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[Singapore] Is it possible to have a shaving brush in Singapore climate?

Hi there,

I think I've seen a few Singaporean on this board. Hoping I can get some guidance from my fellow citizens!

I started my journey with wet shaving a few weeks ago. I first got a Parker 96R with Derby blade, seemed like a common combo.
After a week or so, I decided to ditch my canned shaving cream and try proraso red. To go with the cream I picked up a proraso brush without thinking for a second about the implication of using it in the wet Singapore weather. For people unfamiliar with the Lion City, the mean annual relative humidity here is 84.5%.

This brings me to my questions.

1. Is it possible to own and maintain a natural shaving brush in Singapore?
2. If so, are there any must dos or don'ts I should know of?
3. If not, are there alternatives?

Thanks!
 
Welcome to B&B!

How's the climate control in your residence? It's a popular opinion (and a wise opinion imo) to let your brushes dry out to prevent mold and mildew. Some have more than 1 (or like, 30) to create a little bit (or a lot) of a rotation to aid in allowing the brush to fully dry out. If your climate will prevent your brush from drying out completely, mildew can do things to the knot.

Just thinking out loud here, and would love someone else to chime in on this, but could brushes in this climate that have a hard time drying out benefit from a dilute vinegar soak more often? In theory that can aid in brush longevity by killing mold.

Hopefully other members here can chime in who live in humid environments. Given how chapped my lips are currently, I wish I could help more LOL.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
You might take a look at this thread:


I ask similar questions about brushes in Philippines which I imagine has a similar climate. There are some replies from a gentleman who resides in Manilla.
 
Air conditioning reduces humidity quite a lot. You can keep two brushes and rotate them, so each one has a chance to dry thoroughly after use. You can store your brushes out of humid areas like bathrooms; keep them out in the open air like on a shelf.
 
Welcome to B&B!

How's the climate control in your residence? It's a popular opinion (and a wise opinion imo) to let your brushes dry out to prevent mold and mildew. Some have more than 1 (or like, 30) to create a little bit (or a lot) of a rotation to aid in allowing the brush to fully dry out. If your climate will prevent your brush from drying out completely, mildew can do things to the knot.

Just thinking out loud here, and would love someone else to chime in on this, but could brushes in this climate that have a hard time drying out benefit from a dilute vinegar soak more often? In theory that can aid in brush longevity by killing mold.

Hopefully other members here can chime in who live in humid environments. Given how chapped my lips are currently, I wish I could help more LOL.
Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking of washing it weekly with soap or shampoo. But I'll look into the vinegar solution. Since it's a boar brush, isn't there a risk the smell stays after clean up?

You might take a look at this thread:


I ask similar questions about brushes in Philippines which I imagine has a similar climate. There are some replies from a gentleman who resides in Manilla.
Thanks, super helpful!

Air conditioning reduces humidity quite a lot. You can keep two brushes and rotate them, so each one has a chance to dry thoroughly after use. You can store your brushes out of humid areas like bathrooms; keep them out in the open air like on a shelf.
Yeah, I was trying to contain the wet shaving invasion to the bathroom. My wife may start to protest if encroachment includes the bedroom.

Humidity is not a problem at all.
I've been in Singapore a couple of times, not a single place was humid indoors.
AC drys air like a charm
For economic and ecological reasons, we try not to run the AC during the day.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking of washing it weekly with soap or shampoo. But I'll look into the vinegar solution. Since it's a boar brush, isn't there a risk the smell stays after clean up?
Eh, not really, at least from my experience. I don't use a lot of vinegar though. The 1 thing I noticed about using a dilute vinegar bath with my boar brushes is that I found the brush regresses back to its lather eating qualities for a shave or 2 from before the brush was broken in. No idea why.
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
I live in Taiwan and the humidity here is no lower than in Singapore.
My house also does not turn on the air conditioner during the day.

We used the shaving brushes in the same way as everywhere else, just washed and towel dried slightly, other than that there was nothing special to pay attention to.

I have a few brushes in rotation, but purely because I like the different visuals of the handles.
 
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For economic and ecological reasons, we try not to run the AC during the day.
Ok, look at it this way then, even without AC your brush will be fine. Is your hair wet during day due to humidity? I don't think so. Brush will dry out. Brushes have survived in wet bathrooms. In barbershops, they don't dry brush after every use, they don't even rinse them.
 
