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Hi Guys,

so I had a great time with this new hobby for the last almost two years but I am in the middle of a rough patch.
maybe you can help me out to get over it?
Here is my issues:

1. After following the advice here to clean my brush in vinegar its shedding like crazy ruining every shave
(simpson 1 Chubby)

2. I loved the Stirling MITA+ Proraso green+Menthol crystal AS combo I found for myself but somehow the soap changed to a
mess that just wont foam whatsoever, what happened?

3. My beloved B&M Seville is gone with like under 50 shaves, that is some expensive soap if thats normal

4. My brush is just hogging soap instead of creating foam

Other than that, the Fatboy+Nacet+Clubman/Tobacco/Proraso is great, just the soap thing and shedding hair turned everything sour.


So maybe it is just the chubby? I love that brush, would be sad if it is the reason of all the worries.
What now?
BTW, all these things do not happen with Tabac, no shedding, no hogging, etc.
I am just not ready to admit to one soap, i would miss the scents and menthol etc.

Any suggestions?
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Hair brushes seem to make the lather go flat for me, especially when lathering for a second pass after sitting a spell. I used to clean my hair brushes with apple cider vinegar and water because I saw it on a shave video. It seemed to make my brushes worse and not better also.

I switched to synthetic and not only was the problem permanently solved, but I actually get bigger lathers with much less product used then I did with animal hair brushes. Synthetic brush maintenance? Rinse it out, shake it off and let it dry. That's it.
 
The best synthetics are really nice. An AP Shave Company cashmere is my daily soap spinner.

It's good to experiment, even if experiments don't work out. You'll always learn something.

If you're looking for a good soap which performs really well and is good value... Arko!
 
I have no idea why you would use vinegar to wash a brush but I don't have a badger so maybe it is different. Just try using shampoo and conditioner. Like whatever you use for your hair, use on the brush. If the brush is hogging lather, use your hands to wring it out and apply it to your face. Can't help you with anything else because I haven't used them but I'd guessyou left some vinegar on the brush which is reacting with your products.
 
Whoever suggested washing a brush in vinegar gave you bad advice. Vinegar is a mild acid and likely ate away some of the glue in the knot which is why it’s shedding. Unfortunately it’ll keep shedding until the hairs that are loosened are gone. I’d suggest just not washing any brushes. There’s really no need. The likely reason you’re having lather issues is because you stripped away all the built up soap on the brush hairs using the vinegar and now it’s absorbing more soap than usually. Just give it more water and agitation than normal. You’ll use more soap but at least it’ll lather. And 50 shaves for a puck sounds about right to me. Really depends how hard the soap is though.
 
I have no idea why you would use vinegar to wash a brush but I don't have a badger so maybe it is different. Just try using shampoo and conditioner.

Let me explain.

A dash of vinegar is commonly used - and even recommended by some brush manufacturers - to remove stubborn soap residue that has collected between the roots of the brush hairs.
If shampoo does not work, the usual practice is to soak the brush for 10 to 15 minutes in warm water where dash of (apple) vinegar has been added.
If the soap residue is not removed, the soap residue with its high pH value may start eating away at the hairs, causing the brush to start shedding.

You don’t have to take my work for it, check here: Shaving brush care - https://shavemac.com/en/content/7-shaving-brush-care

As far as one’s poster remark of vinegar ‘eating away’ the glue is concerned, when used occasionally in the recommended concentration this is not my experience with brushes from several renown manufacturers and I do not recall any reports of this happening, but I obviously do not know what kind of glue (and hair) workshops at the lower end of the scale use.

I note that the original poster mentions that he uses a Simpson Chubby and Simpson is one of the manufacturers who explicitly recommend ‘light to-and-fro strokes’ while others allow and even suggest a swirling motion. I have two Vulfix (which now own Simpson) brushes that used to shed until I adopted the Simpson suggested strokes. With my other, less finicky brushes I continue however painting and swirling as my heart desires…



Hope this helps…


B
 
Last edited:
Hi Guys,

so I had a great time with this new hobby for the last almost two years but I am in the middle of a rough patch.
maybe you can help me out to get over it?
Here is my issues:

1. After following the advice here to clean my brush in vinegar its shedding like crazy ruining every shave
(simpson 1 Chubby)

2. I loved the Stirling MITA+ Proraso green+Menthol crystal AS combo I found for myself but somehow the soap changed to a
mess that just wont foam whatsoever, what happened?

