How often do you clean your brush?

[Lazarus Long]

I've been rinsing out my brush after every shave, well for no good reason other than it seemed like the thing to do (and that is what the youtube guys seem to do).

I'm late in seeing the tabacolypse thread, so I probably missed the boat on stocking up on the old formula. But it got me thinking that I am just wasting it by rinsing out my brush. I use a synthetic brush, I'm wondering if I should just leave it in the mug with the leftover lather and just go back to the puck when I run out in the mug.

 

[rockviper]

You most definitely should rinse the left over lather out of your brush until the water runs clear. Rudy Vey has mentioned in a few threads that a very common element he sees when he gets a shedder for knot replacement is residual soap.

Never heard about Ibero brushes, but even a cheap brush should last a bit longer...unless is was truly cheaply made as well.
There are many excellent brushes out there that will last a very long time. Also, it depends a lot how a brush is treated and cared for as well. Very often when I have a brush for restoration with a new knot, I see a lot, and I mean really a lot, of soap/cream residue inside the knot when I cut it off.

 

[old_school]

Here's what happens to a boar. Not sure if a plastic brush would rot if you didn't rinse the soap out or take a set if you left it in the mug. Experiment time?

Have you ever worn out a brush?

I have an AoS shaving brush that's going on 10 years old. I've never used it exclusively, but it's my favorite brush and the one I use most frequently. Last year it started shedding for the first time ever--every use it would lose 5 - 15 hairs. I was sad my favorite brush was dying but decided...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[JCinPA]

My favorite answer to this question was posted by Luvmysuper a few days ago.

“I clean my brushes once a day. With shaving soap.”

/thread.

 

[Tanuki]

I'm wondering if I should just leave it in the mug with the leftover lather and just go back to the puck when I run out in the mug.

That worked for me with a cheap drugstore boar for about 20 years. I never had to replace the brush. The knot looked warped and weird, but worked fine as soon as it got wet. The puck (of Williams) was in the bottom of the coffee mug I used.

When my bride gave me a Plisson badger (and discarded my boar), I caught the clue and started rinsing my brush (and putting away my shave kit) every time.

 

[Peterv1]

My routine after every shave is to give the brush a thorough rinse with warm water then gently towel dry it

 

[hairless wonder]

I rinse out my brush thoroughly and dry it (by squeezing it, flicking it, and rubbing it on a towel) after every shave.

 

[DaveHStone]

My routine is pretty much the same with all my brushes (synthetic, boar and badger):

After the shave, thorough rinse under warm/hot tap water and perhaps once a month I'd wash it with a hand soap. Following the rinse, I shake it then dry the handle with a towel and rub the knot gently in all directions against the towel. Done. I then leave the brush on my bathroom countertop to air-dry fully. All my brushes look and feel like new, no smell, no shedding.

I have never used (nor I plan to) vinegar, dish washing detergent or anything that I wouldn't use on my face.

 

[musicman1951]

Let's face it, if you've got a large quantity of lather left in your brush after the shave you're making too much lather. Rinsing out a small amount of lather is not going to put a dent in your soap purchasing schedule one way or the other. Clean is always nice.

 

[vsp]

I clean out the lather from the brush after every use, dry it on a towel and leave it knot-up on the counter to air dry till next use.
That said, I have hard water, so about every 15 or 20 uses, I notice that the brush produces lather more "reluctantly". At that point, I soak it in a cup of distilled water, wash it thoroughly with dish detergent, and then dry and leave it upright. Once in a while, after the first soak, I might add a a tablespoon of vinegar to the cup for a few minutes before washing it.

There's usually a remarkable difference in its ability to lather after this "deep clean"

 

[Ravenonrock]

I thoroughly rinse all my brushes after each use in a bowl with running water plunging the brush until the water runs clear. Shake off excess water and finish drying on a towel, air dry for a few days usually until back in use. No other special cleaning.

 

[tyoung]

I use synthetics, so cleanup is pretty quick and easy. I rinse out the lather after each use, also scrubbing the brush on my hand under the water to get all the soap out. I don't do any type of dedicated brush cleaning other than that.

 

[Lazarus Long]

I use synthetics, so cleanup is pretty quick and easy. I rinse out the lather after each use, also scrubbing the brush on my hand under the water to get all the soap out. I don't do any type of dedicated brush cleaning other than that.

That's what I do now, then dry it out on a towel

I think I was probably using too much soap - I was just using the soap tub to build the lather, so I think I was overloading the brush. I started using a different bowl to build the lather. I waste much less soap this way.

 

[BigJ]

My routine after every shave is to give the brush a thorough rinse with warm water then gently towel dry it

Yep! Works for me also!! KISS (especially as I get older).

 

[Rudy Vey]

after every shave...I clean it with shaving soap or cream, and give it a very good rinse in warm water - no extra cleaning needed.

 

[VerbaVolant]

A very good rinse in warm water is mandatory. After every shave.
If you are concerned about wasted lather (which is insignificant) use a smaller brush, as in with a smaller knot (19mm maybe).

 

[emwolf]

I thoroughly rinse my brushes, but I've not used a brush "cleaner" other than breaking in a new natural hair brush. That cleaning is a very mild detergent (the same one I use for my CPAP mask).

 

[ajkel64]

I rinse mine out after each shave with warm and then cold tap water. The only brushes that I actually clean are second hand brushes that I buy to use. As mentioned by @BigJ , KISS.

 

[DesertDan]

Rinse thoroughly, shake it out, hang it up.

 

[never-stop-learning]

after every shave...I clean it with shaving soap or cream, and give it a very good rinse in warm water - no extra cleaning needed.

^^^ +1 for this ^^^