Simpson Duke 3 Best: Prickly / Scritchy

[MtView]

I'm just reporting back on my Duke 3 experience.

It has become one of my favorite brushes. I'm no longer feeling any prickliness and just a little bit of scritch that I find myself liking more than I thought I would.

It could just be a coincidence, but I found the brush felt a lot softer to me when I stopped soaking it while I was in the shower and only wetting it under the faucet for up to 30 seconds before I used it. I can also control the lather hydration better this way too.

 

[Owen Bawn]

I'm just reporting back on my Duke 3 experience.

It has become one of my favorite brushes. I'm no longer feeling any prickliness and just a little bit of scritch that I find myself liking more than I thought I would.

It could just be a coincidence, but I found the brush felt a lot softer to me when I stopped soaking it while I was in the shower and only wetting it under the faucet for up to 30 seconds before I used it. I can also control the lather hydration better this way too.

I'm no scientist but a couple of things I've read here about soaking brushes make sense to me. Badger hair doesn't absorb water, so soaking is unnecessary (I still soak my badgers for 2 minutes or so). The important thing is to wet and warm the badger hair, to keep it supple as you apply your lather. A boar, on the other hand, does absorb water directly into the bristle, so soaking is more important. You want the bristle to absorb clear water rather than soap, which is what it will absorb if it isn't already filled with water when you begin to lather. It's said that if you consistently fill the individual bristles with soap on a regular basis you'll eventually damage your boar bristle.

 

[MtView]

I'm no scientist but a couple of things I've read here about soaking brushes make sense to me. Badger hair doesn't absorb water, so soaking is unnecessary (I still soak my badgers for 2 minutes or so). The important thing is to wet and warm the badger hair, to keep it supple as you apply your lather. A boar, on the other hand, does absorb water directly into the bristle, so soaking is more important. You want the bristle to absorb clear water rather than soap, which is what it will absorb if it isn't already filled with water when you begin to lather. It's said that if you consistently fill the individual bristles with soap on a regular basis you'll eventually damage your boar bristle.

That's good information to have. I knew boars were supposed to be soaked, but didn't know the why of it. The funny thing is since I switched to face lathering the boar brushes I have just seem huge, especially when they bloom. I have a hard time putting the Simpsons down now, but this makes me want to pull out my Semogue 830.