Lathering with a nylon brush.

[Casey]

Growing up, I used my dad's badger brush, and the good old puck of Williams soap. Always worked great, add a Spoiler and Slim to the mix, and I got excellent shaves all through high school and college.

Now, though, I've a problem. The old Slim is gone- back at my parents' house and dad claimed it. Spoilers are no more. Worst of all, that old badger brush is still there.

I've been working with a large mug and nylon brush, since I'm just a poor med student. I found another Slim on EBay, a minty 1971, and still use Williams.

However, the lather just isn't right anymore. It's too thin, doesn't build right. I tried VDH, but am mildly allergic to something in it.

What's wrong here? Would a badger or boar brush make that much of a difference? Are there any reasonably unscented soaps that work well with nylon?

 

[Greybeard]

That aren't many nylon brushes that can lather a hard soap and none that can lather Williams. Nylon brushes work best bowl lathering creams.
Get yourself a boar brush. Omega makes good ones and they're not expensive. The brush will take a couple of weeks to break in and then you're off to the races.

 

[Casey]

I know there are grades of badger, are there grades of boar as well? In other words, is the $9 Omega boar the same as the $22, without the badger band?

 

[Greybeard]

The differences in boar aren't as pronounced as badger and there aren't as many grades. The $9. boar you're looking at is probably the 1006x series. It's a good entry-level brush. The bristles are a little coarser than the more expensive Omegas and take a little longer to break in but it's a good brush. A couple of dollars more buys you a nicer solid beech handle with the same knot like the 10005/80005. The next step up would be the 81052. The hair is a little finer and doesn't take as long to break in. The best series that Omega has is the 310xx series. They're premium bristles and really comfortable, solid acrylic handles.
The 10049 brush has the same bristles as the 1006x series, holds a lot of water and is great value, but the knot is huge.

 

[Casey]

The 10049 brush has the same bristles as the 1006x series, holds a lot of water and is great value, but the knot is huge.

That's the $9 one from WCS. Is a large knot a drawback for some reason?

 

[Go West Young Man]

Are you sure it's the same Williams? There have been significant reformulations, and the stuff on the shelves today isn't the same as older stock.

 

[Greybeard]

That's the $9 one from WCS. Is a large knot a drawback for some reason?

Just personally, I have to load more product to lather because it holds a lot of water in the bristles. I face lather and the knot spreads enough that I get lather everywhere, in my nostrils, on my ears, under my eyes. A smaller brush allows me to build the lather and exfoliate at the same time.

 

[damooshki]

That's the $9 one from WCS. Is a large knot a drawback for some reason?

It depends on whether you prefer a scrubbier or softer feel. The 10049 will feel softer from the start due to the high loft allowing the bristles to splay more, but some say it's too floppy. I only have the 10049. Used it probably 30-40 times and it's nearly as soft as my silvertip badger. For $9 you get an awful lot of quality brush.

 

[_JP_]

There is likely a lower bristle count in that brush compared to a natural haired one. And as such it'll pick up less soap. Try spending more time loading up the brush with soap.

 

[Casey]

There is likely a lower bristle count in that brush compared to a natural haired one. And as such it'll pick up less soap. Try spending more time loading up the brush with soap.

I can go round like I'm driving at Toledo Speedway, and it just doesn't load worth a darn, or get a good head on the lather.

 

[global_dev]

i have a synthetic that seems to lather new williams pretty well. it seems to work really well on most things actually...

a limited gold & chocolat?​

 

[Greybeard]

I can go round like I'm driving at Toledo Speedway, and it just doesn't load worth a darn, or get a good head on the lather.

Nylon and triple milled soaps are non-starters for me. Nylon and hard soaps are way too much work. Life's too short.

If you can spring for $22.+ $2. shipping, get the 31064. It's the best boar brush I've used. Search the brush forum. It gets raves.

If you want to spend less, get the 81052 at $14. There should be a couple of reviews about that one.

