favor my synthetics because they lather so much more easily.

 

[SterFry]

I don't think you can tell from that picture alone if it is broken in. Although I'm sure if it were more broken in it might work better.
I thoroughly soak my brush for about 10 minutes. I think I need to use it more. Right now I favor my synthetics because they lather so much more easily.

I didn't look at the picture, but eating lather is something boars are infamous for before they're broken in. Some break in faster than others. My Semogue 1470 needed 3 months of every-other day use before it stopped eating lather. Though most don't take quite that long.

That being said, no natural hair brush, broken in or not, will ever be able to match the ease and efficiency of a modern synthetic.

 

[Tanuki]

I am breaking in a new bleached 18mm boar knot (from The Golden Nib) in a vintage Ever-Ready handle, second use today. Lofted short to emphasize scrub. I used an Arko stick and applied heavily.

Normally, after a heavy application of Arko I would be washing away lots of unused lather at the end of the shave. Today, pass 2 was skimpy and I had to apply more Arko, lightly, to get lather for my trouble spot pass 3 work. The knot felt soapy as I gave it a final rinse, but there were no bubbles to be seen.

I noticed that the knot ate more lather as the passes went along. My personal opinion is that boars have some anti-lather substance (an oil?) that releases slowly and just takes time to wash away.

Hair splitting will no doubt change lather making and retention qualities, but I think that the direct disappearance of lather that has been built is a bio-chemical thing. The shed lather in my brush scuttle disappears too.

I have lots of boars. Even a 50 year old NOS boar knot will eat lather. Surprisingly, bleached versus unbleached knots need similar amounts of break-in.

I do not treat my boars to break them in, other than building lathers that I simply wash down the drain. I expect 20 or more full shave latherings before a boar completely stops eating lather. I can't get that by simply lathering 20 times in a row, so I suppose the substance in the knot breaks down/releases only over time, not just from soap exposure.

Once fully broken in you can splay, scrub, paint, whatever your knot configuration will support. The lather eating will be entirely gone. Until then, keep the shave stick handy and apply as needed.

That boar of yours is a beauty!

 

[shave/brush]

Thank you gentlemen for your advice and tips. I guess it needs more time to break in. Like I said I do not use it a lot because it eats my lather up.
I know this is a crazy question but how many shaves on average does a boar brush need till it doesn't eat up so much lather? Like 20, 30, 40???

 

[Akke]

I have never matched up how meny shaves, but roughly my boar did broke in after 3+ months of ewery other day shaving... so its more 30+ shaves from shaving-->fully dry. It takes some time, but your brush is good going in

 

[shave/brush]

I am breaking in a new bleached 18mm boar knot (from The Golden Nib) in a vintage Ever-Ready handle, second use today. Lofted short to emphasize scrub. I used an Arko stick and applied heavily.

View attachment 1301016

Normally, after a heavy application of Arko I would be washing away lots of unused lather at the end of the shave. Today, pass 2 was skimpy and I had to apply more Arko, lightly, to get lather for my trouble spot pass 3 work. The knot felt soapy as I gave it a final rinse, but there were no bubbles to be seen.

I noticed that the knot ate more lather as the passes went along. My personal opinion is that boars have some anti-lather substance (an oil?) that releases slowly and just takes time to wash away.

Hair splitting will no doubt change lather making and retention qualities, but I think that the direct disappearance of lather that has been built is a bio-chemical thing. The shed lather in my brush scuttle disappears too.

I have lots of boars. Even a 50 year old NOS boar knot will eat lather. Surprisingly, bleached versus unbleached knots need similar amounts of break-in.

I do not treat my boars to break them in, other than building lathers that I simply wash down the drain. I expect 20 or more full shave latherings before a boar completely stops eating lather. I can't get that by simply lathering 20 times in a row, so I suppose the substance in the knot breaks down/releases only over time, not just from soap exposure.

Once fully broken in you can splay, scrub, paint, whatever your knot configuration will support. The lather eating will be entirely gone. Until then, keep the shave stick handy and apply as needed.

That boar of yours is a beauty!

That is a very nice handle on your brush. You were lucky to find it.

 

[Creole Shaver]

I load with the Marco Metbod. Then I use light pressure to generate the lather, and painting strokes to apply it. It seems to work well for me. I never get good results when I splay heavily.