Shaving Brush “powdery”

[gary_dexter]

I make a point of cleaning my shaving brushes every month or so, however they always seem to have some sort of “powdery” residue on them that never seems to shift.

It’s almost like dust/talcum powder - very fine - if you “fluff” the bristles up you can see all the powder coming off the bristles.

Any idea?

It’s not mould or mildew as the brushes are dried on a stand facing downwards in a non humid/damp environment.

I’m guessing it’s soap/cream residue but I don’t understand how it’s still there even after cleaning them.

Thanks.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

White residue is hard to avoid 100% but using scalding hot water during the shave makes matters that much worse. I always use luke-warm water for soaking/cleaning the brush and rinsing my razor and have very minor residue, far less than I used to with scalding hot water, which is totally unecessary.

 

[ackvil]

You probably are not rinsing your brushes enough. I run my brushes under running water and gently squueze them and observe the lather running out. When there is no evidence of any lather I dunk the brush in clear water and gently squeeze the brush. I have quite a few brushes and every six months I make a solution of one part white vinegar to eight parts vinegar. I then take a brush and soak it in the solution for a minute and then pump the brush up and down. I then rinse it under running water. The vinegar solution eliminates any residual lather build up.

 

[Rudy Vey]

It is soap residues. You need to improve your rinsing of the brush after shaving.
Let the water run into the knot from the top, then squeeze and make sure the water is clear when running out of the brush.
I have restored many brushes that were supposedly always rinsed very well, but, when I cut the knot of, I always find an abundance of soap rest. These, btw, may also help to break down the hair eventually.

 

[Frozenshades]

Residual soap was my first thought...Trust Rudy, he knows all things brushes.

 

[gary_dexter]

Thanks everyone.

I always make a point of rinsing my brushes for a good 3-5 minutes after shaving.

This includes rinsing under water from the tips through to the knot and swirling the brush around in a clean bowl with just warm water (as if I was lathering but with just water obviously) and then draining/squeezing all excess water out until clear.

The strange part is that it’s not down in the base of the knot but always near the tips - if you “fluff” or shake the brush you can see it all puff out.

Could it be some sort of limescale or similar?
We live in a hard water area.

 

[RayClem]

I use the plunger method of cleaning my brushes. I bowl lather so I rinse the excess lather from the shaving bowl and let lukewarm (not hot) tap water run into the bowl. If you face lather, you can use some other container for the purpose of cleaning your brush. Then I plunge the brush up and down into the water until the water runs clear. The plunging action forces water into the base of the knot and helps remove residual soap that collects there.

If you have hard water, rinsing along will never get rid of the soap scum. Periodically soak the brush in vinegar dissolve the calcium and magnesium soap compounds. Then thoroughly rinse out the vinegar, wash the brush in shampoo and you should be good to go for a while longer. A clean brush lathers better than a dirty one.

 

[Scarry Knight]

Minerals can be part of it, but largely it is related to the soap build up, just as your tub ring is. Your tub ring is created by the soap used, but also contains remnants of your body oils, dirt, and the minerals exuded in your perspiration, that were cleansed from your skin. Brushes are subject to the same.
This is why I don't often use soaps for shaving. I prefer not to spend the time cleaning soap residue, when there are other products that give me an as good or better shave which take no effort to remove any soap residue.

Use the same procedures a person might use to strip residue off their hair. Search how women clean their make-up brushes and use the same product and procedure. Some will soak in a mixture of shampoo, vinegar, and an oil, or use hair products targeted at doing the same-removing bodily and product residue. Then condition the brush with hair conditioner or coconut oil. The conditioning will help deter future buildup.

 

[TioFabi]

100% soap scum, i get the same thing all the time, only solution: rinse and rinse again

 

[lurchbrian]

my brushes I turn bristles up into a medium running tap just enough to splay the bristles apart but not enough to force them then rotate the brush till it runs clean then gently squeeze them back and let dry .

 

[Chevyguy]

Thanks everyone.

I always make a point of rinsing my brushes for a good 3-5 minutes after shaving.

This includes rinsing under water from the tips through to the knot and swirling the brush around in a clean bowl with just warm water (as if I was lathering but with just water obviously) and then draining/squeezing all excess water out until clear.

The strange part is that it’s not down in the base of the knot but always near the tips - if you “fluff” or shake the brush you can see it all puff out.

Could it be some sort of limescale or similar?
We live in a hard water area.

It could be. Rinsing with bottled water might help.

Clayton

Sent from my LM-V350 using Tapatalk

 

[global_dev]

every six months I make a solution of one part white vinegar to eight parts vinegar. I then take a brush and soak it in the solution for a minute and then pump the brush up and down. I then rinse it under running water. The vinegar solution eliminates any residual lather build up.

white vinegar and more vinegar (apple based)? just making sure

 

[ackvil]

white vinegar and more vinegar (apple based)? just making sure

I use white vinegar. The bottle says white distilled vinegar.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Soap residue, hard water, minerals in water, old pipes, yada, yada.

Monthly wash in Dawn + diluted white vinegar soak might be the ticket.

 

[dmshaver]

I'm careful to thoroughly rinse my brushes, & clean them regularly. I've not had any white powder, thankfully.