BACKGROUND
The major content of this thread is taken from the original How To Break A Brush In & Get The Funk Out thread by [MENTION=13633]ambrose[/MENTION] and translated from American English into English English for those of us east of the pond.
Unfortunately [MENTION=13633]ambrose[/MENTION] hasnt been around here since August 2016. I found his wonderful thread via the Wiki. I wanted a boar brush but I didnt want the months of breaking in Id heard about. I tried his method and it worked a treat.
BREAK THE BRUSH IN PRONTO METHOD in <12 hours
OVERVIEW
This method is for badger and/or boar brushes and takes up a total of about five minutes of your time. Your brush will be broken in and defunked within 12 hours. The three steps and instructions are below:
ONE
Wash it with washing up liquid:
i.e. wet the brush with hot (not boiling) water, make up a pretend lather with neat washing up liquid, rinse clean.
TWO
Soak it in soapy washing up water for a few hours:
i.e. pour hot normal strength washing up water into a small container (I used a mug) and stand the brush in it upside down. The water should only cover the hairs, not the handle.
THREE
Build a lather and leave it to sit and dry overnight this is where most of the magic happens.
i.e. with your favourite shaving soap/cream, build the thickest and slickest (yogurty) lather youre capable of on your brush. Leave it standing upright overnight (somewhere where wet is OK).
In the morning, rinse out your new supersized and defunked brush, lather up and shave.
FOR THOSE WHO LIKE DETAILS (and pics)
Heres exactly what I did with my latest mini boar brush:
Just out of the box:
I soaked the brush under the hot tap, squeezed in an almond sized amount of washing up liquid and lathered it up in a cereal bowl. The lathering, which included swirling both ways and pumping took one minute (I easily had enough washing up liquid lather for two cereal bowls). I rinsed the brush out thoroughly under the hot tap, squeezed it, and shook it out. Time taken 1½ minutes. Here it is, a little surprised at being so clean:
I made some normal strength washing up water in a jug and poured it into the mug my clean brush was standing in (upside down). I made sure the water only covered the hairs, not the handle (this is very important, especially if you have a wooden handle). Time taken ½ minute.
I left it there for two hours which is good; a little longer would also be OK.
After its soak I rinsed it out and inserted an almond sized amount of shaving cream into the brush (if youre using hard soap just do your normal thing). Using the cereal bowl again I made some lovely lather by swirling both ways and pumping. I did this for one minute and had much more than a full cereal bowl of lovely yogurty lather (if youre breaking in a badger brush this step may take a little longer, but shouldnt exceed two minutes). Get as much lather as possible on your brush and leave it overnight. Time taken 1½ minutes (for boar brush).
I left mine for eight hours; a little longer would also be OK.
In the morning I rinsed it out. It took me about half a minute to get if completely lather free.
Lovely. Just ready for my shave. Total time taken 10 hours and 4 minutes. I reckon that was four minutes of my time well spent.
Heres my lovely new brush, now completely dry, 16 hours after my first shave with it.
Once again, a BIG thank you to [MENTION=13633]ambrose[/MENTION] for the original American English thread.
The major content of this thread is taken from the original How To Break A Brush In & Get The Funk Out thread by [MENTION=13633]ambrose[/MENTION] and translated from American English into English English for those of us east of the pond.
Unfortunately [MENTION=13633]ambrose[/MENTION] hasnt been around here since August 2016. I found his wonderful thread via the Wiki. I wanted a boar brush but I didnt want the months of breaking in Id heard about. I tried his method and it worked a treat.
BREAK THE BRUSH IN PRONTO METHOD in <12 hours
OVERVIEW
This method is for badger and/or boar brushes and takes up a total of about five minutes of your time. Your brush will be broken in and defunked within 12 hours. The three steps and instructions are below:
ONE
Wash it with washing up liquid:
i.e. wet the brush with hot (not boiling) water, make up a pretend lather with neat washing up liquid, rinse clean.
TWO
Soak it in soapy washing up water for a few hours:
i.e. pour hot normal strength washing up water into a small container (I used a mug) and stand the brush in it upside down. The water should only cover the hairs, not the handle.
THREE
Build a lather and leave it to sit and dry overnight this is where most of the magic happens.
i.e. with your favourite shaving soap/cream, build the thickest and slickest (yogurty) lather youre capable of on your brush. Leave it standing upright overnight (somewhere where wet is OK).
In the morning, rinse out your new supersized and defunked brush, lather up and shave.
FOR THOSE WHO LIKE DETAILS (and pics)
Heres exactly what I did with my latest mini boar brush:
Just out of the box:
I soaked the brush under the hot tap, squeezed in an almond sized amount of washing up liquid and lathered it up in a cereal bowl. The lathering, which included swirling both ways and pumping took one minute (I easily had enough washing up liquid lather for two cereal bowls). I rinsed the brush out thoroughly under the hot tap, squeezed it, and shook it out. Time taken 1½ minutes. Here it is, a little surprised at being so clean:
I made some normal strength washing up water in a jug and poured it into the mug my clean brush was standing in (upside down). I made sure the water only covered the hairs, not the handle (this is very important, especially if you have a wooden handle). Time taken ½ minute.
I left it there for two hours which is good; a little longer would also be OK.
After its soak I rinsed it out and inserted an almond sized amount of shaving cream into the brush (if youre using hard soap just do your normal thing). Using the cereal bowl again I made some lovely lather by swirling both ways and pumping. I did this for one minute and had much more than a full cereal bowl of lovely yogurty lather (if youre breaking in a badger brush this step may take a little longer, but shouldnt exceed two minutes). Get as much lather as possible on your brush and leave it overnight. Time taken 1½ minutes (for boar brush).
I left mine for eight hours; a little longer would also be OK.
In the morning I rinsed it out. It took me about half a minute to get if completely lather free.
Lovely. Just ready for my shave. Total time taken 10 hours and 4 minutes. I reckon that was four minutes of my time well spent.
Heres my lovely new brush, now completely dry, 16 hours after my first shave with it.
Once again, a BIG thank you to [MENTION=13633]ambrose[/MENTION] for the original American English thread.
Last edited by a moderator: