I’ve steered away from Simpson brushes for this exact reason. I’d just rather not take a chance. Declaration knots are the best out there in my opinion. I’d give them a try if you haven’t already. I just buy a handle that I like and send it to Scott for knotting. Never had an issue with shedding.
Souring Simpson fan
- Thread starter Noodles
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Good luck as you decide what to do. Please keep us posted.
fwiw, never any shedding with my simpsons! perhaps i'm just lucky, but enjoy each, high quality badgers!!
Man that is quite the attractive family.
It may be too late if the bristles began rotting at the base. Using the brush dry with paste from loading a hard soap simply tears the bristle at it's rotten weak point.
What has worked for me:
- Soak the brush in 50/50 solution of warm water and white vinegar for 30 min. Agitate it every 5min while it soaks, then rinse well with warm water.
- Use Shampoo for hair repair, usually has keratin in it. The standard supermarket stuff, nothing fancy. Women who bleach/dye their hairs use it. Leave it on for 10min before rinsing.
- Use conditioner, if it has hair repair protein in it even better. Rinse well with warm water.
- Keep using the shampoo and conditioner after you shave for a few times.
Good luck.
I’ve had a M&F that was an on and off shedder for half a decade. It’s rare, but even great brushes have an occasional shedder. I’ve never had a brush start shedding, so I suspect a twisting motion is to blame, which some brushes survive (bought a 6 yr old Rooney finest here that was donuting from twisting use, but still refused to shed a single hair), but none are built to survive. Nearly every single brush maker warns not to spin or twist a brush. If that’s not what you do, my mistake... but like I said. 100+ brushes in 11 years. None ever started shedding, they either arrived shedding or didn’t.
Honestly of my shedders, the ONLY ones I recall I didn’t buy used (and therefore potentially abused by previous owners) were the one M&F (my other one is fine) a few cheapo brushes and almost every Omega I’ve owned.
Honestly of my shedders, the ONLY ones I recall I didn’t buy used (and therefore potentially abused by previous owners) were the one M&F (my other one is fine) a few cheapo brushes and almost every Omega I’ve owned.
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More than 50% were. Now while my semogue's which I don't consider shedders, and most other boars I've used will lose a bristle every dozen or so shaves to breakage... the majority of my (20 or so) omega's were shedders, in that they'd lose 3+ hairs almost every shave. In fact the ones that didn't were rarities. I actually bought 5 or 6 literal $1 shaving brushes (little tiny thimble sized plastic handles... eastern European make if memory serves) as a throwin for free shipping on an order a few years back, and they ALL were less sheddy than my average Omega.
Wow, sorry. I have 5 Simpson brushes and none have shed. Sounds like you bought it used? If so it could have been a lemon. My daughter has a Yaqi Moka Silvertip 26mm and it shed 2 hairs each for the first 2 uses. Its a 32 dollar brush. It's a damn fine brush I may add. All I own are Chubby 2s.
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I think I read your advice elsewhere and tried it minus the conditioner. I'll try with conditioner. I will also try cleaning it more often for awhile. I don't feel I have the right to contact Simpson as I did buy used and it is ~two years old. I should also state that I am 2/4 with Simpson and not shedding, but oddly sold the two. I thought I was 3/4 until the Duke started shedding. Anyway, I will try some of the advice here and see if it helps. Worst case scenario, even losing five or six hairs per shave, I'm probably looking at ten more years before it has thinned enough to be unusable.
I'm 99% sure this is user error. If the brush was more than a year old, wasn't shedding, then a few months after you got it, it started shedding and you have a 50% record of getting shedders from a manufacturer who probably has a <1% failure rate... either it's user error or you're cursed. Really sounds like what I've heard before from guys who swirl and twist on the puck, in the bowl, or on their face. 2 Band hair is massively sturdier than three band, and looser packed... both of which make it less prone to damage from twisting. Hence why the Shavemac is holding up better.
Always consider luck of the draw with natural hair. The badger's health/genes/diet would decide how well that protein in the hair holds well to abuse. Some people treat their brushes terribly, never clean, never rinse properly, have hard water, yet their brushes don't shed for 10 years. It just happens that their badger had healthy coat more resistant to soap scum rot and mechanical abuse.
Ç'est la vie d'un blaireau.
Using conditioner occasionally and using it less vigorously while loading hard soaps (drip some water to help it load the paste) will prolong its life beyond 5 years IMO. Even if you buy a new one today, you're still stuck with this one and you'll want to keep using it. The good news is it will take A LOT more shedding for a Duke 3 Best to reach the stage of a new Vulfix 404b Pure.
Ç'est la vie d'un blaireau.
