Clumping Bristles!!

[TonyH]

Ok, so I just cleaned my brush back to like new standard and after one shave...CLUMPING BRISTLES! Seriously! My brush looks like a damned hedgehog! I have rinsed every possible bit of soap out of the brush and shaken it nearly completely dry. It hangs bristles down every day, but no matter what I do the bristles want to bunch up. My water retention is crap and my shaves are getting crappier by the day.

Has anyone else ever encountered this with a brush? What could be causing this? Do you think my brush just sucks? I can almost 100% guarantee you that it's not user error for the reasons listed above. The brush is a silvertip DOVO, this one: http://www.classicshaving.com/catalog/item/522951/297016.htm

I've cleaned it with the vinegar method, the borax method, and even used Simple Green, but no matter what after one shave...back to clumping bristles.

I could really use some advice before I just throw this thing out the window!

 

[Scissors]

What soap or cream are you using? Did the bristles clump immediately after you cleaned it and before you lathered up with it? Can you post a picture of the brush exhibiting the problem?

I'm new, so I have no ideas, but I think with a little more info, some of the older, wiser folk here might have the answer.

 

[mdunn]

before you put it on your stand try rubbing the tips on a towel as if you were building lather on it for ~10 seconds

 

[ambrose]

I find that using some dawn dish soap works magic for cleaning a brush. Its very gentle and yet highly effective to removing any build up or oils it may have. Try washing it several times and then once its clean use a little once every few weeks to maintain it.

 

[Greybeard]

I've cleaned it with the vinegar method, the borax method, and even used Simple Green, but no matter what after one shave...back to clumping bristles.

I could really use some advice before I just throw this thing out the window!

I think you've over-cleaned it and may have damaged the hair as well as dried it out. Especially with Simple Green which is an industrial grade cleaner for hard surfaces, not hair .

Since you're ready to throw it out anyway, try washing it with a hair conditioner for dry and damaged hair and rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

 

[danover321]

Use a little fabric softener and the bristles will separate while drying.

 

[guenron]

I think you've over-cleaned it and may have damaged the hair as well as dried it out. Especially with Simple Green which is an industrial grade cleaner for hard surfaces, not hair .

Since you're ready to throw it out anyway, try washing it with a hair conditioner for dry and damaged hair and rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

Sage advice.. This is the second time I have seen someone mention Simple Green for cleansing badgerhair.
The only problem the gent was having was most likely "clumping" caused by minerals/electrostatic attraction. It would have been adequate to
briskly brush the bristles across the palm, left and right, then to and fro.

 

[TonyH]

Sage advice.. This is the second time I have seen someone mention Simple Green for cleansing badgerhair.
The only problem the gent was having was most likely "clumping" caused by minerals/electrostatic attraction. It would have been adequate to
briskly brush the bristles across the palm, left and right, then to and fro.

If you're referring to the recent post about SG to clean a brush, that was me. I have only cleaned this brush 3-4 times in the last year and had the same result every time. I didn't use vinegar, then , Borax, then shampoo, then simple green, the soap, etc. all in one go but I tried them over the course of the last year or so.

Rubbing the brush on my hand, a towel, etc has done nothing to separate the bristles.

As I said before, after cleaning the brush was in like new condition and in full bloom until I used it once. I rinsed it in hot water until I couldn't feel any more soap, and then I let it soak in hot water while I showered. I shook the brush completely dry and viola, clumps.

I'm totally at a loss. I'm not a rookie shaver, and I have tried EVERY standard solution that we have all discussed on here before. The reason I went to Simple Green was that no one had mentioned it before and I couldn't find any other answer. Also in my precious post, after the Simple Green rinse and a bit of conditioner my brush was soft and supple, as smooth as the day I bought it. It is in no way dried out or damaged. There is, however, some sort of residue that was there LONG before my SG experiment that has been causing my clumping issue and I was hoping for someone else who'd had this problem to maybe chime in.

I really appreciate all the comments and advice, so please keep them coming! I'm sure we'll find something that works!

 

[strat1117]

Ok, so I just cleaned my brush back to like new standard and after one shave...CLUMPING BRISTLES! Seriously! My brush looks like a damned hedgehog! I have rinsed every possible bit of soap out of the brush and shaken it nearly completely dry. It hangs bristles down every day, but no matter what I do the bristles want to bunch up. My water retention is crap and my shaves are getting crappier by the day.

Has anyone else ever encountered this with a brush? What could be causing this? Do you think my brush just sucks? I can almost 100% guarantee you that it's not user error for the reasons listed above. The brush is a silvertip DOVO, this one: http://www.classicshaving.com/catalog/item/522951/297016.htm

I've cleaned it with the vinegar method, the borax method, and even used Simple Green, but no matter what after one shave...back to clumping bristles.

I could really use some advice before I just throw this thing out the window!

I would never advise you to use any of those things on a brush. Try cleaning it with a shampoo and conditioner (like you would use on your own hair), and that should bring it back to life if you haven't damaged it too much. There should be no reason to do anything other than rinsing it thoroughly with warm water after your shave and then, when necessary, an occasional shampoo to get out any soap residue that might be hanging around.

As for the clumping, my brushes occasionally do that too. When they do, I brush them back and forth lightly against a clean, dry cloth (washcloth, t-shirt) for 2 or 3 seconds, and the clumping is gone.

Enjoy, and go easy on those brushes!!

EDIT: It looks like you've already gotten this very same advice -- sorry to repeat. One day I will learn to read all of the posts in a thread before I respond.