3. My beloved B&M Seville is gone with like under 50 shaves, that is some expensive soap if thats normal

4. My brush is just hogging soap instead of creating foam

Other than that, the Fatboy+Nacet+Clubman/Tobacco/Proraso is great, just the soap thing and shedding hair turned everything sour.

So maybe it is just the chubby? I love that brush, would be sad if it is the reason of all the worries.
What now?
BTW, all these things do not happen with Tabac, no shedding, no hogging, etc.
I am just not ready to admit to one soap, i would miss the scents and menthol etc.

Any suggestions?

The brush will continue to be a PITA, if you don't change things.

FWIW, there a three options imo:
A) stick with Tabac
B) bin the brush, replace it with another brush and get over it.
C) replace the knot if you like the handle, either by a "do it your own" or with the service of a brush manufacturer.
Since you are based in Germany, Shavemac is my strong recommendation, they offer such kind of service.

As regards to vinegar/citric acid: a lot of threads recommend to mix this stuff with water for a proper cleaning of chalk soap residuals in the brush, so you are not to blame. I wasn't, too. However, I ruined my beloved Silvertip 2-band Badger this way. Once "cleaned" that way the brush didn't shed but felt more scritchy than a lowest budget badger. The acid just might have changed the structure of the hair.

The conclusion that it was my own fault made me plain and simple freaking mad for some weeks, how stupid can one be...? It for sure ruined all of my shave pleasure.

After debating back and forth, I asked Shavemac to replace the knot, they did it for a decent price with perfect customer service. I got back my peace of mind #lessonlearnedthehardway

All is good now.

Maybe this is the way to go for you, too. Just reach out to Shavemac and ask them to provide an offer. You can amend the knot hight and choose a hair grade (even synthetic) that fits your needs. So, not all might be lost 😉

Enjoy your Sunday!
 
Last edited:
Let me explain.

A dash of vinegar is commonly used - and even recommended by some brush manufacturers - to remove stubborn soap residue that has collected between the roots of the brush hairs.
If shampoo does not work, the usual practice is to soak the brush for 10 to 15 minutes in warm water where dash of (apple) vinegar has been added.
If the soap residue is not removed, the soap residue with its high pH value may start eating away at the hairs, causing the brush to start shedding.

You don’t have to take my work for it, check here: Shaving brush care - https://shavemac.com/en/content/7-shaving-brush-care

As far as one’s poster remark of vinegar ‘eating away’ the glue is concerned, when used occasionally in the recommended concentration this is not my experience with brushes from several renown manufacturers and I do not recall any reports of this happening, but I obviously do not know what kind of glue (and hair) workshops at the lower end of the scale use.

I note that the original poster mentions that he uses a Simpson Chubby and Simpson is one of the manufacturers who explicitly recommend ‘light to-and-fro strokes’ while others allow and even suggest a swirling motion. I have two Vulfix (which now own Simpson) brushes that used to shed until I adopted the Simpson suggested strokes. With my other, less finicky brushes I continue however painting and swirling as my heart desires…



Hope this helps…


B
Neat! I personally have just always used a 3 in 1 shampoo, conditioner and bodywash on my boar. I've never had leftover soap or anything though, I just do it from time to time usually when I finish a soap and am starting to use a new one. Thanks for the explanation.
 
Let me explain.

A dash of vinegar is commonly used - and even recommended by some brush manufacturers - to remove stubborn soap residue that has collected between the roots of the brush hairs.
If shampoo does not work, the usual practice is to soak the brush for 10 to 15 minutes in warm water where dash of (apple) vinegar has been added.
If the soap residue is not removed, the soap residue with its high pH value may start eating away at the hairs, causing the brush to start shedding.

