The pictures below are at 40 shaves. This morning was shave 43. Tonight I ran the brush over my face just to see if it was dry, and SHAZAM!!!, you can’t tell from the pics, but I noticed how incredibly soft the brush has become. It’s the tips. I gently rubbed the brush back and forth over my face and it felt like sable. Can’t wait to see how it feels at 100 shaves!!
Boar Brush Prep - Why Refrigerate?
- Thread starter DSinNJ
- Start date
The pictures below are at 40 shaves. This morning was shave 43. Tonight I ran the brush over my face just to see if it was dry, and SHAZAM!!!, you can’t tell from the pics, but I noticed how incredibly soft the brush has become. It’s the tips. I gently rubbed the brush back and forth over my face and it felt like sable. Can’t wait to see how it feels at 100 shaves!!
Beautiful!
I loved loved loved my SOC boar for around 100 shaves. Then, something changed. It became dreadfully floppy and unusable. I didn’t change a thing in my use of it. But it changed for the worse. Bad [emoji203].
This is the first time I have ever, in my entire life and my entire 8 years here at B&B, heard of refrigerating a brush.
All I can say is....wow. I’m not surprised this is a thing. Good luck with your results!
All I can say is....wow. I’m not surprised this is a thing. Good luck with your results!
I have a few Semogues that I have put O-rings around the base and it brings the bloom in a little more and has often saved a brush for me. It's cheap and easy to try and also easy to undo if you don't like it .
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Oh no!!!
Can you post a picture? I think I know what you mean but I’m not certain. Thanks
When I buy a boar brush I just start using it. I shave every day so I only need a new brush every 20 years or so. I think my next purchase is 10 years out so I've written this into an Outlook appointment.
Freezing must be better right?
Freezing must be better right?
Badger bristles dont split...
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
True, no reason to, but I'd never dip a nice badger brush into boiling water for any reason. If I damage an $11 boar, it doesn't matter to me, but a $100+ badger, it does matter to me.
It would never occur to me to do such a thing.
I've made a comment about the whole refrigator thing occured due to a misunderstanding by translator. So let me copy paste, please, what I have said there. Because it fits perfectly here.
So, if you want to keep the brush as long as possible, don't put it in refrigators. Thanks.
So, if you want to keep the brush as long as possible, don't put it in refrigators. Thanks.
Thanks for highlighting this. I've been a pretty strong advocate for the "fast break-in method" and have posted in the past about sticking a new boar brush in a glass of water and leaving it in the refrigerator overnight. (look for posts by me 3 years ago if the handle isn't familiar
)Thankfully, none of the dozen or so brushes I tried this on suffered any damage from being in the refrigerator and they all broke in within 3 cycles of the process.
I've also noted on this thread that folks think the brush needs to be left in water for 7 days continuously, but that's not needed, it's the number of long soak + fully dry cycles you perform on it that matters.
So
1. Soak in a glass of water (NOT in the refrigerator) overnight, about 12 hours
2. Shake off water and use a bath towel to scrub the bristles dry ( like you would fluff the brush, not like you want to mash it down into the towel ) till you get it as dry as you possibly can
3. Leave it standing upright to fully dry off
3 cycles of this and in about 3 days, give or take, you got yourself an almost fully broken-in boar shave brush
OK, guys. I've been trying to break in a Semogue 610, my 1st boar brush in many years. I've tried 24 hours in water in the fridge and about 10 face-lathered shaves--some with TOBS cream, others with WK soap.
The hair in the knot may be a bit softer now, but the ends are not at all split, hooked or changed in any other way. The shaving experience hasn't changed, and it's not positive. Every badger brush I've used, in every grade, generates far better face lather more quickly and retains far more warmth and moisture.
Will this brush ever work right? Or is it me?
The hair in the knot may be a bit softer now, but the ends are not at all split, hooked or changed in any other way. The shaving experience hasn't changed, and it's not positive. Every badger brush I've used, in every grade, generates far better face lather more quickly and retains far more warmth and moisture.
Will this brush ever work right? Or is it me?
The 610 has their "best" grade hair which is the same as my 1250. I think all I did was soak it in lukewarm tap water for an hour before each shave, soaking only the bristles of course. It was feeling very good in about 5 to 8 shaves.
The bristles on my 1250 may be treated in some way or bleached, which may make them break in a little quicker than the 610.
But I definitely think it's worth it to just keep using it. I've had several friends cite that as their favorite brush and/or one they just really enjoy and use a lot.
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Is your 610 labeled as Hereditas or Excelsior? I think the grade of boar hair might have changed. In any case, it does take some cycles to break in. I am estimating somewhere in the 20-30 lather cycle range. You can help things out by soaking it thoroughly before each use (30-60 minutes). Make sure to let it dry out completely between shaves, so the hairs will split. It helps to alternate another brush so you use it every other day.
If you want to accelerate things a little, you can palm lather. Your palm is rougher than your face, so it seems to encourage break in.
After it is broken in, you will not need to soak it very long, just a few minutes before each use.
If you want to accelerate things a little, you can palm lather. Your palm is rougher than your face, so it seems to encourage break in.
After it is broken in, you will not need to soak it very long, just a few minutes before each use.
I have two Semogue brushes and they were just fine out of the box. If it's not broke don't fix it, and my experience is that no prep work is required on a new Semogue brush.
My 620 was stiff as a whisk broom when I first got it. Now, it is soft, but it took 30 cycles or so. I think the softness of the bristles depends a lot on the grade of hair. Semogue has like five or so different grades.
My 1250 could not hold a lot of lather when I first got it, now it is great. My 610, similar story, though I am still breaking that one in.
A 610 should bloom out as it is breaking in, similar to the picture below. When fully broken in, it should have a fan shape.
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Back when I was buying boar brushes on a regular basis, trying to find ones I liked as well as badgers (Buying 3-10 a month probably), I would just lather every brush I was still trying to "break in", one after the other on my palm before or after my shave. Worked fine.
Now that I'm not actively COMPARING boar brushes and I've found ones I like and I just USE them... I think deliberately breaking brushes in is a waste. Part of what is NICE about boars is that period of evolution they go through. I think you're cheating yourself out of part of the experience of a boar brush by deliberately nixing that.
Semogue's (and many others) as mentioned, are perfectly good brushes right out of the box, and in some cases (2000, 830) I actually felt the brush was significantly degraded after 50+ uses once it was fully "Broken in".
Now that I'm not actively COMPARING boar brushes and I've found ones I like and I just USE them... I think deliberately breaking brushes in is a waste. Part of what is NICE about boars is that period of evolution they go through. I think you're cheating yourself out of part of the experience of a boar brush by deliberately nixing that.
Semogue's (and many others) as mentioned, are perfectly good brushes right out of the box, and in some cases (2000, 830) I actually felt the brush was significantly degraded after 50+ uses once it was fully "Broken in".
Just start using the dang brush. If you do not like the feel of a new boar that has been soaked for about 10 minutes...... go get a synthetic or badger. Am I a grumpy old man? YES.
Thanks for your thoughts, guys. Grumpy or not, it's all useful info. I'll try another half dozen or so shaves with the 610 in hard soap and also soaking it longer before shaving. But there's a limit to my commitment. Maybe I just prefer badger brushes no matter what. I'll let you all know how it goes.
