Dry brush, soap dust?

[Dnallehekaj]

After each shave, I spend awhile cleaning my brush. The last bit of the cleaning is swishing it in a bowl of clean water, dumping when it gets cloudy, and repeating until it stays clear.

Both of my natural hair brushes puff out clouds of soap dust when dry, if I wipe the tips.

Am I not cleaning them correctly? Shut up and just use 'em? Soap is clean, so brushes are clean? Hairs are breaking down into dust so I can aquire more brushes?

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Are you sure it’s not just dust from the room?

 

[EclipseRedRing]

After each shave, I spend awhile cleaning my brush. The last bit of the cleaning is swishing it in a bowl of clean water, dumping when it gets cloudy, and repeating until it stays clear.

Both of my natural hair brushes puff out clouds of soap dust when dry, if I wipe the tips.

Am I not cleaning them correctly? Shut up and just use 'em? Soap is clean, so brushes are clean? Hairs are breaking down into dust so I can aquire more brushes?

If it is soap dust then that is a sign of improper cleaning which is a common cause of hair loss. Try cleaning the brush by holding it bristles up under a running tap (faucet) so the water pours directly into the centre of the knot and fan the bristles as you do so. Thirty seconds to a minute should suffice and then when you are sure it is clean, give it another thirty seconds. Then lightly shake out any water, gently brush against a soft towel, and leave to air dry. That works for me and leaves no soap residue. I have about a dozen brushes and between uses I stand them upright, under a small towel, which acts as a dust sheet. Never enclose a brush until it is completely dry and then only if really necessary.

 

[musicman1951]

I do the blast of water directly into the knot (as above), although I think for a shorter length of time. Works for me.

But it's not the end of the world if you need to clean your brush. You can probably get away with giving it a shampoo.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Some soaps and domestic water supplies leave more soap scum than others. I get the little dust cloud too, no matter how much rinsing I do.

 

[Rudy Vey]

If you see this dust, and I am sure it is cream or soap residues, then your cleaning routine is not good.
Here is what I do: running water over the brush while squeezing the knot lightly to get the soap out, I do this until I am sure most of it is gone. Then I run the water into the knot from the top while squeezing the knot lightly (like milking a cow, so this would be milking the brush...). I believe that running warm water is the trick to clean the brush out. The whole takes less than 20-30 seconds.
Believe me, I have seen many brushes that were sent to me for a knot change that were dusting when I brush over the knot, and in every case the owner swore he does a good cleaning job.

 

[RayClem]

I clean my brushes after shaving using the "plunger technique". I plunge the brush up and down in a bowl with running water until the water stays clear. The plunging motion forces water into the base of the knot to remove soap residue.


If you have hard water, cleaning with water alone might not work. Periodically, it will need a deep clean. First try cleaning the brush with hair shampoo. If you are not satisfied with the result, you can soak the brush in vinegar for a few minutes to dissolve calcium soaps produced by the reaction between the calcium in hard water and fatty acids in the soap. The follow up with the shampoo cleaning. I also like to apply hair conditioner to my brushes as it conditions the hair of the brushes just like it will condition human hair.

 

[CJB3]

You may need to do a thorough cleaning with vinegar or Borax:

How to Clean a Shaving Brush

Introduction

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[muzichead]

I do the same as Rudy does except I will somewhat splay the knot in the palm of my hand under the water like I'm making lather which helps get the soap out of the knot. You can see all the soap coming out of the knot so you know when it's clean.

 

[HazMat Shaver]

I just went up and checked. No dust coming from my brush rotation in the bathroom.
I wasn't sure as I've seen this a lot with vintage brushes. But I guess what I do works. Rinse and Squeeze (Milk the knot) rinse more and rinse more. Shake it out over the tub so the wife doesn't complain about water on the walls and floors. Strop the hairs up and down on a towel for 10 to 15 seconds, Stand up on its handle to dry.
Good to know I'm treating my brushes well.

I'm guessing the type of soap you are using could have something to do with dust too.

 

[Dnallehekaj]

Thanks for all the replies!

I don't think it's dust from the room. They're kept in a cabinet in the bathroom, and while there are openings between the slats, nothing else in there is dusty.

I have a synth brush in there too, and that one doesn't puff out dust.

The soap I've been using for awhile is MdC Fougére.

I do run it under water as part of the initial cleaning, but it's from the showerhead. A bunch of small jets rather than a thick stream. I'll try the sink next time.

I have used the plunging method in my shave bowl, but the donut badger brush pics got me worried enough to stop that.

Before the bowl, I spray the knot under the shower, squeeze the bristles to get most of that out, then shake the brush to get even more water and soap out. I do this a few times.

20-30 seconds is significantly less time than I'm spending rinsing my brushes. If that's a realistic estimate, I will be quite pleased! I'll try The Way of the Vey next shave and report back.

Edit: changed "I'm sure" to "I don't think" in second paragraph, because I'm NOT sure. I'll check that too.

