How To Break In A Brush & Get The Funk Out
- Thread starter ambrose
- Start date
^ ouch.. Can't wait to try this on my new super badger coming tomorrow, I'm sick of stiff bristles and waiting for the break-in period. Cheers Ambrose! Anyone know if antibacterial dish wash is ok?
I've used this method on all my brushes, and have one soaking now. It works like a charm. It's unnecessary, of course, as just using it a few times works, too, but it's fast, and I get to make an extra lather.
Or you can do this, which will take care of it in 24 hours. This isn't a cheap parlor trick.
Great thread guys.
My first brush the Simpson Chubby 1 Best took about 12days do defunk by using it every day with TOBS coconut cream. Now it smells magnificent!
After a few days holding out i finally broke and went and purchased another brush, the Simpson Chubby 2 Best. I wasnt really planning on trying to expedite the defunking however i just rinsed it out to air dry today and hmmm yeh it stinks.
So ive just whipped up a lather on TOBS eton college and decided it let it sit for a few hours with the lather on it before rinsing - i might even repeat the process a few times and report back.
I opted to skip the Dawn soak as im not sure if we have the product in Australia, or at least, we do not have it in our house and i wanted to make up a lather with the new brush.
Travis.
My first brush the Simpson Chubby 1 Best took about 12days do defunk by using it every day with TOBS coconut cream. Now it smells magnificent!
After a few days holding out i finally broke and went and purchased another brush, the Simpson Chubby 2 Best. I wasnt really planning on trying to expedite the defunking however i just rinsed it out to air dry today and hmmm yeh it stinks.
So ive just whipped up a lather on TOBS eton college and decided it let it sit for a few hours with the lather on it before rinsing - i might even repeat the process a few times and report back.
I opted to skip the Dawn soak as im not sure if we have the product in Australia, or at least, we do not have it in our house and i wanted to make up a lather with the new brush.
Travis.
12 days for a best badger brush ? Had so much smell ?
How many days you defunk your boar brushes ?
How many days you defunk your boar brushes ?
I am being naughty and skipping over 340 posts to ask a simple(ish) question. How long does a brush last if used daily and kept on a stand? I have just got my first brush: an Omega Pro 49. Its so much more substantial than I ever though, so just wondering.
Using this to break in my new 30mm Whipped Dog silvertip as we speak.
I perfectly understand why someone would want to accelerate removing the 'gamey' smell of new brushes. It is unpleasant to most. I allowed mine to fade with time. About a month of daily use with my boar.
I use the water and vinegar soaking method. the stinks usually gone after the 1/2 hour soak. Just soak it up to the handle. This method worked great with my Semogue boar brushes.
Clayton
Clayton
Got my first new brush in the mail, so I should palm lather with a small amount of dish soap and let it sit in a glass full of water for a couple hours. THEN rinse the soap off and palm lather it again with a shaving soap and let that soap sit on the brush until the next day? Is that correct?
That is one way to do it. However, I use the method shown in this video for both new brushes and those that need cleaning.
That woman knows things about shaving brush that many men don't
I have seen it but it's chance to look it again
Very "informative".
I have seen it but it's chance to look it again
Very "informative".
nice, i found that video on the internet and used that for brushes i have bought used. i just wasn't sure about a new brush. i couldn't wait though, i ended up actually using it on my face for todays shave. buahahaha.
Has anybody tried substituting dish soap with shave soap/cream for the overnight step? Anybody done it both ways to compare the results?
I used my Conk bay rum for the few hours soak and the lathered overnight drying. My brush is a Wet Shaving Products pure badger brush used less than ten times and it was noticeably softer and smelled of bay rum after the procedure, but still a little pokey feeling. It does seem to lather a bit better. Of course, I don't have any brushes to compare it to, so my interpretation of a little pokey may be normal for a somewhat broken in pure badger brush.
I used my Conk bay rum for the few hours soak and the lathered overnight drying. My brush is a Wet Shaving Products pure badger brush used less than ten times and it was noticeably softer and smelled of bay rum after the procedure, but still a little pokey feeling. It does seem to lather a bit better. Of course, I don't have any brushes to compare it to, so my interpretation of a little pokey may be normal for a somewhat broken in pure badger brush.
Fascinating thread. I just received a WSP Manchurian silvertip, extra density, 26mm/52mm, which had a significant funk. I shampooed it, but much odor remained. So, I started the process suggested here of cleaning it with Dawn. It still soaking in Dawn. I checked a couple of other brushes, an Above the Tie 22mm/55mm Silver Tip w/Acrylester Molten Metal and a EJ travel best badger 19mm/44mm and noted there was still a trace of funk, though I've used both at least five times and shampooed them before use. I suppose I figured the funk would disappear over time. I cleaned those two with Dawn as well and they are now soaking. I was a little unnerved when I cleaned the ATT brush and saw a at least a dozen or more hairs shed, which I had not seen earlier. I'll go back to my Rooney Heritage Highlander until the cleaning of the other brushes is finished.
Does it matter that the brush be dried completely before lathering and leaving it lathered overnight?
I note there is no one soap that is recommended for the overnighter. I can use a non-scented soap or scented. Comment?
Does it matter that the brush be dried completely before lathering and leaving it lathered overnight?
I note there is no one soap that is recommended for the overnighter. I can use a non-scented soap or scented. Comment?
I will need to try this with the new B&B boar I ordered. If I do this for 2-3 nights in a row, I wonder if it would further accelerate the tips splitting to make a softer brush in just a few days . . .
OK, I cleaned them all and lathered them overnight with the non-scented LA Soap Company. I rinsed them this AM. They are still drying out, but I can tell the funk has disappeared from the EJ and mostly disappeared from the ATT. The funk from the WSP has been reduced, but it is still there. What surprised me was how much these brushes bloomed and became softer. I'll probably have another go with cleaning the WSP. I believe I would like to try using activated carbon as suggested by SteveM, Post #36: "...I soaked it in a bowl of hot water with some activated carbon for about 1 hour and the smell was completely gone. For those not familiar with activated carbon it is often used to absorb odors, chemicals, colorations, etc. It'll absorb anything and is used in aquariums, water filters and air filters."
I received my Badger & Blade Omega Boar from westcoastshaving (purple!). I ended up letting it soak in lather and water rather than dish soap and water, mostly because I didn't read this before starting. 
It's now sitting in a bowl, lathered up with some Stirling Tangerine Vanilla. We'll see how it is tomorrow!
It's now sitting in a bowl, lathered up with some Stirling Tangerine Vanilla. We'll see how it is tomorrow!
