How do you soak your boar brush?

[Timeclo]

Shave 5: Back To Basics

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Merkur 34C
Perma-Sharp
Proraso White
Omega 10051

This was my first shave with the Perma-Sharp, the penultimate blade from my sample pack, and the one that I've been looking forward to using most. It's reportedly very sharp, almost Feather sharp, but smoother. I also left out the pre-shave tonight. I really want to keep things as simple as possible so that I can find out which blade I like best and to judge the ability of the brush to create a lather with just my chosen soap for this phase of the experiment, the Proraso White.

I felt very lethargic tonight for some reason, so I decided to just concetrate on 2 aspects of the shave
1. Building a lather and
2. Shaving with no-pressure.

I got off to a bad start. The brush sat in the mug for at least 5 minutes, as I loaded the new blade into the razor. Even so, when I lifted it from the mug, I was very disappointed with the amount of water it had absorbed. I think the impressive way the Semogue performed from new during the test lather had shown me how a boar is supposed to behave.

I soldiered on. After giving the brush just 2 shakes, I set about loading straight from the tub, and it was very hard work. I had to really mash the loft into the puck to get any soap into the knot. When I put the brush on my face, it felt thick and dryish. I face lathered anyhow, and must have dipped the brush 7 or 8 times. And these were big dips, too.

I wasn't really happy with the lather, and by the time I put razor to face I was already pretty annoyed. Well, I carried on as planned, no pressure, let the blade to the work. Sharp? I don't think so. I do have 3 days of stubble, but still, this is not what I expected. I'm really not in the mood for this tonight, I probably should have postponed the shave! I finished the pass, grumbling to myself the whole way, rinsed off, and had a feel around, patches of stubble everywhere, especially at the point of my chin.

I lathered up for the second pass, WTG. This lather was thin, and I mean thin. There just wasn't enough lather in the brush. I added a littler more water anyway, and it was at least a slick lather. This time a shaved in my now customary fashion, very shallow, some minimal pressure, riding the cap as much as possible. Better, but still not great. I had a weeper lower left lip and there was still some hair left on my chin.

I just about managed to milk enough soap from the brush for a minimal clean up. On the downward stroke on the point of my chin, with absolutely no pressure, I heard the blade twang against the hair. I think that now, into my forties, my whiskers a definitely harder than in my younger days, and I'm now very eager to try a more efficient, rigid razor.

I wiped my face, dried, splashed with cold water and patted dry again and I was done. In the end, the results really aren't too bad. I have zero irritation (at least on my face, lol!) and while the shave could be closer, I've sure had worse. But this brush really bothered me again.

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This is what it looked like when I'd finished. There is practically no lather left. Now I'm all for minimizing on wastage and hate to throw lather down the sink, but there really wasn't enough lather for an enjoyable shave and i really do think that this brush is defective in some way. If that's not the case, and this is how all Omega boars behave, then they're probably not for me. I may not buy another Omega brush anyway, with so many other makers to choose from, but considering their low cost and high reputation amongst wet shavers, I may give them another go.

Well, I'm going to keep using this one until I've tried the final blade from my sample pack next week, then probably switch to the Semogue to cycle back through the blades in reverse order, to see if my technique has improved enough for me to change my opinion on any of the steel. It may well be that consistently good lathers make all the difference.





Here are some more pictures I took before I shaved comparing the two brushes after having given the Semogue 1438 the initial clean and test lather described in the earlier posts.

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These 2 brushes have almost identical loft heights but the Semogue, on the right, has a smaller knot, at 21mm as opposed to the 24mm of the Omega. Remembering that the Semogue hasn't even been used in a shave yet, it's pretty clear that it's made with a higher quality of bristle. It was twice the price of the Omega, but at £12.50 it's still not expensive, and mine only cost me around £6.50 due to an understanding vendor.

I'm going to give the Omega 10051 another, very thorough deep clean tonight, and if that doesn't bring it to life then it may eventually end up being relegated, but we'll see. I'm not normally one for quitting.

Wes

I don't think your Omega 10051 is defective but boar brushes in general are more challenging to lather up. I definitely had some great session with boars but also some where I get no lather to work with by the second pass.

