I liked your write up!! You reminded me of the PH concerns for skin vs the hair itself in the clarifying shampoos!Alrighty boys and girls. I was getting pretty twisted with all this info plus all the info online so I did some research and a very unscientific test. What prompted this was this morning I went to use one of my boar brushes and it felt yucky. So I dug in. Here's what I learned.
Most written information out there in dealing with cleaning hair is about hair that is still attached to the head. This is very very different than hair used when not on the head. For example, I read to use dog shampoo since a dog was an animal and boar was an animal. Let me tell you that most shampoos deal with the pH of skin first and then clean second. That's why you can't use people shampoo on dogs.
Baking soda is very alkaline and all real studies has shown that over extended usage will damage the hair strand. That's why it's so good at stripping out bad junk from hair. Ok so no baking soda (for me).
Vinegar is a very mild acid which is why it's so good at cleaning. Almost all of the packaged brush cleaners use lye. I deal with lye in soap making and sometimes at work. It can be pretty nasty stuff if not used properly. I'll stick to vinegar.
Dish soap is about as mild a detergent as it gets. I use vinegar and Dawn to clean a lot of things including including a lot of shaving related items. Nowhere did I read anything that contradicts the mildness of this cleaning solution.
I read that clarifying shampoos were designed to strip away junk from hair and scalp. After digging in on those I found one that was designed to remove hard water specific minerals as well as soap buildup. I went with that one. It is Living Proof Perfect Hair Day (PhD) Triple Detox Shampoo.
I did two tests, one with the clarifying shampoo and one with the vinegar and Dawn solution.
I had two brushes that felt about the same level of yucky: a Semogue Galahad and a Semogue Excelsior 830.
I presoaked both brushed for 20 minutes in tap water.
I mixed up a solution of 2 C distilled water, 2 tsp. vinegar, and 4 drops Dawn. I added that to my small ultrasonic cleaner. I ran the Galahad in the ultrasonic for 5 minutes and then thoroughly rinsed with tap water and pressed out as much water as I could with a towel.
With the 830, I added a pea sized amount of the clarifying shampoo and thoroughly worked it into the bristles. I put 2 C of clean distilled water into the ultrasonic and dropped the soapy brush into it and ran it for 5 minutes. I rinsed and press dried as above.
I then put both brushes in front of a desk fan for 1 hour to dry.
At the end of the hour both brushes felt soft and clean. I could not tell from feel if one was cleaner than the other.
I use both, a scuttle and bowl. I am not a face lather'er. I used my favorite soap from Soap Commander that I use 90% of the time. I built lathers with both brushes in both vessels thoroughly cleaning the brushes and bowls between lathers.
This produced very different and discernable differences.
The Galahad (cleaned with vinegar and Dawn) produced whip cream like lather with small bubbles that held up to standing for a few minutes even in the hot scuttle.
The 830 (cleaned with the clarifying shampoo) produced a rich later but had noticeably larger bubbles and it was the usual flat mess needing to be rewhipped in the scuttle.
There you have it. That was my very unscientific test based on my situation and conditions. As always, YMMV.
How often do you clean your brushes?
- Thread starter Doc Dan
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I liked your write up!! You reminded me of the PH concerns for skin vs the hair itself in the clarifying shampoos!
Normally I just rinse under cold water and rub the lathery brush in my hand until I can't see any remaining soap residue. Recently, one of my brushes seems to have stiffened up in the tips, perhaps because there's some soap I can't seem to get out. I think this might be due to the fact this brush is a SHD badger knot, but I'm more used to boar brushes.
Maybe I'll try shampooing the brush and I'll report back the results
Maybe I'll try shampooing the brush and I'll report back the results
All soaps leave residue in hair. Most waters leave mineral deposits as well. Try clarifying shampoo (formulated to remove these from hair). I have the best luck with 2 C hot distilled water with 2 teaspoons of white vinegar and a couple drops of Dawn dish soap. Soak for 5 minutes and work the saturated brush in the bowl to remove the build up. Rinse really thoroughly and allow to dry. I do this with all my brushes regardless of the hair type (yes, even synth).
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- #84
Vinegar or baking soda for washing?
No baking soda. The pH is too high if used repeatedly. Lots of studies out there about how it weakens hair strands after lots of uses. I'm not sure if in washing shaving brushes that the number of times would ever get to that stage, but why risk it. Vinegar and Dawn is very mild and works.
Clean? I suppose every time I use a brush that qualifies as a cleaning.
I used to have an Old Spice shaving mug with ridges inside to grip a puck of soap, but I dropped it, and it broke. I recently ordered a new Old Spice mug and have been using a small coffee cup in its absence. I soak my brush in hot water in the mug while I'm showering, and after I am finished shaving, I run hot water and swirl the brush inside the mug to rinse until the water runs clear. Then I put my brush in a stand with the bristles pointing down to dry. I've done that exclusively for ten years with my (until recently) one and only Semogue Owner's Club brush, and the brush hasn't ever smelled funny or felt like it had a lingering residue.
I plan to use ShipShape on all my brushes in a couple months... just to keep them all pristine, though I clean them thoroughly after every shave. Once a year for me seems to be reasonable.
I don't clean mine either. I have 3 brushes I rotate with each shave. At the end of each shave I run them under water and squeeze all the soap out of them. It usually takes about squeezes. I then Squeze them two or three times on a nice absorbent towel. Next I rub the end of the bristles vigorously against the towel. One final squeeze with the towel and I set it to dry.The next day when I rub the bristles against my palm. This works great for me.
Though because of the now recently departed @CCS, I bought a nice Kent comb and use it after I've dried my brushes on a towel as you described. It seems to add something to my brushes. Keeps them pristine. It takes a few seconds.
I miss that guy. He did have a tendency to push things too far at times, though, so I’m guessing he got booted.
+1 to citric acid!
I have a Semogue 1800 whose artificially dyed hair bands were starting to fade, or so I thought!
I used the same procedure as given by @NiOOH …and WOW! The bands were not fading, they were just whiter from what must be soap scum. Back in black!
I have very hard water and always obsessively rinse my brushes after I use them. That doesn’t matter. I’ll do the citric acid clean occasionally as needed.
What’s odd is that vinegar soaks, aside from being stinky, leave a white film on my brushes afterwards. I use a very diluted solution and rinse well but it still happens.
Citric acid for the win!
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That is odd. I use 1 C water, 1 t vinegar, and 1 drop of Dawn. I also have very hard water. I don't get a white film at all. I am going to try the citric though. I found a bag buried in the back of my kitchen cabinet. It's fate.
Followed the advice of this thread today and removed 10+years of buildup from my two oldest brushes. Probably something I'll do very occasionally if I notice the brush texture/performance changing.
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- #96
What did you use to clean them?
IMO, if the brush is retaining the scent of the last soap/cream it used, it's not truly clean and you have soap build up in the knot.
I know that difference well from when I started adding a little Citric Acid to my hard tap water (LINK).
Same here
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- #100
Soap build up is a real thing. That is why we get stopped up drains, spots on the shower walls, rings in the tub, etc.