Using conditioner occasionally and using it less vigorously while loading hard soaps (drip some water to help it load the paste) will prolong its life beyond 5 years IMO. Even if you buy a new one today, you're still stuck with this one and you'll want to keep using it. The good news is it will take A LOT more shedding for a Duke 3 Best to reach the stage of a new Vulfix 404b Pure.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
The OP purchased the brush used. This may or may not factor in here maybe as to why it was sold off. Also i dont know many manufacturers or suppliers who extend the warranty to used sales.
Mr. Simpson’s link describes in some detail why some shedding occurs and how to properly maintain a brush. I was happy to learn I have been following those recommendations on my own.
I’ve not acquired an expensive brush to date, so I we’ll understand the concerns for Simpson owners, but I wonder how many follow the makers advice.
I’ve not acquired an expensive brush to date, so I we’ll understand the concerns for Simpson owners, but I wonder how many follow the makers advice.
the best test to see how much soap is left in a brush, is wait till it is 100% dry then run your hand over the bristles you will see a dust coming off the brush.that is an indercator to the soap that has not been rinsed out.
Thats why i use brush cleaner to clean mine then a shampoo and conditioner works wonders and it stops the shedding ......
Thats why i use brush cleaner to clean mine then a shampoo and conditioner works wonders and it stops the shedding ......
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I like the gentle squeeze test myself because it can be done when wet and is how many manufacturers suggest drying brushes (gentle squeeze followed by light brushing on a dry/soft towel... though I think Simpson suggests to lightly shake instead of squeeze, probably to avoid people hulking out and wringing their brushes to try and get chubbys to dry in 24 hrs). If you squeeze a brush that isn't clean, the water will be cloudy. Of course this assumes that you're rinsing the entire knot and not just the tips. I like to rinse a couple times under running water, then let it soak a few seconds in clean water (just like I soak it pre-shave), then rinse again, then squeeze, rinse again, and a second squeeze. If it's clear, then brush it lightly on a hanging towel to dry it.
That said, I think it usually takes more than a few months for soap damage to create a shedder... unless you're just not rinsing at all maybe. But I've seen a LOT of shedders in that short of a time frame from twisting on the puck or in the bowl... and according to manufacturers, twisting on the face can cause it too.
Rhody, I wouldn't point the finger at the seller. If the brush was shedding on arrival, yeah. But apparently it took several months for the problem to develop. Which is a big part of why I suspect user error. Evidently the original owner got 18 months of use without shedding. Then he got another 6 months. Then it started shedding. That strongly suggests ongoing damage during the latter 6 months. It's not impossible for a knot to breakdown. It happens eventually (usually after half a century or more though... I've got 100+ yr old knots that don't shed). It's also not impossible for one to break down much sooner because of a defect. But the space between a few weeks and a few decades is generally the safe region... where the brush has been proven not defective, and the natural lifespan of the tying method and glues isn't being approached. This suggests the brush is being damaged.
If he likes twisting and swirling when lathering, the solution is simply to stick to sturdier hairs (heavy two bands) and cheaper brushes (boars). If you're a swirler/twister... soft three bands in the triple digits are not for you.
That said, I think it usually takes more than a few months for soap damage to create a shedder... unless you're just not rinsing at all maybe. But I've seen a LOT of shedders in that short of a time frame from twisting on the puck or in the bowl... and according to manufacturers, twisting on the face can cause it too.
Rhody, I wouldn't point the finger at the seller. If the brush was shedding on arrival, yeah. But apparently it took several months for the problem to develop. Which is a big part of why I suspect user error. Evidently the original owner got 18 months of use without shedding. Then he got another 6 months. Then it started shedding. That strongly suggests ongoing damage during the latter 6 months. It's not impossible for a knot to breakdown. It happens eventually (usually after half a century or more though... I've got 100+ yr old knots that don't shed). It's also not impossible for one to break down much sooner because of a defect. But the space between a few weeks and a few decades is generally the safe region... where the brush has been proven not defective, and the natural lifespan of the tying method and glues isn't being approached. This suggests the brush is being damaged.
If he likes twisting and swirling when lathering, the solution is simply to stick to sturdier hairs (heavy two bands) and cheaper brushes (boars). If you're a swirler/twister... soft three bands in the triple digits are not for you.
I bought cheap curd soap (72%) from a grocery store and use it to clean all my brushes. IME it does a better job than shampoo (SLS) alone. Painters use this type of soap on brushes with great results.
What exactly is curd soap?
edit: Google says it's coconut oil and tallow soap... so uh... almost shaving soap?
Are you washing the shaving soap out of your brushes with shaving soap?
edit: Google says it's coconut oil and tallow soap... so uh... almost shaving soap?
Are you washing the shaving soap out of your brushes with shaving soap?
Simpson's are very dense. A very good rinse until clear is best. I've never had a problem but I also never bought used. Your knot could have been ruined by too hot of water? IKN.
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