Natural brush conditioning

[Rustyshackelford]

As I continue to amass a collection of Boar and Badger brushes, I find myself wondering if there are good practices beyond good rinsing and allowing to dry completely that help increase the longevity of our natural hair brushes.

We have all read about the processes for cleaning up old vintage brushes and the folks who recommend using a shampoo and conditioner from time to time. But these are generally applied when bringing in a new brush.

Is there any added benefit to using a specific soap or types of soaps routinely for our shaves that also help condition the brushes at the same time? Is using MWF or a superfatted artisan soap better for your brushes than an soap like Arko or Williams (not putting them down)?

On the same line of thought, would something that yields these advantages for our natural hair brushes also serve us well to use on vintage knots intentionally? I have Rubberset 400-4 with the orginal knot I what I consider pretty good shape for use in my rotation. I do believe the hairs could benefit from some conditioning to preserve the original knot. Does anyone reserve these types of brushes for certain soaps/creams for this reason?

 

[Icebear]

Brushes are to be used to apply lather, not to be babied ... at least the brushes that intend to be part of my stable.
If you apply the good practices as mentioned already (good rinse, complete dry in a well ventilated area), your brushes will be in good shape for long time to come. Depending on the water hardness you can give them a treatment with a mild citric acid solution or diluted vinegar once in a while. Don't mechanically abuse your brushes (no mashing ) and don't use boiling hot water, in other words use common sense. Don't overthink the use of conditioners and all the offerings of the cosmetic industry. Those are made for mistreated human hair ...i.e. bleached, colored, washed with agressive shampoo too many times and heated with a blow torch ...eh hair drier.

Enjoy your brush collection

 

[Atlantic59]

I run a wide-tooth comb through my brushes from time to time. Occasionally, I'll do a short soak and rinse with a mild vinegar/water solution.

 

[IMightBeWrong]

If I feel like my brushes are getting dirty it’s usually from the hard water leaving mineral deposits which like to gather on handles as well. I dip them in bottled water and wash them with some baby soap, them rinse them off in the clean bottled water again and let them dry.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

The question I was getting at with this thread is not about the brush getting dirty, but if certain soaps provide benefits to natural fibers in brushes by used regularly.

 

[IMightBeWrong]

The question I was getting at with this thread is not about the brush getting dirty, but if certain soaps provide benefits to natural fibers in brushes by used regularly.

Oh, I misunderstood. In that case, the answer is a resounding “Maybe, I dunno.”

I have bever felt that my natural hair brushes were drying out so I never tried conditioning them. I wonder if conditioner, which contains oils, would have a positive or negative effect on the hair. I also wonder if a single shave after conditioning would wash the conditioner out and nullify the benefits. All I can really say is that I haven’t found that my brushes really suffer from dryness or feel like they need anything special. I think using quality shave products and occasionally cleaning with Dr. Bronners Liquid Baby Soap keeps mine in excellent condition. If you feel like experimenting, I’d be interested in the results.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

Badger is my major curiosity as it pertains the my question. I hear of hairs breaking, obviously during hard use/abuse. But, if regular use of a soap like MWF, with the lanolin, maybe that helps condition the fibers?

As it may pertain to boar brushes, I have a vintage brush and original knot. This knot had some brittle hairs that broke off when I first acquired and cleaned it up. In this application I wonder if it is best to use this brush with a soap rich in certain ingredients more than another formulation that will help keep these fibers from degrading and breaking off more in the future?

 

[Your Majesty]

I just wash it with shampoo or dish detergent then run a comb through the hair. It's good enough. All my boars are still in shape.

 

[Hachet]

Aside from being gentle(ish) with them and combing them once in a blue moon, I occasionally apply a little unscented hand lotion to my boar brushes and rinse it away in the morning. I like to think that if I keep the fibers from drying out, they're less susceptible to breakage.

 

[IMightBeWrong]

Badger is my major curiosity as it pertains the my question. I hear of hairs breaking, obviously during hard use/abuse. But, if regular use of a soap like MWF, with the lanolin, maybe that helps condition the fibers?

