Shaving brush not doing lather?

[panchoskywalker]

Hello, the shaving brush I was using for the last 10 years passed away so I bought a new one on aliexress just as the first one but it doesn't make lather when I use my usual shaving cream. I've used it for 3 days now, it doesn't smell bad, it is supposed to be badger but it is kind of stiff while the one I was using before was very soft.

I tried the new one with cream and it doesn't make lather, I tried it with hand soap and it does make lather. I don't want to switch to shaving soap because cream is much cheaper where I live, is there something I can do?


OLD SHAVING BRUSH:

New shaving brush

 

[LJS]

Looks like badger. You may need to use more cream and possibly water. The new brush is more dense and may be holding more compared to your old sparse and thin brush.

 

[Crepitus]

Old brush is an absolute legendary artifact.

There will be some mental recalibration required when switching things up. My suggestion is to start with shaking more water out of the new brush to start

 

[panchoskywalker]

Thank you, I'll try with less water.

Regarding the stiffness, will it go away eventually or not?

 

[Crepitus]

I think some badger brushes will have a little bit of a break-in period, but in my limited experience it won't be a significant change. Badger brush stiffness is mostly governed by the density and height of the hairs. Yours doesn't look to be particularly aggressive in dimension, so it may be something you can get used to using. I also only used one brush for a long time and when I got a new one I felt like I needed to learn how to shave again.

I would suggest to use it for a little longer and then reconsider. It doesn't appear to be defective. Over time you will naturally make tiny incremental changes to your technique. I only suggest this based on how the old brush looks and how much of a change any new brush will be. If you decide you need a less stiff brush in the future there are plenty of options available.

 

[panchoskywalker]

I think some badger brushes will have a little bit of a break-in period, but in my limited experience it won't be a significant change. Badger brush stiffness is mostly governed by the density and height of the hairs. Yours doesn't look to be particularly aggressive in dimension, so it may be something you can get used to using. I also only used one brush for a long time and when I got a new one I felt like I needed to learn how to shave again.

I would suggest to use it for a little longer and then reconsider. It doesn't appear to be defective. Over time you will naturally make tiny incremental changes to your technique. I only suggest this based on how the old brush looks and how much of a change any new brush will be. If you decide you need a less stiff brush in the future there are plenty of options available.

I'll follow you suggestions. Thank you.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Make sure you give the new brush a good cleaning with the hand soap...
Then use more of your cream and adjust your water ratio. Your new brush has probably 5 times as much hair as your old one.
So, more product and add a bit more or a bit less water. You need to dial in the proper ratio with the new brush.
The more brushes you own, the easier it gets, so add a few more brushes to your stable, it's not that BAD....

 

[Quaznoid]

Use the hand soap as I have for more than 50 years.

 

[panchoskywalker]

Use the hand soap as I have for more than 50 years.

that's not a bad idea.