The 10049 is a terrific brush that many love. I just found it too big for me. YMMV. There are many reviews about that one as well.

 

[Greybeard]

i have a synthetic that seems to lather new williams pretty well. it seems to work really well on most things actually...

a limited gold & chocolat?​

I was interested in that one when they were on eBay which they're not anymore. Slaglerock bought one and did a mini review on it. He liked it with creams, but said it took way too long to load from a hard soap. He didn't even try it with a triple-milled soap.
Jack-in-the-Green said similar things.
I may have to look for one now. None of the other synthetics I've tried have been good for me.

 

[BurkDarkpatches]

Not all nylon brushes are made equal. My Ever-Ready/Peerless/Erskine load Williams easily and in less than the minute that some here recommend.

The problem is the Williams, which I like, but nearly always use in conjuction with Arko so I don't have to work so hard to get a decent lather. Together it's quite a treat, alone, not so much.

Steve

 

[LinuxMintyFresh]

I'm curious to hear what kind of brush the OP uses. There are different kinds of nylon brushes out there. The kind that look similar to the one global_dev posted are not bad for most projects. I had one from The Body Shop that loaded from soap just fine. If the OP is using one of the white bristled kinds like Omega's Syntex brand or the $2 Gillette, I think the problem is largely the brush. I'd either hit The Body Shop and grab their $10 synthetic or hit Amazon.com and check out their selection of Jaguar brushes. You can get a brush, Arko cream, and Derby blades for about $8 shipped.

 

[michiganlover]

Are you sure it's the same Williams? There have been significant reformulations, and the stuff on the shelves today isn't the same as older stock.

+1000

The stuff on the shelves today is absolutely horrid in comparison to the great product it used to be (back in the 1970's it was a wonderful tallow based soap). The Williams of today is a pretty poor product, and extremely difficult to get a stable effective lather out of. In my opinion, it is worthless as a shaving soap.

 

[global_dev]

I was interested in that one when they were on eBay which they're not anymore. Slaglerock bought one and did a mini review on it. He liked it with creams, but said it took way too long to load from a hard soap. He didn't even try it with a triple-milled soap.
Jack-in-the-Green said similar things.
I may have to look for one now. None of the other synthetics I've tried have been good for me.

my brush was from Jack-in-the-Green's starter kit IIRC. As the brushes are kinda long, i believe I held the bristles near the tips so that the pack was dense and there was no splay going on. I also don't soften my soaps in water.

 

[Casey]

I'm curious to hear what kind of brush the OP uses. There are different kinds of nylon brushes out there. The kind that look similar to the one global_dev posted are not bad for most projects. I had one from The Body Shop that loaded from soap just fine. If the OP is using one of the white bristled kinds like Omega's Syntex brand or the $2 Gillette, I think the problem is largely the brush. I'd either hit The Body Shop and grab their $10 synthetic or hit Amazon.com and check out their selection of Jaguar brushes. You can get a brush, Arko cream, and Derby blades for about $8 shipped.

It's just a cheap Burma Shave model. I can't say for sure on the nylon- the ones I see online are marked bristle, but this one was specifically unmarked.

Pulling out a bristle, it's stiff as monofilament even when wet, and when burned it leaves an odor of burning hair, so I suppose it is natural hair, just low quality.

 

[michiganlover]

so I suppose it is natural hair, just low quality.

All of the Burma Shave brushes I know of are very low quality boar hair. The Burma Shave is one of the lowest quality boar brushes on the market. The $9 Omega you were looking at will be millions of miles better!!

I have that $9 Omega (an Omega #49), and it is a wonderful brush, and lathers both creams, and soap with ease.

 

[WinstonSmith]

You could do worse than a cheapo VDH brush. Just give it a good soak, shampoo/conditioner it a few times (really, to soften and de-stink), and lather it up a few times. It's going to shed like a persian cat in June at first and be kind of rough, but it'll settle down a lot after some time. I started with one and take it on the road. All broke in as it is, I'm perfectly happy to use it.