You don’t have to take my work for it, check here: Shaving brush care - https://shavemac.com/en/content/7-shaving-brush-care

As far as one’s poster remark of vinegar ‘eating away’ the glue is concerned, when used occasionally in the recommended concentration this is not my experience with brushes from several renown manufacturers and I do not recall any reports of this happening, but I obviously do not know what kind of glue (and hair) workshops at the lower end of the scale use.

I note that the original poster mentions that he uses a Simpson Chubby and Simpson is one of the manufacturers who explicitly recommend ‘light to-and-fro strokes’ while others allow and even suggest a swirling motion. I have two Vulfix (which now own Simpson) brushes that used to shed until I adopted the Simpson suggested strokes. With my other, less finicky brushes I continue however painting and swirling as my heart desires…



Hope this helps…


B
Let me explain.

A dash of vinegar is commonly used - and even recommended by some brush manufacturers - to remove stubborn soap residue that has collected between the roots of the brush hairs.
If shampoo does not work, the usual practice is to soak the brush for 10 to 15 minutes in warm water where dash of (apple) vinegar has been added.
If the soap residue is not removed, the soap residue with its high pH value may start eating away at the hairs, causing the brush to start shedding.

You don’t have to take my work for it, check here: Shaving brush care - https://shavemac.com/en/content/7-shaving-brush-care

As far as one’s poster remark of vinegar ‘eating away’ the glue is concerned, when used occasionally in the recommended concentration this is not my experience with brushes from several renown manufacturers and I do not recall any reports of this happening, but I obviously do not know what kind of glue (and hair) workshops at the lower end of the scale use.

I note that the original poster mentions that he uses a Simpson Chubby and Simpson is one of the manufacturers who explicitly recommend ‘light to-and-fro strokes’ while others allow and even suggest a swirling motion. I have two Vulfix (which now own Simpson) brushes that used to shed until I adopted the Simpson suggested strokes. With my other, less finicky brushes I continue however painting and swirling as my heart desires…



Hope this helps…


B


Brush manufacturers can what they want about using vinegar to clean brushes, but it’s a fact that it’s is used to dissolve glue. I’m sure it cleans the brush hair well but if the glue that adheres the knot is soaking in vinegar it seems like there’s more than a good chace it’s going to start breaking it down. But i do agree with you that Simpson’s are notorious for shedding and it may be unrelated to the vinegar.
 
Brush manufacturers can what they want about using vinegar to clean brushes, but it’s a fact that it’s is used to dissolve glue. I’m sure it cleans the brush hair well but if the glue that adheres the knot is soaking in vinegar it seems like there’s more than a good chace it’s going to start breaking it down.

Of course can brush manufacturers say what they like, but in general I found it good advice to follow manufacturer guidance - be that with cars, airplanes, household paint, or shaving brushes…
But I am aware that some individuals may think otherwise.

Soaking glue with white vinegar does come handy to remove glue residue from price stickers and will dissolve certain school and craft glues, but Shavemac merely suggests adding “a small dash” of apple cider vinegar to a bowl of lukewarm water, which is not quite the same thing (concentration).



B.
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
I use boar brushes 90% of the time.
I clean one of them every morning with shaving soap and hot water.
Don't listen to every schmuck that has a YouTube channel.
Verify what you get told.
There are countless examples of some self proclaimed expert ruining peoples equipment.
 

Fred D

Member of The Illiterati
I used some vinegar to clean a boar brush several years ago and it was ruined. I know some people recommend vinegar, but I will not again.
The only thing I use is an anti-residue shampoo that cleans them just fine, maybe every six months or longer.

20210711_233859_kindlephoto-73249636.jpg
 

Ravenonrock

I shaved the pig
I clean my brush after every shave, rinsing it well in a bowl with running tap water and cleaning until the water runs clear. Badger, boar, horse, synthetic, they all get the same treatment. Seems to be working so far.
 

Fred D

Member of The Illiterati
I clean my brush after every shave, rinsing it well in a bowl with running tap water and cleaning until the water runs clear. Badger, boar, horse, synthetic, they all get the same treatment. Seems to be working so far.
I do the same as you after every shave, but I have very hard water here and it leaves residual deposits that requires me to give my brushes a good cleaning every once in a while. Synthetic brushes not so much.
 
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