Finding my Semogue SOC Mistura too harsh/abrasiveness when splayed. Recommendations for a different brush?

[Hentrox]

Hi,

I have a SOC Mistura, which I have used about 20 times, but I find it to be a bit too harsh/abrasive when I splay it. I'm not sure if the cause of this is the badger hair, or the boar hair, or the overall density?

The brush feels like it takes a lot of pressure to splay, so the amount of the pressure I'm putting on it could be contributing to the harshness/abrasiveness I'm experiencing.

I'm considering buying a SOC boar (I'm very partial to wooden handles), to see if it isn't as harsh as my Mistura (obviously it may take some break in time). I see there are some cheaper wooden handled Semogue boar brushes too (1250 & 1800). Would be open to a badger brush, but I don't like brushes that are too floppy.

Do you have thoughts/advice regarding my situation?

Thanks!

 

[dmshaver]

I wonder if the boar in the Mistura is the cause of the "harsh/abrasive" feeling you're experiencing. Unless convinced by others, I believe you should consider the Semogue SOC Finest in a lovely cherry wood handle. The Finest badger hair should soften & be more plush & less abrasive. I am a huge fan of boar brushes, so please don't think I'm telling you boar is bad. Boar is marvelous & wonderful! But based on your post, I think the Finest badger hair brush is the way to go.

If you're open to other inexpensive alternatives besides the SOC Finest, take a look at the lovely olive-wood handled Zenith Manchurian badger brushes, too.

Please let us know what you choose.

EDIT: I just read @nemo post below about less pressure & that's spot on! Try that before buying another brush.

 

[nemo]

Less pressure? Not sure why you'd want to push a stiff brush so hard on yourself.

With my mistura I use the tips, lightly painting on my face and splay only on the puck while loading or in a bowl creating lather.

There are many badger brushes that aren't floppy.

 

[Hentrox]

I wonder if the boar in the Mistura is the cause of the "harsh/abrasive" feeling you're experiencing. Unless convinced by others, I believe you should consider the Semogue SOC Finest in a lovely cherry wood handle. The Finest badger hair should soften & be more plush & less abrasive. I am a huge fan of boar brushes, so please don't think I'm telling you boar is bad. Boar is marvelous & wonderful! But based on your post, I think the Finest badger hair brush is the way to go.

If you're open to other inexpensive alternatives besides the SOC Finest, take a look at the lovely olive-wood handled Zenith Manchurian badger brushes, too.

Please let us know what you choose.

The reason why I thought a boar brush my might better is because I used to have this cheap Wahl boar brush that shedded hairs constantly, and I have this memory of it feeling so soft on my face (after many months of use), however, this could have been due to how little number of hairs there were left in it by then.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Hentrox]

Less pressure? Not sure why you'd want to push a stiff brush so hard on yourself.

With my mistura I use the tips, lightly painting on my face and splay only on the puck while loading or in a bowl creating lather.

There are many badger brushes that aren't floppy.

I seem to remember experiences where, when I had splayed brushes on my face while lathering (as opposed to just painting the lather on), it had resulted in a closer, more irritation-free shave. I feel like I've seen many other people echo this sentiment too.

 

[Trollky]

Mixed hair brushes can feel quite feisty when you splay and swirl. However, not all is lost if you can adjust your technique.

In my case, my neck is not sensitive at all so that is where I splay the brush and build lather with a swirling motion. My face however is more delicate so here I mostly paint and splay/swirl very little.

 

[BigJ]

Two thoughts that may be worth considering.

First, your Mistura only has 20 uses. It may improve with a bit more use.

Second, my preference is either badger or boar. But that’s me. These days it is mostly badgers, especially Simpsons and Shavemac knots and those are not at all floppy IMO!

Let us know how things work out (PLEASE)!

 

[DSR]

I would agree with above… If it only has about 20 uses, it’s not fully broken in, in particular the boar hairs.
So I think it’s worth giving it some more time/ uses before giving up.
It will continue to lose some of the backbone and “harshness“ as you use it more.
I have 2-3 Semogue Mistura brushes, and I found that, once fully broken in, they are great, perfect balance between decent (but not too much..) backbone and fairly soft tips.
Having said that, the tips are never going to feel as soft as some treated/ gel tips, for example, so depends what you’re after…

 

[Tathlum]

I own the SOC Mistura and I agree with the OP, it's a harsh brush. I got over 40 uses on mine. In my opinion the loft is set to low. If set 3 or 4 mm higher it would be a great brush. Mine measures at 48mm .

 

[Hentrox]

I own the SOC Mistura and I agree with the OP, it's a harsh brush. I got over 40 uses on mine. In my opinion the loft is set to low. If set 3 or 4 mm higher it would be a great brush. Mine measures at 48mm .

Hmm, the loft on my one seems to be set at 53mm (just as Semogue advertises).

 

[Tathlum]

Hmm, the loft on my one seems to be set at 53mm (just as Semogue advertises).

