Bleh!

[Chuck Sirloin]

Ok, so I'm relatively new to traditional shaving (since October of last year), and have had the same brush for the past 7-8 months. The brush I speak of is a synthetic one made by Jack Black (the men's grooming product line, not by the lead singer of Tenacious D, lol). It's pillow-soft and and an all around great brush, but I have a thick, course beard and had been considering a boar brush.
So after I saw that WCS was sold out of the B&B Essential boar, I did some research here and settled on a Semogue 620.

It arrived today, and I was very happy - the bristles were every bit as firm and "scrubby" as I had hoped that they would be. Then... came the shave.

THAT SMELL! For the love of everything that is good THAT HORRIBLE SMELL! I couldn't even finish my first pass with my Harris Windsor, as the smell was completely overpowered by the smell of a dead, wet pig - rotting in the African sun. I finished my shave with my faithful Jack Black brush, then went to my den and pulled out a tub of Mama Bear's soap. I bought 3 full pucks of her soaps and unfortunately can't use them because they burn my face, so I figured I'd put at least one to good use in order to de-funk my new boar. I opened my tupperware full of "Hydrogen" and lathered that stinky thing for a good 10 minutes - my sink was literally full of lather, as I'd dip the brush in my mug of warm water and go right back to swirling, swirling, swirling - then re-dip and swirl some more.

I rinsed it out, wiped it dry and set it on my sink to dry. I went into my bathroom a few minutes ago and lo and behold - the smell of a bag of burning bigfoot hair filled my nose.

WHEN DOES THE FUNK GO AWAY?!? EVER? I don't see how!

other that that I like the brush

 

[Lamb Root]

I know, it's frustrating. Pigs and burning bigfoots. Been there.

 

[Danricgro]

Odd. I have owned four Semogue boar brushes including the 620 and none of them had any smell at all. Maybe I got lucky. Now my Omega's smelled terrible when new. The smell will fade away shortly.

 

[Chuck Sirloin]

Yeah - you got lucky. It's been around 12 hours since my first shave with the stinkmaster 620, and it still reeks.

 

[branford]

The smell will gradually, but consistently, fade after a few lathering and drying cycles. Unfortunately, some brushes just stink more than others. You were just "lucky." Sometimes, washing with a gentle dish soap like Dawn or Ivory, or a bathroom hand soap, hastens the "de-stinkification" of malodorous brushes.

Good luck. In time, I'm sure you will fully enjoy your new brush.

 

[Chuck Sirloin]

@Branford Thanks - I'm sure the smell will dissipate - hopefully soon, because I really enjoyed the "scrubiness" of it while I used it.

 

[rand77]

My boar (and smelly badgers) all dissipated after a few uses. I do put all new brushes through a "break in" routine:

-5 minute soak in dilute borax solution or mild dawn soap
-Lather up a strongly scented and let it sit for 3-6 hours (repeat)

This was inspired from the B&B wiki:

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/How_to_Break_in_a_Shaving_Brush

 

[musicman1951]

My condolences. I have one stinky (Omega) boar and I did the Dawn and then left the lather in the brush overnight. It still stunk - but not as bad.

The smell will eventually fade - but I would avoid inhaling directly over the brush.

Next time get a Semogue.

 

[mcgils]

My condolences. I have one stinky (Omega) boar and I did the Dawn and then left the lather in the brush overnight. It still stunk - but not as bad.

The smell will eventually fade - but I would avoid inhaling directly over the brush.

Next time get a Semogue.

He did get a Semogue-a 620. I thought he got the B&B essential first time I read this (and that one did stink for me), but he got the 620. I'm surprised that it stinks, but it will go away...

 

[Prof. Moriarty]

The stink will fade, and an awesome brush will remain. Love my Semogues
As others have said if you want to help it along just lather it in a strong smelling soap, or dish soap.

 

[brooks_bro]

Just practice with it doing test lathers - funk will be gone before you know it

 

[Arcadies]

Lather up some plain blue Dawn dish soap, making sure to get the lower end of the knot near the handle well saturated (this helps break up the natural oils causing the odor) then rinse the brush very well.
Next, soak it up to, but not including the handle in a mixture of 80% water and 20% vinegar for 10 minutes, then rinse it very well and let it dry out for a couple of days.

That will take care of most of the stank, the remaining, if any, will wear off with a few shaves.

 

[KodiakAttack]

Hey Chuck,
The thing that I've discovered works the best (better than dish soap, soaking in lather, etc), is oxyclean. If you have any oxyclean, take a tablespoon of it and mix in hot tap water. Soak your brush for 7-10 minutes, rinse, and repeat once more. The funk should be all gone by then, and the oxyclean is gentle on the bristles.

 

[Eeyore]

I always wash a new boar brush with shampoo. That will get rid of the smell very soon.

 

[Kostas_Greece]

Give it a good swirl with a strong smelling soap/cream, let it rest and the smell will go away. Do that a couple of times though. It worked for my Stinkmaster 820

Good luck.

 

[Crag]

Yes...It's amazing that something so foul can come out of something so small...you'll say that when you change your first poopy diaper, too!

 

[Chuck Sirloin]

I appreciate all of your help! Once I get home I'm going to try your suggestions - I'll try whatever it takes. My face smelled like the brush after my shave last night, and that was AFTER I switched back to my old brush AND washed my face afterwards! I am sure the smell will fade, it just can't fade quick enough

Seriously though - all of you are super awesome for helping me out!

 

[Slash McCoy]

Larry (whippeddog) recommends oxy clean. You can also try a few minutes in a bleach solution. (it is kinda hard on the hair, though, so maybe don't use that on your semogue the first time around). You can also try Joy dishwashing liquid. Also works: orange scented GoJo hand cleaner. Has lanolin so probably good for the bristles. And when you shave, don't rinse your brush out for a couple of times. Leave the lather in there. Rinse it out right before you use it. The lather carries away some of the funk. Baking soda is good. Just pack it right into the knot. Mostly, though, what gets rid of the smell is just time. FWIW, some new badgers are pretty funky, too, so it's not just a boar thing, though I do think a smelly boar is smellier than a smelly badger.

 

[Chadao]

Hey Chuck,
The thing that I've discovered works the best (better than dish soap, soaking in lather, etc), is oxyclean. If you have any oxyclean, take a tablespoon of it and mix in hot tap water. Soak your brush for 7-10 minutes, rinse, and repeat once more. The funk should be all gone by then, and the oxyclean is gentle on the bristles.

Larry at Whipped Dog includes a little pack of Oxyclean with his brushes.

 

[KodiakAttack]

Larry at Whipped Dog includes a little pack of Oxyclean with his brushes.

Yep he sure does.