One thing that I have to watch out for is how I load the boar brush. If I start dry, it will not pick up much soap. What works for me all the time is the Marco method. Start your brush wet and load heavy. It might be a bit messy but it gets a great result. If you see that your brush is loaded dry, add more water and load again. You are already doing that but until you can see your brush loaded with glistening lather, it'll give sub-optimal results. Synthetics are easy but boars really push you to your limit with lathering, haha.

 

[Timeclo]

Now for the post of the Boar after soaking in water for 24 hours.

I let the brush soak in water for about 12 hours, but I couldn't help myself and had to lather it in my hand using some RazoRock black label. It lathered so well. I forgot to take a picture though. The brush out of the water before the lather though had a slight smell again, but it is gone after using the RazoRock Soap. I let the brush stay with the lather in the bristles and some water in the bottom of the cup for a few hours. Then before I went to bed I rinsed it out, and squeezed all the water out of the bristles. I was able to get water to run out of the bristles three times consecutively when I squeezed. Then I put the brush back in the water till the morning.

This morning I took the brush into the shower with me and lathered it up on a bar of Ivory soap and then lathered up my arms with it like I was face lathering. I then washed out the soap and lathered it up with my head and shoulders to help condition the bristles. Left that on the brush while I showered. Then rinsed the brush out and squeezed all the water out (did all this in the shower because I could use the brush vigorously without getting lather all over the bathroom walls by the sink). Got four good squeezes in to get all the water out. After my morning shave I then did the 10 minutes of rubbing in a towel. Here are some photos of what they brush looks like after the second towel treatment in 24 hours:
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After trying the brush on my hand a bit it is way softer. I also ran it across my face a few times dry and it seems ready for a shave, but since I was already done shaving for the day I put it back in the water for another 24 hours because why not! In the photos you can see the water is wicking up to the handle.
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I have high hopes for tomorrow. I will give the brush a try and then report back. I will do the 10 minutes of rubbing before soaking for 5 minutes and doing a shave!

Also, I saw earlier I think in the thread someone mention how they broke in the S-Brush Synthetic. Thought I would post two pics of mine that got used daily for 2 months with no break in other than using it. Took one month to get to a good usable place.
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Overall, this has been a good learning process for me and break in periods, I have done a Badger, a Horse Hair, an older style Synthetic, and soon a Boar. Looking forward to tomorrows shave. I will be sure to take pictures. Have a great day and a great shave!

That boar is looking nicely breaking in. I love my Omega 10048 as it has plenty of scrub with good performance.

As for the synthetic, I don't think it's supposed to clump up in the middle. You should try to brush it out or towel strop it to straighten out the middle. Synthetics don't break in but they stay relatively the same from the start to the end. Omega synthetics are a touch too scrubby for me but I hope you enjoy yours!

 

[Timeclo]

Hi @TinyT

Glad to hear that the Boar Brush is working well today. I finally got my first shave in with my 10049 and I will now describe the experience, with photos!

The brush finished it's second 24 hour cold water soak. Here is what the brush looked like after the soak, just shaken out a little bit:
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Next I rubbed the brush in the towel for 10 minutes (watched a Razor Emporium Video for timing). Here is what the brush looked like afterwards:
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I was very happy with how soft the tips were and they are starting to split, so it was time to use this brush for a shave. I popped it back into my mug with hot water and let it soak up the water while I showered:
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Here is how the brush looked after soaking in the hot water:
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I used the brush with Williams Mug Shaving Soap today and here is how the brush looked with the Williams loaded before the face lathering:
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Here is what I was able to create face lathering with the Williams. This is what was on the brush right before I did my first pass WTG:
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I used this brush and lather and never went back to the puck to reload. I did a three pass shave today WTG, XTG and ATG. Here is what the brush looked alike after the third pass:
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Overall I was very pleased with the quality of the lather I was able to achieve with this brush as it is now broken in. It is soft enough for me to like the feel and it splays easy enough. I was able to load easily a difficult to use (for me) soap, and I got a DFS with the lather it provided. Looking forward to more shaves with the brush in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. Here it is in my shave stand drying and waiting for the next shave:
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That's a nice result with Williams, one of the hardest soaps to lather up. Nice looking Omega, btw.

 

[TinyT]

I hope you all are getting some great performance out of your brushes. Any luck @TinyT ?

