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Fan-drying badger brushes
- Thread starter dk-109
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Superb collection. Clearly shows you're not a neophyte when it comes to brushes.
I dry my brushes in the winter under the mini-split AC. Never had any issues, but I still rotate multiples. Simpsons in particular take 3 days to get bone dry due to density and lower lofts.
For summer the bathroom windowsill is enough.
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Now there is good argument for having a brush rotation!
Depending on the brush type/density etc... at least 2 good brushes. Maybe even 3. I only shave twice a week so whatever I use is usually dry by the next time I shave but some of my denser brushes on inspection were definitely still wet deep in the center of the knot after a day and a half still.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
Im not sure a desk fan would be that powerful to do much good or harm.
What I do after every Shave is make sure that I
clean all the leftover soap from my brush then I will flick the brush a few times and try and get the most water out then I'll strop the brush on my towel and dry the handle and bristles off then I will place it on the window sill to dry.
I have several brushes so sometimes it will sit
For over a week. Multiple brushes is probably the best way to make sure that they are dry.
Will a fan hurt the brush? No.
clean all the leftover soap from my brush then I will flick the brush a few times and try and get the most water out then I'll strop the brush on my towel and dry the handle and bristles off then I will place it on the window sill to dry.
I have several brushes so sometimes it will sit
For over a week. Multiple brushes is probably the best way to make sure that they are dry.
Will a fan hurt the brush? No.
Hmmm. @FarmerTan is going the opposite direction in this thread; Just like Grampa used to shave.
If you have a quality brush you can flick most of the water out with 4 or 5 vigorous "whips." I do this in the shower area because water will fly a distance.
I've been doing it for many years with no problems.
Air circulation is always a good idea, but I just put mine on an open shelf.
I've been doing it for many years with no problems.
Air circulation is always a good idea, but I just put mine on an open shelf.
Thanks for the shout out.
The last few shaves I've added another bowl and brush to the experiment! No updates posted yet, but stay tuned! Details at 11.
This sort of thing would actually make me wonder what soap you're using.
You were literally scrubbing the brush daily with soap and water... unless you actually left it soaking wet (or were reusing soaking water for weeks at a time), I can't see it being a breeding ground for bacteria... and mold even would be unlikely.
While I generally do recommend giving all but the smallest brushes an extra day to dry... that's more to keep from leaving the base of the knot damp 24/7, which can cause hairs under that much stress to decay and break prematurely. I've found that if you gently squeeze a brush to get out the bulk of the water, give it a light shake to get out most, then brush it a few times up and down a dry, soft towel it will be very dry within a few hours. Should avoid this problem in the future.
You were literally scrubbing the brush daily with soap and water... unless you actually left it soaking wet (or were reusing soaking water for weeks at a time), I can't see it being a breeding ground for bacteria... and mold even would be unlikely.
While I generally do recommend giving all but the smallest brushes an extra day to dry... that's more to keep from leaving the base of the knot damp 24/7, which can cause hairs under that much stress to decay and break prematurely. I've found that if you gently squeeze a brush to get out the bulk of the water, give it a light shake to get out most, then brush it a few times up and down a dry, soft towel it will be very dry within a few hours. Should avoid this problem in the future.
The OP has posted a question about drying his brush because he had a bad skin reaction because he was not letting his brush dry completely.
Besides grandpa probably had a lot of small tp hanging all over his face
after he was done
Shaving.
Besides grandpa probably had a lot of small tp hanging all over his face
after he was doneShaving.
Mold and bacteria grow happily on soap if it's moist, unless it's with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, which I haven't seen being made for shaving. Washing your hands with regular soap and water is to mechanically (not chemically) remove bacteria or mold.
People who load with a wet brush directly from soap containers, don't air them out and store them in long rotations, have reported mold and rancid fat occurring.
Manufacturers claim most common reason for brush shedding is bristles rotting from mold and shave soap scum at the base due to improper rinsing and drying.
Moist and stationary. If he's using the brush daily, he's scrubbing the bristles with soap daily. He'd basically have to leave the brush completely soaked in water after a shave and never rinse it to get this to occur...
OR he's using a soap that isn't actually a soap. So much other junk thrown in to make it fancy sounding such that it no longer functions as a soap. Like those soaps that mold and go rancid in their containers.
OR he's using a soap that isn't actually a soap. So much other junk thrown in to make it fancy sounding such that it no longer functions as a soap. Like those soaps that mold and go rancid in their containers.
24 hours between shaves is stationary. If you have a humid warm bathroom the chances of this happening increase. Every next cycle a little bit more soap and mold adds on. Especially with a badger brush in the Simpson Chubby format.
Agreed, if they aren't making any effort to rinse the brush, that could happen... But you're pushing soap into the base of the knot using a scrubbing motion... you're literally washing it while lathering... the only part that is (might be) missing is the rinse... which is key. Absolutely this could happen, but it's a problem of the soap being not soap or the user not rinsing. A properly rinsed brush won't become a Petri dish, even if you leave it wet 24/7, because it's being washed (properly) every 24 hrs.
I've certainly seen brushes where this is the case, but blaming a brush being infected with bacteria on the drying is like blaming your salmonella from a cutting board with chunks of raw chicken that you poured a cup of water over and then returned to your rack as "clean" on lack of dry time.
I've certainly seen brushes where this is the case, but blaming a brush being infected with bacteria on the drying is like blaming your salmonella from a cutting board with chunks of raw chicken that you poured a cup of water over and then returned to your rack as "clean" on lack of dry time.