As it may pertain to boar brushes, I have a vintage brush and original knot. This knot had some brittle hairs that broke off when I first acquired and cleaned it up. In this application I wonder if it is best to use this brush with a soap rich in certain ingredients more than another formulation that will help keep these fibers from degrading and breaking off more in the future?

I’m purely speculating here, but it seems to me that Badger brushes wear out from hard use and abuse more often for a combination of factors.

1. Badgers and boars were what were most used until just the past few years when synthetics really started to gain popularity. They have simply had more time for people to wear them out than synthetics. Of these types, I’ve seen examples of both ruined from years of use, but more often badger likely due to the next reason.

2. Badger hair is more soft and fine than boar and doesnt. This makes it easier to mash, especially for newer shavers. I was guilty of this in 2012 when I got my first brush, a Vulfix in Pure. I believe it’s common for new shavers to want more scrub and faster lathering from their brushes, but to end up with less dense brushes in the beginning and trying to compensate by pressing too hard. Not really the type of issue that affects boar or synthetics due to their spring.

3. Lots of badger brushes that have seen that have been damaged had long lofts with very fine badger hair. Another thread going with a worn out Kent is a good example. This type of knot needs more care because the longer, finer hair can tangle. I have also found this to be an issue with horse hair brushes of longer lofts. If the loft is shorter and/or the hair is thicker, i.e. 2-Band, then it is less likely to tangle. I don’t see a lot of 2 Band brushes around the 24x50 or so dimension or similar being worn out.

 

[Your Majesty]

By the way, NEVER mash a boar brush because it's going to give you brush burn. I learned this the hard way 2 years ago. The pain is worse than getting a sunburn. As soon as a blade touches your skin, you're going to jump.

The only cure is to stop shaving for a few days and apply moisturiser everyday.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Badger is my major curiosity as it pertains the my question. I hear of hairs breaking, obviously during hard use/abuse. But, if regular use of a soap like MWF, with the lanolin, maybe that helps condition the fibers?

As it may pertain to boar brushes, I have a vintage brush and original knot. This knot had some brittle hairs that broke off when I first acquired and cleaned it up. In this application I wonder if it is best to use this brush with a soap rich in certain ingredients more than another formulation that will help keep these fibers from degrading and breaking off more in the future?

I doubt that the hair would benefit from any soap ingredient. For me the most important part is not to leave any residues of soap/cream inside the knot. Good rinsing after use, let the water run into the knot from above, light squeezes until all the soap is out. Dry well and if you want to store them for a longer period, I recommend to store them in a protective tube or box.

 

[kooshman7]

I'd be willing to venture further than Rudy and say definitively that no soap ingredient is going to be of benefit to a shaving brush. Many a brush dies a premature death due to not getting rinsed adequately. Look at how your father or grandfather "cared" for their brush leaving brush and all in the shaving mug full of lather. It sure didn't preserve them.

 

[OkieStubble]

I rinse my brushes very well, so soap or soap scum is never a problem. However, I have very hard water, and scale deposits from my water is a problem. I usually notice it when I see build up from hard water, start to accumilate on the top rim of my brush's handle and at the base of the knot by the rim of the handle.

I don't like using harsh or abrasive cleaners like vinegar or borax on the hair knots, I also don't like using creme rinse or conditioner on them. I know if fabric softener is used on bath towels, while it makes the towels softer, it also makes the towels absorb less water. So, I don't want a hair conditioner used on my brush knots, becuase I want them to absorb water.

What I like to do is, just simply use my wife's clarifying shampoo on them. Clarifying shampoo is made to strip away build up of chemicals and conditioners that women use in their hair. So my logic is and hope is, it is doing the same for my brushes. Every 6 months or year or so, i will massage a dab of clarifying shampoo into a wet brush, rinse it out well and hang it up to dry.

seems to work well.

 

[kooshman7]

I rinse my brushes very well, so soap or soap scum is never a problem. However, I have very hard water, and scale deposits from my water is a problem. I usually notice it when I see build up from hard water, start to accumilate on the top rim of my brush's handle and at the base of the knot by the rim of the handle.