Hey, @TFAshaver . I've been experimenting with leaving out my Saturday shave to see how I (and the Merkur 34C) manage with 72 hours of growth, so that means I've only been doing 3 shaves a week for the past fortnight rather than my usual 4. Suffice to say, I shall be going back to 4 shaves for the moment!, ha ha, although I am in the process of working out some more efficient razor additions. (more on that in the near future, and maybe in a new thread)

Anyhow, Mondays shave was so-so. 72 hours growth and my first go with the Merkur Super blade. At the time it seemed pretty terrible, so after my first WTG pass I thought, what the hell, lets go for an XTG. Didn't cause any problems, didn't feel much closer than WTG during the shave either. However, post shave and it was not bad. No irritatation, no weepers or nicks and now, over 24hrs later, closer than my normal shaves.

The main thing with yesterdays shave that bothered me was the Omega brush again. It neither soaked nor loaded as I wanted, so my lather wasn't quite right. But now I'm fairly sure of 2 things. First, the brush, especially after the 2 deep cleans, is working properly, despite the cracks. Second, the problems I'm experiencing are most likely down to me. In fact, after just looking at your most recent pictures of your 49 after soaking, it fairly closely resembles my 51.

I was actually planning to give the Omega another vinegar + dish soap clean today (third time lucky, right!) but before I began I soaked it in a mug for a few minutes first. When I checked the base of the knot, it felt pretty moist, so I gave it a cople of shakes and poked my finger in the loft, right down to near the base of the knot. It was pretty wet. Holding off on the clean, I did the same with the Semogue. It held a touch more water, but basically the same result. I didn't bother with the deep clean in the end. It's extremely useful to be able to make comparisons, so I'll see how I get on with tomorrows shave. I'm quite optimistic.

 

[TinyT]

I don't think your Omega 10051 is defective but boar brushes in general are more challenging to lather up.

Synthetics are easy but boars really push you to your limit with lathering, haha.

Yes, I really think you're right about this. In fact, I came to the same conclusion on todays walk. I'm yet to have a lather which is unshaveable with but a good enough lather for me just isn't good enough! Unfortunately, I'm a perfect shave seeker and a perfect shave in my book has to start with a great lather. And I've made some great lathers. Some perfect, some almost, but what I'm after is to produce perfect lathers every time. It's really about managing to get the precise amount of water for the particular soap that I'm using, with the particular brush that I'm using, and that takes practice, experience and skill. In a nutshell, shaving technique. I'm working on it and starting to figure out exactly what I want and need for the shaves I'm after, what type of lather I like, what scents I like, the types of razors, blades etc.

It's absorbing stuff.

 

[Timeclo]

Yes, I really think you're right about this. In fact, I came to the same conclusion on todays walk. I'm yet to have a lather which is unshaveable with but a good enough lather for me just isn't good enough! Unfortunately, I'm a perfect shave seeker and a perfect shave in my book has to start with a great lather. And I've made some great lathers. Some perfect, some almost, but what I'm after is to produce perfect lathers every time. It's really about managing to get the precise amount of water for the particular soap that I'm using, with the particular brush that I'm using, and that takes practice, experience and skill. In a nutshell, shaving technique. I'm working on it and starting to figure out exactly what I want and need for the shaves I'm after, what type of lather I like, what scents I like, the types of razors, blades etc.

It's absorbing stuff.

It is. That is why I enjoy using boars because they require such a good lathering technique that you develop over time. I'm getting there but if I'm lazy, the boar will go right back to eating up all the lather. I went back to my first boar today, Omega 10066, and it was wonderful. I started a bit dry but it had just enough lather for 2 1/2 passes that I do. Definitely loading a bit wetter tomorrow.

 

[chente12]

Yes, I really think you're right about this. In fact, I came to the same conclusion on todays walk. I'm yet to have a lather which is unshaveable with but a good enough lather for me just isn't good enough! Unfortunately, I'm a perfect shave seeker and a perfect shave in my book has to start with a great lather. And I've made some great lathers. Some perfect, some almost, but what I'm after is to produce perfect lathers every time. It's really about managing to get the precise amount of water for the particular soap that I'm using, with the particular brush that I'm using, and that takes practice, experience and skill. In a nutshell, shaving technique. I'm working on it and starting to figure out exactly what I want and need for the shaves I'm after, what type of lather I like, what scents I like, the types of razors, blades etc.