That would explain why mine is so harsh.

 

[Old Hippie]

Needs some break-in, for sure. The absolute best way to break in a brush is to use it. Just that simple. May take a while, but you will have broken it in properly without damaging it.

I say that as a confirmed lover of boar brushes. I have an SOC boar that in its dry state would probably effectively remove mill scale from steel plate. It's not broken in yet, mostly because for the last four years at least my regular brush is an Omega 10005, the cheapest boar they make. That brush is nice and soft and lays down good lather. I keep thinking one of these days it'll croak and I can pull out the Semogue again, or maybe I'd grab my Wilkinson Sword boar, which was equally as cheap as the Omega.

I recently hauled out my one badger brush just to see how it felt. I'd forgotten! Well, it was scratchy and spiky and itchy -- so back on the shelf it went and the Omega came back down.

O.H.

 

[Hentrox]

That would explain why mine is so harsh.

You're not measuring the loft of your brush from before/behind the metal ring are you?

 

[Tathlum]

You're not measuring the loft of your brush from before/behind the metal ring are you?

From the top of the metal ring 48mm, from the bottom of the metal ring 51mm.

 

[Hentrox]

Needs some break-in, for sure. The absolute best way to break in a brush is to use it. Just that simple. May take a while, but you will have broken it in properly without damaging it.

I say that as a confirmed lover of boar brushes. I have an SOC boar that in its dry state would probably effectively remove mill scale from steel plate. It's not broken in yet, mostly because for the last four years at least my regular brush is an Omega 10005, the cheapest boar they make. That brush is nice and soft and lays down good lather. I keep thinking one of these days it'll croak and I can pull out the Semogue again, or maybe I'd grab my Wilkinson Sword boar, which was equally as cheap as the Omega.

I recently hauled out my one badger brush just to see how it felt. I'd forgotten! Well, it was scratchy and spiky and itchy -- so back on the shelf it went and the Omega came back down.

O.H.

Funny! And interesting!

 

[ChriWilson]

New boars will get at least a dozen lather and soaks in MWF before I attempt to use them in a shave.

I probably own 4 Misturas and for my use I would not regard them as harsh

If you’re looking for a boar exclusively, perhaps a 2000 or SOC would suit you better. As I do with the Mistura, make sure you’re giving enough of a soak before use, it is boar bristle after all.

 

[Hentrox]

From the top of the metal ring 48mm, from the bottom of the metal ring 51mm.

Well, I guess you can take some solace in the fact that after 20 uses, mine, which has a 53mm loft, still feels quite abrasive when splaying (maybe it wouldn't have mattered if you had gotten a 53mm one? I'm not sure..). Although, it's possible with more use, my brush will become less abrassive.

 

[Tathlum]

Well, I guess you can take some solace in the fact that after 20 uses, mine, which has a 53mm loft, still feels quite abrasive when splaying (maybe it wouldn't have mattered if you had gotten a 53mm one? I'm not sure..).

Are getting 53mm from the top or bottom of the ring?

 

[NorthernSoul]

I have a SOC Mistura and SOC Finest with cherry wood handles. The Mistura is definitely more firm, but I would not call it harsh, more pleasantly scrubby. Agree with @BigJ that your brush probably needs more use. Semogue boars can take awhile to break in, 20 shaves is not much. Let's say 40+ uses. You want the boar hair tips to split, that makes them much softer. Be sure to soak the Mistura knot for at least a few minutes before shaving with it. It will help soften it.

I'm confused by the term "splay". You don't have to mash the brush into your face to get a good lather. Lather is actually made at the tips. You only need a small amount of pressure for this. I'd also suggest, while pressing lightly, to move the brush in straight line motions, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, etc. Note this is not the same as so-called painting strokes. Just don't go round in circles like you are mixing cake batter, it's unnecessary.

 

[DSR]

I own the SOC Mistura and I agree with the OP, it's a harsh brush. I got over 40 uses on mine. In my opinion the loft is set to low. If set 3 or 4 mm higher it would be a great brush. Mine measures at 48mm .

Agree that loft, or, probably more importantly, loft to knot ratio will determine the backbone and how easily it splays, etc.
Semogue has a couple of Mistura brushes in their regular line up, and have also come up with multiple variations as limited or special editions over the years.
The SOC Mistura: 24 mm knot, and 53 mm loft.
The other regular one is Torga C5: same 24 mm knot, and shorter 50 mm advertised loft, although I wonder if it’s actually even slightly shorter (never tried to measure it). Definitely more backbone and “scrubbier” feeling compared to SOC, as a result.
I also have one their LE, the 2019 Barbear Classico LE: bigger 26 mm knot, and I believe 55 mm loft. Again slightly more backbone than SOC, but less than Torga C5.
None of them feels harsh, though I appreciate that feeling is very subjective depending on everyone’s skin, how they use it, etc, etc

I would certainly agree with above comment about soaking your Mistura brush for a few minutes before using it, same as a pure boar brush.