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My 3 Day Boar Brush Break In.

Howdy folks!
So a week or so ago I got my boar brush from Stirling. Immediately liked the brush, never had a boar brush before and I had read all about the month long break in period to split the hairs and soften it up.

Well a buddy of mine pointed me to a YouTube video on a process to speed the breaking in period up..... To three days!

Suffice to say I was Intrigued, I went too it. Here is the process. All you doo is grab your brush, put it in cold water in a cup, and then leave it in the fridge for three days.

So that's what I did. Now I did take it out after day two, agitate the brush (dried in circles and swipes on a Terry cloth towel for 10 minutes) and then put it back. I already had a couple split hairs with just this! Now I put it back in the fridge and left it another 24 hours. After the last day I took the brush out. Shook out the excess water, and proceeded to do the same agitation as earlier. Here is the results! It's amazing. I have plenty of split hairs and the brush is noticeably softer.

Give it a try guys!
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Your friendly neighborhood BambulanceMan
 
I usually do a Dawn dish wash up soak and a test lather and then start using the brush. However, a friend bought 2 Mondial boars for me in Rome last autumn. A master barber there told him that the best way to begin to break in a boar was to put it in cold water for 24 hours, let it dry, and then use it normally. So you may be on to something.

That Stirling boar is a real looker. I'm on the 2017 restraint. When it began my wife predicted that it wouldn't be a $200 brush or razor that would be the toughest temptation for me. She said, and I quote, "You'll get knocked out because you won't be able to resist some $7.95 thing." Check the price on your new brush...
 
This was more for breaking in the brush then getting rid of smell. Got to get those split ends!

Your friendly neighborhood BambulanceMan

Oh, sorry, my misunderstanding. I let them break in naturally. It's a little scratchy at first, but I just figure I'm exfoliating more. Enjoy your new brush! :001_smile
 
A master barber there told him that the best way to begin to break in a boar was to put it in cold water for 24 hours, let it dry, and then use it normally. So you may be on to something.


Antica Barbiera Colla video.

0:40-1:15 he recommends soaking new boars in cold water for 2-3 days.
 
What's your hurry?

I've never understood why Boar brush makers don't pre-soften the knot at the factory before it is shipped out. It would add just a lille bit more time and effort on their end, but when the consumer gets it, it's ready to roll.

Even if they raise the price on a pre-softened brush by $5 or so, there are plenty of people that will gladly pay extra to enjoy the instant gratification of a brush that is already at peak performance.
 
What's your hurry?

I've never understood why Boar brush makers don't pre-soften the knot at the factory before it is shipped out. It would add just a lille bit more time and effort on their end, but when the consumer gets it, it's ready to roll.

Even if they raise the price on a pre-softened brush by $5 or so, there are plenty of people that will gladly pay extra to enjoy the instant gratification of a brush that is already at peak performance.
In my limited experience I've found that Mondial and Zenith boar brushes are pre-softened and the stink is washed out prior to sale.
 
Its more the funk for me. I dont find the brushes particularly scratchy.

My Zenith has bleached bristles, so the smell was almost non existant when new. There was abit of a smell, but I used it on day 1 after a wash using shampoo then a quick soak in dr. bronners peppermint castile soap. Honestly I probably could have gone without the soak and would have been fine.

But the omega took abit more time to get the funk down to a manageable level for me.
 
I tried it with a brand new Blondie Boar from Italian Barber.

Three days. I didn't put it in the fridge. I did change the water once.

After two days I checked it and saw a split end.

After three days I rinsed it and it really didn't look different when wet. Then when it dried out for several hours I checked it again and it was a totally different brush. Really something. It's not all broken in looking like a well used brush, but it's got a ton of split ends. It feels softer than it did when new, but it wasn't all that rough to begin with. It isn't all the way dry yet. After a three day soak I intend to let it dry for three or four days before using it. I don't want it to get funky or waterlogged.

Interesting.

I don't think I'll be doing this to a badger brush. I had good results doing it with my new boar brush for sure.
 
Is this method just for boar, would badger soften up more?

My EJ super badger was plenty soft when it was new, and 4 years on its pretty much remained the same. So I never felt the need to pre-soak. Also, I never noticed a smell with it.

I am inclined to say that badgers dont tend to soften up that much over time. I mean compared to a brand new brush, sure. But not by a large margin I would think. But full disclosure: I only have 1 badger.
 
Just soaked my new Stirling Boar Brush for 3 days in the fridge as recommended above. I did not agitate daily as mentioned above. My brush turned out great with many many split ends. Much softer than first out of the box. Easiest break in protocol I've seen.
 
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