It's absorbing stuff.

Load heavily, and keep adding water little by little. I've had the same issues with my omega proraso (large boar) brush where it seems like it's just eating up the lather, but I add water little by little and eventually the lather just explodes out of the brush.

I don't know why it's that way with boars that are not broken in. The only thing I can think of is that split tips (in a broken in boar) equal more surface area, which equals more soap loaded in less time, and possibly more water on the surface area of the brush. So you end up with the same effect (as loading heavily and adding water) in less time.

Just my $0.02

 

[andy_k]

Just drop mine into a mug full of hot water while I shower.

 

[TinyT]

Load heavily, and keep adding water little by little.

That is the most used method and logical, sound advice. I face lather, so I prefer to have a well hydrated, smooth feeling lather from the beginning, rather than a thickish paste that gradually thins. Also, I'm really after the best possible lather in the least amount of time, with the least amount of work. The ideal is to develop a perfect lathering technique, so that the lather requires little or no additional water from loading. This is what I'm working towards, the first step in my search for a perfect shaving technique. I've achieved this or close to it, on a few occasions and now I'm looking for more consitency and refinement. Understanding brush behaviour has become an important part of this process.

 

[TFAshaver]

That is the most used method and logical, sound advice. I face lather, so I prefer to have a well hydrated, smooth feeling lather from the beginning, rather than a thickish paste that gradually thins. Also, I'm really after the best possible lather in the least amount of time, with the least amount of work. The ideal is to develop a perfect lathering technique, so that the lather requires little or no additional water from loading. This is what I'm working towards, the first step in my search for a perfect shaving technique. I've achieved this or close to it, on a few occasions and now I'm looking for more consitency and refinement. Understanding brush behaviour has become an important part of this process.

Are you sure you don't want to consider bowl lathering then? I have always found the way to the most consistent lather when face lathering requires a thickish past and then gradually thin it to desired consistency (this is for me though). I also like to take a long time to do it, with the Williams almost 8 minutes on a bad day (but I find the scrubbing to be exfoliating to the skin, so the time doesn't bother me. My arms can get tired).

For speed and consistency and a slick feeling right away I bowl lather a cream and then just paint on and only scrub a little bit, but the lather stays very consistent once I get the mix right in the bowl.

Now you got me thinking, once I get through a little more of the Tech Clone Wars I will have to spend some time playing around with lathering techniques again.

 

[TFAshaver]

Second post is my third use of my Omega 10049 Boar:

Got a great lather today with the Williams Mug Shaving Soap and my third shave with the Omega. Here is a photo of the Brush before the soak:

Here is a photo of the Brush after the soak while I was showering. The water was able to wick all the way to the handle today:

Here are two photos of the brush loaded with Williams, but not face lathered yet:

Here are two photos of the brush after the first face lathering:

Here are two photos of the brush after finishing the shave of 3 passes and a clean up pass, so 4 face latherings:

And finally here are two photos of the brush after using the left over lather for a face wash, rinsing the brush out, shaking out all the water, and then stropping it against a towel for about 20 strokes:

Overall the shave was 9/10 today so a nice DFS. The brush worked wonderfully and it seems to be taking on more water during the soak. Hope this isn't too many pictures, let me know if I need to cool it on the photos. Hope you all are getting some great shaves!

 

[shave/brush]

I find when I use a boar brush, any boar brush for face-lathering, I can't get more than one good pass out of it. By the second pass the lather is very weak. I tried loading longer, maybe I'm still not loading long enough but I get bad results.
When it comes to bowl-lathering boars are great. My first boar was an Omega 10049 that was a lather monster. But when it comes to face-lathering give me a synthetic brush any day. BTW when I face-lather I only use a shave stick.

 

[Timeclo]

I find when I use a boar brush, any boar brush for face-lathering, I can't get more than one good pass out of it. By the second pass the lather is very weak. I tried loading longer, maybe I'm still not loading long enough but I get bad results.
When it comes to bowl-lathering boars are great. My first boar was an Omega 10049 that was a lather monster. But when it comes to face-lathering give me a synthetic brush any day. BTW when I face-lather I only use a shave stick.

