DO NOT CUT!! Use a pair of good tweezers and pull the few black ones out.
Prickly Badger
- Thread starter FoolishMortal
- Start date
Rudy
In my post, I was not recommending shearing the canopy of the brush. I am only talking about snipping off the black hairs 1/4" below the canopy so they no longer contact the skin.
I do that with all my brushes other than synthetics.
RayClem
My Simpson Special S1 in best badger was a bit prickly at first but has mellowed out over time and is now very soft. IMO, once the brush gets some use a breaks in a bit to where the hairs develop split ends, it should mellow out.
Wasn't meant to you, but there was a post or two talking about a hair cut...I agree with you that these blak hair, actually, these are up-side-down hairs and they must be removed if they become a nuisance. I just do not use scissors, but a pair of tweezers, or even pull them out by hand.
Yup. I’m with Rudy Vey on this one. Any nuisance hairs need to go. I isolate them with tweezers and then cut them as low as possible. I’m hesitant to pluck them for fear it will effect the integrity of the knot. I’ve found these hairs in all of my brushes except for the Simpson Super and Manchurian. There are never many but 1-6 is common. I find that removing these dramatically reduces the scritch factor. Some of these hairs are very course indeed. They can be difficult to pin down but you know when you’ve found the offender.
I never trim the tips of a brush as I find the best brushes have the natural hair ends at the tips which end in very fine points. You don’t want to loose those natural ends.
I never trim the tips of a brush as I find the best brushes have the natural hair ends at the tips which end in very fine points. You don’t want to loose those natural ends.
I also brush my badger brushes from time to time with a boar bristle hair brush. I find this softens them up again if they are a bit crusty after drying and keeps them in good condition. OTT or standard brush maintenance? Not sure but it seems to work for me.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Interesting thread. I've very interested right now in black hairs.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Assuming black badger isn't being used...
Are all the black hairs we encounter in badger brushes upside down hairs? If so, should all be removed? If not, how can one distinguish and identify the black hairs which should be removed?
Thanks and happy shaves,
Jim
When I pull them out, they are mainly upside down hairs.
