I'm new - Do I trim my brush?

[Paxaddict]

I just got a horse hair brush, from Vie Long. I love it. It's a thousand times better than the department store boar bristle I've been using for years, but I'm starting to get a couple loner hairs. I can see this becoming a problem in the next couple months, I was wondering. Do I trim them? It's just a problem of looks for me, it doesn't change functionality, but I like my things to be neat and orderly. Is this suggested? Or am I alone in wanted to trim?

Michael

 

[Mick]

Typically you do not want to cut any brush hairs. If you want to remove an "unruly" one I don't see it as a problem but don't cut the brush as a whole

A photo of what you are talking about would go a long way to getting you better advice

 

[Snargle]

You paid for those hairs...don't trim them off! I assume you're talking about an odd hair or two that's sticking out at an angle from the rest of the knot? Maybe just gently coax them back into place with an occasional squeeze as the the brush dries. You could even wrap the knot in a loose band or cloth to force it back into shape. Personally, I'd ignore them.

 

[Pebcak]

Phew has me worried there for a second when I quickly glanced at the topic.

Another big vote for no trimming.

 

[Oscroft]

I get loose hairs sticking out of mine, but they always seem to be different ones - I just leave them.

(And you've made a very good choice - I think the Vie Long horse hair brushes are excellent)

 

[ChiefBroom]

+1 to everything said above. I will cull a hair or two that persistently sticks out from the side at a weird angle. But I usually try to coax it back in first, and if that doesn't work I have a short length of linen ribbon that I'll loosely tie around the knot after using the brush and letting it get about 1/2-3/4 dry. The latter trick is usually effective.

 

[ChiefBroom]

treat any stragglers like unruly nose or mystery body hairs that spurt up every now and then in odd places...grab a pair of tweezers and pluck them if you feel like it.

as stated above, do NOT cut any.

Your way is probably best, but I usually use tweezers to grab a wild hair and gently pull it away from the knot with small scissors. My concern is that yanking them out might loosen adjacent hairs also.

 

[brucered]

treat any stragglers like unruly nose or mystery body hairs that spurt up every now and then in odd places...grab a pair of tweezers and pluck them if you feel like it.

as stated above, do NOT cut any.

Phew has me worried there for a second when I quickly glanced at the topic.

yes, I did a double take took...good thing there was an "R"

 

[brucered]

Your way is probably best, but I usually use tweezers to grab a wild hair and gently pull it away from the knot with small scissors. My concern is that yanking them out might loosen adjacent hairs also.

sorry, was editing and deleting and reposting...but my post is all there.

I find the odd one (very odd time) i have to pluck one (brush hairs), it usually comes out nicely and with no damage to the brush knot. it think they break off close to the glue bump/base of the knot and no damage is caused.

again, i don't make it a habit, but i have plucked the odd one that is sticking way up, out of place

 

[ChiefBroom]

sorry, was editing and deleting and reposting...but my post is all there.

I find the odd one (very odd time) i have to pluck one (brush hairs), it usually comes out nicely and with no damage to the brush knot. it think they break off close to the glue bump/base of the knot and no damage is caused.

again, i don't make it a habit, but i have plucked the odd one that is sticking way up, out of place

I've done that too. And like you it's on the rare occasion. I've noticed those hairs are usually thinner at the base. That also holds for most of the hairs that shed from the middle of the knot. When that's the case I wonder whether they really weren't securely glued in the first place, but pack tightly enough to hold in place for a while.

 

[Paxaddict]

Man, I'm used to forums that autosubscribe to your own threads. Forgot I had this up.

Thanks for the advice. I decided to leave it, as it's not hindering the performance at all, and as all things that come from nature it's bound to be a little off. I'm not overly concerned I was just curious if it was a thing people did.

And to clarify, I'm definitely talking about the odd straggler.

 

[cb91710]

Man, I'm used to forums that autosubscribe to your own threads. Forgot I had this up.

This one will, but it follows the same logic as threads you reply to and it needs to be turned on or you have to manually sub.

 

[brucered]

Man, I'm used to forums that autosubscribe to your own threads. Forgot I had this up.

forgot you had it up? you only put it up yesterday

do you have a pic of the brush in question?

 

[Kentos]

Don't let your past experiences dissuade you from trying out some boars in the future. To never use a quality boar would be a pity

 

[mftoms59]

They could be loose and ready to shed, you could try gently combing, from the knot base to the tips, and see if they come out. If you really have the need to trim it, I'd cut ~1/16- 1/4" below the tops, keeping the majority of the hair for density without the prickliness of a clipped hair. Horse Hair clipping would be an exception to that general rule since these hairs are collected after grooming, that includes trimming.