I find that face-lathering with shave stick and a boar brush is very challenging. There just isn't enough soap/lather to work with. I'm definitely using synthetic/badger for shave sticks. I try to reserve my boars to shaving soaps as that gives the best results for me. Loading heavy with hydrated boar brush = great lather to last three passes.

 

[Timeclo]

Second post is my third use of my Omega 10049 Boar:

Got a great lather today with the Williams Mug Shaving Soap and my third shave with the Omega. Here is a photo of the Brush before the soak:
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Here is a photo of the Brush after the soak while I was showering. The water was able to wick all the way to the handle today:
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Here are two photos of the brush loaded with Williams, but not face lathered yet:
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Here are two photos of the brush after the first face lathering:
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Here are two photos of the brush after finishing the shave of 3 passes and a clean up pass, so 4 face latherings:
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And finally here are two photos of the brush after using the left over lather for a face wash, rinsing the brush out, shaking out all the water, and then stropping it against a towel for about 20 strokes:
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Overall the shave was 9/10 today so a nice DFS. The brush worked wonderfully and it seems to be taking on more water during the soak. Hope this isn't too many pictures, let me know if I need to cool it on the photos. Hope you all are getting some great shaves!

Looks like a great shave!

 

[shave/brush]

I find that face-lathering with shave stick and a boar brush is very challenging. There just isn't enough soap/lather to work with. I'm definitely using synthetic/badger for shave sticks. I try to reserve my boars to shaving soaps as that gives the best results for me. Loading heavy with hydrated boar brush = great lather to last three passes.

Some guys say they have no problem using a boar brush with a shave stick. I tried loading heavy and still get poor results on the second pass. I'd love to see a film of someone loading his face and then getting two good passes from his boar brush.

 

[chente12]

Dry brush

10 min soak

Dr dittmar soap

Loaded, 60 swirls or apps 30 secs

Worked lather

To gauge how much extra water added

1 tsp added

1.5 tsp added. I called it at that point.


I usually don't bowl leather but it's difficult to know how much water you need to add when there's no means of measuring how much water stays on your face. That was A LOT of lather. It's an Omega Proraso.

 

[Timeclo]

Some guys say they have no problem using a boar brush with a shave stick. I tried loading heavy and still get poor results on the second pass. I'd love to see a film of someone loading his face and then getting two good passes from his boar brush.

I'll take the challenge. What shave stick do you use the most often? I have Derby, Arko (although it's a bathroom cleaner so... not usable), Palmolive, and Siliski soaps samples made into sticks.

 

[shave/brush]

I'll take the challenge. What shave stick do you use the most often? I have Derby, Arko (although it's a bathroom cleaner so... not usable), Palmolive, and Siliski soaps samples made into sticks.

I don't care what stick you use. I've tried a boar with several and get no where. I've used Arko and Palmolive from your list. I would be sincerely interested in how you do it.

 

[Timeclo]

I don't care what stick you use. I've tried a boar with several and get no where. I've used Arko and Palmolive from your list. I would be sincerely interested in how you do it.

I'll try it with palmolive although it does leave my skin a bit dry.

My experience with boar brush and shave stick is that when I lather the stick to my face, it becomes pasty. When I think I lathered enough, the lather is still quite dry and that results in a poor first pass. Then, the boar has nothing left in the bristles because the soap is all stuck on the first pass and that results in a thin and airy second pass.

My solution is to work in the lather a lot longer. I'm going to make sure the lather is worked in throughout and that the boar is thoroughly covered in lather. I'm going to put in good amount of water to hydrate the lather and that should result in a better first pass, and enough lather to work through the latter passes. I'll try it out on my FRI shave.

 

[shave/brush]

I'll try it with palmolive although it does leave my skin a bit dry.

My experience with boar brush and shave stick is that when I lather the stick to my face, it becomes pasty. When I think I lathered enough, the lather is still quite dry and that results in a poor first pass. Then, the boar has nothing left in the bristles because the soap is all stuck on the first pass and that results in a thin and airy second pass.

My solution is to work in the lather a lot longer. I'm going to make sure the lather is worked in throughout and that the boar is thoroughly covered in lather. I'm going to put in good amount of water to hydrate the lather and that should result in a better first pass, and enough lather to work through the latter passes. I'll try it out on my FRI shave.

Good luck!