Brush Loading

[tsimmns]

When you guys load your brush, do you leave the bristles straight out or do you let them splay? I have often wondered if while loading on soaps if I am doing it wrong by pressing in and letting the brush splay out like I do when I lather it on my face. Is this potentially causing the soap to not get caked up so to speak on the ends?

 

[Mick]

I usually load soaps upside down. that is to say, I hold the soap upside down and stick the brush UP into the soap. I find this loads more soap with less pressure than doing it the "normal" way

 

[rexcarolus]

Good advice, turtle. I usually load my brush quite dry, so I am pretty ambivalent about the up/down question.

Regarding brush splay, this is generally not recommended, but may be unavoidable with sparse knots that lack backbone. I try to load the tips only by using superficial pressure. The tips make the lather. Also, you don't want heavy soap residue deep down in the knot. This can lead to breakage and shedding. I hope this helps.

 

[Marco]

I think it's safe to say this: start with very light pressure and progressively increase the push on the brush. The final lather will look dense, thick and creamy.

 

[Mick]

For a softer brush you can hold the base of the bristles with your thumb and finger tips as you load to help it be stiffer

 

[tsimmns]

Thanks for the advice gents. I have been loading my brush with the tips splayed out and I think this has an affect in my loading process of getting soap onto the brush. I will try in the morning to load with just the tips and see how that turns out.

 

[Mick]

If you are trying to load a very hard triple milled soap you may need to float some water over the soap for a minute or so to soften it up before loading.

What soap are you trying to load that is giving you problems?

 

[tsimmns]

No particular soap, I just notice when watching videos most people load without splaying their brush out. I have always splayed and never really got soap loaded on the tips, it's more loaded on the sides so that is what got me wondering.

 

[rexcarolus]

Fantastic advice. This technique is mentioned in many of the old-time barbers manuals. It was probably even more critical with the horse hair brushes that were most commonplace in the nineteenth century.

For a softer brush you can hold the base of the bristles with your thumb and finger tips as you load to help it be stiffer

 

[SteveWY]

I think it's safe to say this: start with very light pressure and progressively increase the push on the brush. The final lather will look dense, thick and creamy.

Exactly this for my loading technique.

 

[Doryferon]

For a softer brush you can hold the base of the bristles with your thumb and finger tips as you load to help it be stiffer

For permanently work an O-Ring will help
Restricts the excess knot bloom.