Should I return my Shavemac?

[Xman74]

About six weeks ago I received my first "real" badger brush - a Shavemac #167 Silvertip. It's a great brush - soft, dense and a great latherer (although I'm still practicing to get it right). Thing is, as my first and only "higher-end" brush, it's tough to know what is normal and what is not.

So here are two things that have happened / are happening that I wanted to ask the forum:

1) For the first month+ the brush shed a hair per shave. Then last week teh shedding just stopped. The only change I made was turning the temperature down a bit on the water in which I soak the brush pre-shave. Do I cross my fingers and hope that was the last of it?

2) The tips of many of the hairs have curled and some have split.

I've read many B&B threads on both topics, but there was no definitive conclusions as to what is normal and what is not.

So, should I return the brush and ask for a new knot?

Appreciate your help!

 

[Rudy Vey]

About six weeks ago I received my first "real" badger brush - a Shavemac #167 Silvertip. It's a great brush - soft, dense and a great latherer (although I'm still practicing to get it right). Thing is, as my first and only "higher-end" brush, it's tough to know what is normal and what is not.

So here are two things that have happened / are happening that I wanted to ask the forum:

1) For the first month+ the brush shed a hair per shave. Then last week teh shedding just stopped. The only change I made was turning the temperature down a bit on the water in which I soak the brush pre-shave. Do I cross my fingers and hope that was the last of it?

2) The tips of many of the hairs have curled and some have split.

I've read many B&B threads on both topics, but there was no definitive conclusions as to what is normal and what is not.

So, should I return the brush and ask for a new knot?

Appreciate your help!

New brushes often use a few hairs when they new in the break-in phase. Since you brush stopped, you should be fine. I am wondering why the hairs are curling up and split, I have a number of brushes (Shavemac, Rooney, Simpson, Saville Row and TGN knotted brushes) none of them show splits or curl. Maybe your water is way too hot.

 

[Xman74]

Thanks. I don't think it is hot water because I never have had the brush in very hot water. Warm / hot yes, but not anything I couldn't take on my own hand.

 

[Malacoda]

I wouldn't worry about the shedding since it was only 1-2 hairs for the first month or so. As Rudy said, a little shedding at first is pretty normal (IMHO is zero shedding right from day one that is rare/outside of normal).

As for the splitting/curling. That'll depend on how you handle your brush. While I don't mash my brush into my soap/cheeks like I'm mashing potatoes, I do tend to use a little bit of pressure when loading on the puck, face lathering, and I'm sure on that rare occasion when I build lather in a bowl.

That said, my silvertip also has very tiny curls at the very ends - half to maybe 1 mm. This is first and only bush I've been using for a year now. And it feels just the slightest bit 'rough' if rubbed on the face when DRY because of the curls. Once wetted though, it still as soft and luxurious as can be.

I can't say for sure (again, up until last week it was the only brush I've had), but I suspect this tiny bit of 'curling' is normal as well. After all, no matter how gentle you treat it, it's going through wear and tear.

 

[bandg]

The hairs having a slight curl is normal imho. It usually reflects the fact that the knot is natural and not machine trimmed.

 

[TMH478]

The hairs having a slight curl is normal imho. It usually reflects the fact that the knot is natural and not machine trimmed.

Mine are like that too! Especially on my silvertips!

 

[MikeC]

My Shavemac in finest has some hairs that are curled. The loft is a bulb shape and only the shorter hairs are curled. My silvertip only has a few that are curled.

Is this bit of curling normal then?

 

[Xman74]

Thanks, guys. Good to know the brush is wearing normally!

 

[TMH478]

Absolutely! And it feels super sweet on the face! This is why I have two of them! Bernd is a good guy as well and would do anything to make sure you're happy.

 

[Bestarrkin]

Mine are like that too! Especially on my silvertips!

+1
My Mühle silvertip and Edwin Jagger super have a little curling in some hairs but it is normal and IMO if you are pushing brush to the soap too much or hardly the curling increases.

 

[midniterambler]

. I am wondering why the hairs are curling up and split, I have a number of brushes (Shavemac, Rooney, Simpson, Saville Row and TGN knotted brushes) none of them show splits or curl.

i, too, have several different brands of brushes and have never noted splits or curls. wonder if it has something to do with how the hair was processed. "Split ends, (or trichoptlosis), are the nightmare for every self-respecting woman's life! They happen when the protective cuticle has been stripped away from the ends of hair fibers. Split ends are more likely to develop in dry or brittle hair, ..." "Similar to skin, hair is made up of layers. The outer layer, or cuticle, consists of dead cells lying on top of one another like tiles on a roof. This protects the middle layer, or cortex, which is composed of long, coiled proteins that make up the bulk of the hair. A split end occurs when the protective cuticle is worn away on the tip of a strand, allowing the fibers of the cortex to unravel and the hair to split lengthwise."

you could try applying a conditioner (or other product used to repair split ends) and see if it stops, at least temporarily.

 

[diverdoug]

My shavemac had none of these problems, but it is the XXL silvertip.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Man I'd be excited if my badger hairs started splitting and curling. Can you imagine a badger that broke in like a boar does? It'd be the ultimate brush.

 

[Loric]

From time to time I have a couple hairs do that, but not many. I think its natural, though the hot water theory might be valid if you have really hot water.