Folks who live in Miami or New Orleans probably have a similar problem. I would not suggest using one brush for every shave unless you only shave every few days. Try to have at least a couple of brushes in rotation to give them a chance to dry out between uses. You might also want to dry the brush off with a towel before storing it in a place with good air circulation. I usually hang my brushes upside down until they are dry, but I am not sure the orientation makes much difference.
 
I lived in Singapore for a few years and even Manila for a few years as well.
i let my brushes dry properly before re-using and never had a problem, a couple days at least as I had a few brushes back then. I would clean them every 6 months or so - wasn’t religious about it but liked to clean them and still do, so wasn’t because of my location.
 
Ok, look at it this way then, even without AC your brush will be fine. Is your hair wet during day due to humidity? I don't think so. Brush will dry out. Brushes have survived in wet bathrooms. In barbershops, they don't dry brush after every use, they don't even rinse them.
It's true, it's also true that the hair on my noggin is a lot more sparse than on my brush 😁

Folks who live in Miami or New Orleans probably have a similar problem. I would not suggest using one brush for every shave unless you only shave every few days. Try to have at least a couple of brushes in rotation to give them a chance to dry out between uses. You might also want to dry the brush off with a towel before storing it in a place with good air circulation. I usually hang my brushes upside down until they are dry, but I am not sure the orientation makes much difference.
I've been trying to hang it and keep it in a breezy part of the bathroom but it's seldom dry by the time I'm using it again the next day. I'll get a second brush and rotate, maybe a synthetic.

I like how I got into wet shaving in part to save money, and how I've already spend 5 years worth of my former shaving supplies in just a few weeks.

I lived in Singapore for a few years and even Manila for a few years as well.
i let my brushes dry properly before re-using and never had a problem, a couple days at least as I had a few brushes back then. I would clean them every 6 months or so - wasn’t religious about it but liked to clean them and still do, so wasn’t because of my location.
Did you use the vinegar solution that Kyle was mentioning to clean them?

I've also read comments of people using dish soap but I'm skeptical about how it will react with my skin in the long run.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
When in Cebu (similar climate to Singapore), I used a humidity controlled cabinet to store my SRs. This cabinet was made for storing cameras and lenses and cost me about US$100 new including shipping from Manila.

IMG_20210313_092735.jpg

I never thought of storing my brushes in the cabinet as I had a few and rotated through them. Those in rotation were just keeps in my bathroom wall cabinet.

Synthetic brushes are the fastest to dry. Their bristles do not absorb water so they are much quicker to dry than natural hair brushes. You can pick up a new good synthetic brush for less than the cost of a new shaving cartridge. I still regularly use this brush:

 
Hi there,

I think I've seen a few Singaporean on this board. Hoping I can get some guidance from my fellow citizens!

I started my journey with wet shaving a few weeks ago. I first got a Parker 96R with Derby blade, seemed like a common combo.
After a week or so, I decided to ditch my canned shaving cream and try proraso red. To go with the cream I picked up a proraso brush without thinking for a second about the implication of using it in the wet Singapore weather. For people unfamiliar with the Lion City, the mean annual relative humidity here is 84.5%.

This brings me to my questions.

1. Is it possible to own and maintain a natural shaving brush in Singapore?
2. If so, are there any must dos or don'ts I should know of?
3. If not, are there alternatives?

Thanks!
Hi there...I live in JB which is just a stone's throw away from Singapore. I own various synthetics, badgers, and boar brushes since 2019. I kept them just outside the shower room. My room is 90% of the time kept at normal temp. So far no issues.
Do visit the Mustapa center to get your wet shaving fix...
20221218_150525.jpg
 
I have been to the Philippines and feel like I know the kinds of humidity you are talking about however there was always plenty of sun for you to put your brush in sunlight or a window seal to dry a bit after use.

I honestly feel like the biggest enemy to badger hair is storing them in a dry place and not using them as the hair will dry out and become brittle. I know that my black badger knot did not like that at all.

I have noticed that there is an optimal moment for badger is when they are semi dry, its hard to explain but you'll know what I mean when you touch it and see it for yourself. It's visually and physically softer. When I let my badger brushes to dry they become very lather hungry and do not feel or perform as well.

As someone has said if you keep up a rotation of maybe two or three brushes depending on how often you shave then you should be fine.
 
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