A warning!

[Rudy Vey]

This is a post in regards to breaking in a new brush "to get the funk out" - please see also the following post:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...o-with-your-Parker-Pure-Badger-Rosewood-Brush

People, people, please, please do not soak brushes overnight in water, with or without soap (dish soap, shampoo, shave cream).
There is no reason to do so, absolutely not.
I highly advise not to do this with any natural material: wood, horn, ivory etc. These materials are prone to soak up water that will eventually destroy the material. I also would not do this to any resin as well, just to be safe.
I have no clue why this was recommended anyhow here.
In my stash of brushes from Simpson, Rooney, Saville Row, Thaeter, Shavemac and TGN knot in my own handles, M&F, Semogue there was not one brush that stank, smelled or had an unpleasant, i.e. animalic scent! I am going through a lot of knots in a year, and not one knot smells - believe me I often hold them to my nose just to see if I can detect any unpleasant scent.

Here is what I recommend to do:
* soak your brush knot for a few minutes in warm (!) water
* lather up with soap/cream etc in your hand
* rinse the lather out
* repeat a couple of times

Use a good scented soap or cream, I normally use Salter's Vetiver cream or QED Sandalwood soap. More than three times should not be needed to get any scent out of a knot (swine's hair might be different, but I do not own a boar brush).
I actually had an ivory brush crack on a guy who followed the recommendation of soaking a brush overnight.

 

[Drubbing]

I have no clue why this was recommended anyhow here.

Overthink. That, and people think a little of something is good, too much must be way better.

This isn't rocket surgery, people.

 

[joshmpdx]

Thank you, Rudy!

 

[captp]

I have NEVER prewashed a brush; no test lather, just jump in and use it. Out of around 30 brushes I've bought, a third of them brand new, I never detected any kind of "stink". Often wondered if I'm just lucky.

 

[J.K.T.]

Very good advice. I have had a little funkiness in brushes but nothing that I would consider foul. I would feel devastated if I lost an ivory brush

 

[jmg]

Thanks Rudy.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I have NEVER prewashed a brush; no test lather, just jump in and use it. Out of around 30 brushes I've bought, a third of them brand new, I never detected any kind of "stink". Often wondered if I'm just lucky.

No, you weren't lucky - that's just the way it is . Never had a smelly brush or knot, Badger hair that is. I have no experience with boar hair, but from my youth I know that swine's hair will stink nasty when it gets treated with hot water - I used to help slaughter pigs at my cousins when I was a young lad (!) and had to pour scalding hot water over the dead animal and scrape the bristles off, horrible smell

 

[Balj86]

I agree! I just do 3 or 4 test lathers with different soaps & creams!

 

[noctilux]

rudy.

i recently screwed up a brush following the overnight advice.

coincidentally, sandalwood lather, 2 or 3 times is my new technique, as you suggest.


v.

 

[TZee]

I'm guilty of passing this information on. It has been particularly helpful with horse hair brushes, which for a lack of a better word, smell like unadulterated donkey-synonym.

Semogues do not smell bad, but Omegas sometimes do.

Anyhow, I won't recommend this anymore. Thanks Rudy.

 

[malocchio]

I do not own a swine bristle brush either rudy,but I own several silvertip and black badgers,never had an odor problem.the 5 horse hair brushes I own,all vie-longs, arrived with a very slight "horse" scent.I lather and rinse a few times,let dry,and after 2 shaves the knot is odor free....I think some guys have a more sensitive schnozz than others...

 

[drumana]

Thank you, Rudy!

Yes, thanks. I've read of gents doing this and never understood it. I've owned probably about 20 brushes over the past few years, and I always give the new ones a few test lathers and then throw them into rotation. Some smell more than others but a good strong scented cream or soap will overpower it in a couple of lathers.

 

[Picaro]

I've had Italian, Spanish and English boars, as well as half a dozen brands of badger brush. It was just this week that I got a new best badger out of the cupboard, and on the first soak and lathering it had a distinct civet type odour. Made my Acca Kappa smell like Givenchy Gentleman, but not in a good way ! Second lathering with MWF and its completely smell free.

In my early days on these pages, I tried all sorts of advice, some of which improved my shaving out of sight. But some of the brush break in advice turned a nice boar into brittle bristles that eventually wrecked it. I think that may have been the drying with a hair drier on medium heat. I've since discovered that boars need a bit more TLC than badgers.

Thanks for bringing this warning out, Rudy.

 

[Badger & Bengall]

Thanks Rudy, I followed the overnight advice previously for my stinky Omega. It worked, but I also soaked it in HOT water once and that caused water to leak into the handle. Just as well they're cheap!

 

[ben74]

Never prescribed to the overnight soak and now I never will!

 

[Go West Young Man]

I've had one nasty smelling brush, and 3 or so lathers later it was fine with no other treatments.

 

[doug1066]

I have nothing but boar brushes. I just use them until the smell fades away. I do not soak over night. I soak my brushes for a few minutes in the sink while I am getting my deodorant on and getting the mug and razor out. All my brushes have resin handles and I have never had a problem. My new Omega is now "funk free" after about 10 shaves or so.

 

[jtb]

Thanks Rudy... This is valuable info!!!
I've never soaked a brush overnight, but I agree a good couple of lathers got the funk out of most brushes I own.

 

[beginish]

I had one boar brush that stunk to high heaven, and it took a bunch of latherings to tame it. Proraso can be mighty effective in this regard. Some badgers had a very organic smell (creosote sort of comes to mind -- of course I think Gold Dachs soap smells like mango -- YMMV), and 2 lathers with Proraso take care of it.

 

[Scott0079]

I always use a bowl filled with mashed Arko sticks for the first few lathers of a new brush,thats my only adjustment, Arko can overpower any funk !!! I fully agree that nothing else is needed. Just use the blessed brush.