 

[NoScrubs]

If you see this dust, and I am sure it is cream or soap residues, then your cleaning routine is not good.
Here is what I do: running water over the brush while squeezing the knot lightly to get the soap out, I do this until I am sure most of it is gone. Then I run the water into the knot from the top while squeezing the knot lightly (like milking a cow, so this would be milking the brush...). I believe that running warm water is the trick to clean the brush out. The whole takes less than 20-30 seconds.
Believe me, I have seen many brushes that were sent to me for a knot change that were dusting when I brush over the knot, and in every case the owner swore he does a good cleaning job.

I use Rudy's process and every 2-3 months depending on the usage they will get a Neutrogena shampoo. Some creams are more difficult to rinse. I find that it takes longer to rinse a brush that has been used with Castle Forbes.

 

[CJB3]

Rudy’s method is great, and I follow it for maintenance. I will say, however, that since you have build up, I would strongly recommend a thorough cleaning (using vinegar or borax).

I say this as someone who has ruined some nice brushes by not keeping them sufficiently clean (although I was definitely washing them after each use).

 

[AlphaFrank75]

Every so often I give my brushes a shampoo using Suave Clarifying Shampoo. Mostly though I follow Rudy's method.

 

[LJBraaten]

I agree with the plunger method, etc. We have calcium deposits in our (spring sourced) water, so I have to take care that items don’t get stopped up (like siphon jets, another story). Here’s my method, using plung and flick:

1. Rinse/plunge in the scummy water in the sink that I have been rinsing the razor in. Flick off excess water/crud by running brush tips over palm of my hand toward sink water.

2. Drain and run a little clean water in the sink and plunge and flick. Rub brush tips over *ivory soap* and hand lather and squeeze soap onto the brush. Plunge and flick using the same water.

3. Drain and run a little clean water in the sink and plunge/flick 3-4 times. Water should be almost clear on this step. Once in awhile I will run a little water over the bristles, and squeeze and flick. I use this water to clean my razor and blade, and the faucet.

4. Hang brush with bristles down to dry. Lately I have been removing the brush after an hour or so and placing it upright to dry overnight (flat bottom handle necessary).

*Ivory soap has no additives like moisturizers or cold cream. IMO these additional ingredients would leave residues behind, and compromise the bristles.

 

[Dnallehekaj]

I think I might just need to deep clean my badger brush.

After last shave, I cleaned the Vey method (except with the showerhead water streams) followed by the plunge in a bowl method.

When it dried, I still had dust. I took it to the sink and tried the Vey method again, using warm and almost hot water. I did not shave between these two cleanings, so no new soap was introduced.

The dust is less, but still there.

I've had the badger brush under two months. It was new. I shave every 2 - 4 days, and I usually rotate 3 brushes. My guess is I've used it eight times max. Crazy to think that's enough use to warrant a deep cleaning. Something else might be the real problem (hard water deposits? Dusty inside of cupboard?) but I don't know.

The brush still works!

 

[Rudy Vey]

I think I might just need to deep clean my badger brush.

After last shave, I cleaned the Vey method (except with the showerhead water streams) followed by the plunge in a bowl method.

When it dried, I still had dust. I took it to the sink and tried the Vey method again, using warm and almost hot water. I did not shave between these two cleanings, so no new soap was introduced.

The dust is less, but still there.

I've had the badger brush under two months. It was new. I shave every 2 - 4 days, and I usually rotate 3 brushes. My guess is I've used it eight times max. Crazy to think that's enough use to warrant a deep cleaning. Something else might be the real problem (hard water deposits? Dusty inside of cupboard?) but I don't know.

The brush still works!

Do you have very hard water?? Mine is soft now, as I have to use a softener system; here our water is over 17 gpg hardness, which is very hard - extremely hard. I could imagine that such hard water will definitely leave a calcium/magnesium salt residues in a brush.

 

[Dnallehekaj]

Do you have very hard water?? Mine is soft now, as I have to use a softener system; here our water is over 17 gpg hardness, which is very hard - extremely hard. I could imagine that such hard water will definitely leave a calcium/magnesium salt residues in a brush.

I'm not sure, I haven't tested it. I'll report back when I do.

 

[Ron R]

The way I clean my brushes after use is squeeze gently the excess soap out of the knot and place the suds in the lather bowl and just take a small amount of toilet paper and wipe the suds and toss in the waste paper basket of just leave them in the lather bowl if the scent is enjoyable. This simple process stops a lot of sink drainage soap scum plugging down the road from repeated build up.
Then I have a small plastic tub in the bottom of the basin and now turn on the warm water and just tumble my fingers through the knot as the water pouring keeps cleaning the knot. Give it another gentle squeeze and for good measure one more water drench finger tumbling with the last squeeze.
Give it a few flicks and towel dry and into the brush racks seems to work the best for myself, some of my brushes are in good shape after 5 years.

 

[Dnallehekaj]

Looks like I have hard water!



Or maybe I'm just bad at discerning color. The square the farthest from my hand is the hardness indicator.

I guess I gotta figure that out now, too. Brushes diagnose other issues!