Am I killing my brushes?

[SavantStrike]

My Tweezerman shed quite a few hairs over the 4-5 months I used it, but it was a Tweezerman, and I figured maybe I just got a dud.

Then I got a Rooney 3/1 special in pure badger, and it has lost two hairs over a 2 week period. I'm starting to worry this is my fault somehow.

My lathering technique has always been to swirl the brush on the puck 90 percent clockwise, with a few counterclockwise turns to try and even things out. Ditto when I lather on my face or with a bowl. Is my brush turning killing my brushes, or are 2 hairs nothing to worry about?

BTW, I do not frequently mash down on the brush, and my drying technique is to place the brush bristles up under the faucet and swirl it around a little bit, then just invert it and gently squeeze on the knot for most of the water to come out, and then flick it a few times before putting it on my brush stand.

 

[luvmysuper]

It's not uncommon to lose a few hairs now and again. The tweezerman was kinda notorious for it, but still, for the price... meh!

I wouldn't worry too much about it unless it continues unabated or if the quantity of loss picks up.

Every brush I have loses one or two every now and then.

 

[tg16]

I have 2 brushes that have shed a little and the rest don't and I swirl, push and even go back and forth at times. I wouldn't worry about it. I will say that my knots from the Golden Nib are not the ones that shed.

 

[gollum83]

Yeah, those knots from the Golden Nib are great. I've lost maybe one hair from mine since I bought it a few months ago.

Anyway, I really wouldn't worry about it. The few brushes I have owned shed a bit a first, then usually stop, with the exception being the VDH boar that was my first brush. It shed like crazy all the the time.

 

[mdunn]

I have an omega that sheds if i flick when drying. maybe try to just give a little squeeze and shake then the lather motion on a towel

 

[SavantStrike]

I have an omega that sheds if i flick when drying. maybe try to just give a little squeeze and shake then the lather motion on a towel

Does this shedding happen immediately, or does it happen the next time you shave?

I really don't want to use a towel... that's just one more piece of equipment...

 

[djmike523]

I have an omega that sheds if i flick when drying. maybe try to just give a little squeeze and shake then the lather motion on a towel

It's possible the problem is from drying technique more so or at least in conjunction with other factors.

Perhaps your drying technique is affecting the brush much like it used to for our esteemed colleague above?

I had the same problem with a Vulfix; flicking it to dry resulted in shedding. The squeeze/ 'towel lather' works well... another 'remedy' I found for a different brush -YMMV for effectiveness on each method- was to hold the brush by the base of the bristles (and not the handle) when flicking it to dry, thereby eliminating the stress placed on the base of the knot.

 

[English]

When the brush is dry, comb it. This will remove any broken hairs . After that hopefully the brush will settle down. But most brushes loose a couple of hairs. the hairs can just snap. If you have a problem brush, you will know about it.
You will loose a bunch every shave.

 

[wbw0126]

I mash/ pump the brush a good amount when making lather and I feel like that's the cause of most of the brush-hair loss. Should I limit how much I mash it to cut down on destroying the brush? I thought it was supposed to be durable for that, not that I'm violently mashing this brush into my bowl.