I don't like using harsh or abrasive cleaners like vinegar or borax on the hair knots, I also don't like using creme rinse or conditioner on them. I know if fabric softener is used on bath towels, while it makes the towels softer, it also makes the towels absorb less water. So, I don't want a hair conditioner used on my brush knots, becuase I want them to absorb water.

What I like to do is, just simply use my wife's clarifying shampoo on them. Clarifying shampoo is made to strip away build up of chemicals and conditioners that women use in their hair. So my logic is and hope is, it is doing the same for my brushes. Every 6 months or year or so, i will massage a dab of clarifying shampoo into a wet brush, rinse it out well and hang it up to dry.

seems to work well.

Sound reasoning I feel. I remember reading early on that badger hair and human hair are quite similar, and it is because of how the hair absorbs water it was chosen out of a host of materials. I had an individual that went into making his own brushes agree with me on the principle of treating badger brushes like our own hair. That stands within reason. If you use hot water to rinse your head, it's really not a good idea to do that with the brush. Damages the hair, too hot and it could mess with the adhesive. It's really down to what you are most comfortable with. My reasoning is if you should treat badger hair like your own hair, and I don't want to have any concerns about chemicals they put in shampoo and conditioners, I thought back to stories of my mom telling me of her mom having all her siblings watching their hair with vinegar water.

Yes it is acidic, but you weren't rinsing with pure vinegar but a diluted mixture. I use 1 part vinegar, 4 parts water. I've heard of others doing 1:10 and many others. There's no clear consensus. I've heard of people using barbicide with shaving brushes and I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole. For a shaving brush. I just don't like the idea. Using Barbicide to disinfect combs, my razors, anything with a hard and non-porous material? Sure. Borax to clean my brush? Nope. Won't touch that one either. Baby shampoo I'm okay with and have done it, but I just like to do a dawn soap bath, and then a vinegar dilution bath. I just do one when I get a used brush, usually wait 3 days. Viruses can't live forever in the brush and don't worry about it now. New brushes I don't bat an eye at using straight out of the box. Makes me think of the Luvs diapers motto: Live, Learn & Then Get Luvs. I just let vinegar and Dawn be my Luvs along with some good ol' water.

All this being said, I'm not opposed to considering doing things differently if I feel there might be some benefit. When I've tried conditioner in the past it has been with new models. I do have a vintage model I picked up just recently that the hair is dry. I suspect it had sat out on a shelf somewhere and has uv damage. It isn't even that old at probably only 30 years old. I have brushes older that the hair is in much better condition and should try this again.

 

[OkieStubble]

Good post

 

[Rustyshackelford]

My thought has been that soaps that offer good post shave, like a MWF, the extra oils fats or lanolin would be akin to conditioning the brushes with use. I’ve not seen or heard anyone having made any observations to that effect.

 

[Atlantic59]

My thought has been that soaps that offer good post shave, like a MWF, the extra oils fats or lanolin would be akin to conditioning the brushes with use. I’ve not seen or heard anyone having made any observations to that effect.

In nature, sheep use lanolin in their wool to repel water. So, not really what you would want in a shaving brush.

 

[Hachet]

I'd be willing to venture further than Rudy and say definitively that no soap ingredient is going to be of benefit to a shaving brush. Many a brush dies a premature death due to not getting rinsed adequately. Look at how your father or grandfather "cared" for their brush leaving brush and all in the shaving mug full of lather. It sure didn't preserve them.

Interestingly, leaving the brush in the scuttle till next shave, still fully loaded with soap, is how I break in a boar. Works like a charm.

 

[kooshman7]

Interestingly, leaving the brush in the scuttle till next shave, still fully loaded with soap, is how I break in a boar. Works like a charm.

I can see doing it a few times, but not like our fathers and grandfathers did in perpetuity. For myself, I have never bothered with any means of trying to break in a brush faster. It'll get there eventually. I'm in no particular hurry. Glad it works for you though and you're satisfied with the results!