I just fill a mug with water and put the brush in it. IMO, if youre worrying about getting all the air bubbles out of the brush knot, youre probably overthinking it.
How do you soak your boar brush?
- Thread starter TinyT
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I do the same except I leave it in the hot water while I shower. I only have a couple of years experience and have only done it this way - seems to work fine and the Omega boar brush still works for me.
- Thread starter
- #23
I feel your pain. Im guility of it too sometimes.Overthinking's my thing; it's all I've got
Wes
My Semogue is fairly soft already; I just fill my shaving bowl with hot water and swish the bush to get it soaking wet. That's all I need do. Years ago I had an inexpensive (like $8) Omega briefly, and that thing was like a whisk broom. I did soak that one.
I'm not ready to let this thing go.
Maybe a soak in a weak vinegar solution might be worth a try. The idea is to strip away factory residues from a new brush or any soap/mineral/skin oil buildup after you've been using it awhile. Mantic59 describes the process (in this article).
By the way, since my last post, I decided to break out the Omega 10005 and go through the routine that I mentioned. Took a few photos to illustrate how it usually goes for me...
Plastic cup, half full of warm water, bristles three-quarters immersed:
Five minutes later, after a firm shake, a 1 cm blob of Nivea Sensitive cream:
After thirty seconds of vigorous palm-lathering:
Compared to all the issues that you've experienced, I think this is closer to what most of us expect to get when we lather up.
Great illustrations!!
- Thread starter
- #27
- Thread starter
- #28
Stage 3
The brush is standing upright once again. This doesn't normally happen
Stage 4
After a 5 minute soak. Things are looking good....
Stage 5
After a 30 second load from a tub of Proraso White. Now I'm getting excited....
Stage 6
Success! 20 to 30 seconds of hand lathering and a truly awesome result. A big thanks to everyones contributions, but especially Demolition. I'll have a celebration single malt tonight and toast it to you. It just goes to show what a little bit of tenacity plus knowledge can do. And, to top it all off, the vendor has been brilliant about the cracks, so a new brush will soon be in the way. I think it'll be a Semogue boar. The big question is: when the new brush arrives, do I go straight for the vinegar solution + dish soap deep clean? Awesome work guys, thanks
Wes
The brush is standing upright once again. This doesn't normally happen
Stage 4
After a 5 minute soak. Things are looking good....
Stage 5
After a 30 second load from a tub of Proraso White. Now I'm getting excited....
Stage 6
Success! 20 to 30 seconds of hand lathering and a truly awesome result. A big thanks to everyones contributions, but especially Demolition. I'll have a celebration single malt tonight and toast it to you. It just goes to show what a little bit of tenacity plus knowledge can do. And, to top it all off, the vendor has been brilliant about the cracks, so a new brush will soon be in the way. I think it'll be a Semogue boar. The big question is: when the new brush arrives, do I go straight for the vinegar solution + dish soap deep clean? Awesome work guys, thanks
Wes
I soak my Omega 10725 boar in a plastic cup with warm water just below of the handle while I shower.
The brush is on the small side but this works for the three (2 badger, 1 boar) brushes in my rotation.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
The brush is on the small side but this works for the three (2 badger, 1 boar) brushes in my rotation.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
Never soak it before using it, Semogue 1470.
Cheers, Wes! I'm really glad that the vinegar solution worked out. I've managed to resurrect some hard-to-lather brushes using that method, too, so it seemed like a natural thing to try.
Of course, Mark (mantic59) deserves most of the credit for that. Many of the shaving-related things that I know were learned on his site.
It's nice that the vendor is helping to diversify your shaving brush collection!And, to top it all off, the vendor has been brilliant about the cracks, so a new brush will soon be in the way. I think it'll be a Semogue boar. The big question is: when the new brush arrives, do I go straight for the vinegar solution + dish soap deep clean? Awesome work guys, thanks
As for the new brush, you could try the break-in process described in the B&B wiki. I've tried it myself and have noticed that the hairs split much faster than by just using the brush.
mantic also mentions a modern take on a traditional method that involves soaking a boar brush in cold water for up to two days and rubbing the bristles vigorously on a towel to accelerate the break-in process.
Same here. I'm almost exclusively a boar user and I never soak my boars either. The only difference is that I'm a cold water shaver, so I knead the brush under cold water for about 10 seconds before going straight to loading.
To all the people who think boar bristles will snap if the brush is not soaked, it doesn't happen. My newest boars have at least 50 shaves on them, and my oldest, a 620, has way over 500 shaves in it (maybe 1000). None have ever lost a bristle after the first week.
All my boars: In a cup of warm water, bristles submerged up to roughly a 1/4" below where it's glued in. Never use hot water, never submerge the knot.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
In water up to the handle or slightly higher while I shower.
In this nice rubber mug.
I shake out a lot of the water (exactly how much depends on the brush and soap).
Happy shaves,
Jim
In this nice rubber mug.
I shake out a lot of the water (exactly how much depends on the brush and soap).
Happy shaves,
Jim
Before stepping into the shower I close the drain on my sink and sit the brush on the bottom. I adjust the sink's hot water to a trickle. By the time I get out of the shower the sink has filled with hot water and the brush is ready. The disc magnet I epoxied to the bottom of the handle for hanging from the medicine cabinet, also serves as a weight to keep the brush on the bottom of the bowl.
I just have one brush. I broke it in soaking 3 days in cold water in the fridge. Hairs split ends perfectly and it is so soft yet stimulating to my face at the same time.It has probably only lost 5 hairs total since first use. I soak it in warm water for less than 5 mins before shaving. It looks and lathers pretty much exactly like TinyT's every time. I have had no cracks in the handle and it performs flawlessly every time. I see no reason to ever get another brush until this one is no longer usable...then I will get another just like it and treat it then same way.
Put it in a cup of warm water for a non-specific amount of time. Always seems to work.
@TinyT sometime few users end up giving a conditioning to the 'hair' thinking it will make them soft but hair conditioners also make the hair splitting difficult which is essentially a favoured requirement on boar hair/bristles.
While on boars, if you like your brushes to be little stout and dont have very sensitive skin; don't jump on semogue just as yet. Semogues tend to go floppy like a road kill after some use. Omegas tend to have reasonable backbone.
While on boars, if you like your brushes to be little stout and dont have very sensitive skin; don't jump on semogue just as yet. Semogues tend to go floppy like a road kill after some use. Omegas tend to have reasonable backbone.
- Thread starter
- #40
Thanks rudyt, the 'bristle snapping' thing never sat right in my mind. Is the 620 you speak of a Semogue?
Wes
