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Soaking shave brush in hot water

I was just listening to a shave video on YouTube and they were saying to not soak your shave brush in hot water. They said it will loosen the glue on the knot.

I have always used hot water and seen many do so as well. It looks like a lot of guys put hot water in a stone cup and let it sit in there while showering. I do something similar which is to let the hottest possible faucet water run in my Fine Accoutrements bowl and just before I step into the shower I drop my brush in it. It probably sits in there for 7-10 minutes. When I am done drying off, I shake out the brush and proceed to make my lather or face lather. I have had no issue with my badger, boar, synthetic, horse hair brushes to this point. One of my badgers is even an Ever Ready new old stock that is like 60+ years old.

Are you not supposed to use hot water when soaking your brush?
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
As with most things just use common sense - if the water is so hot you cannot put your hand in it then don't put your brush in it. Personally I do not soak my brushes at all, and prefer very cold water. My advice is to stop watching YouTube shave channels👍
 

Chef455

Head Cheese Head Chef
A few different answers, I'll toss in a couple pennies. I soak my natural hair brushes (badger & boar, I no longer own any horsies) for at least 10 minutes in hot tap water (my water is hot enough to scald... shame on me.) Before I get into the shower I empty the mug I soak my brush in and refill it in order to keep the bristles nice and warm. Here is the key to the question- I don't take the water level up to the top of the knot. A quarter of an inch or so below the glue/where the knot meets the handle. I've gone over and my brushes haven't shown any damage but I see no need to push the issue. IMHO natural hair brushes don't NEED to be soaked, but they make for a much better lather/experience if you do. Really. Seriously. Just do it already.

On the other hand synthetic brushes gain absolutely zero benefit from a soak.

YMMV, do whatever works for you, enjoy your shaves, but yes... soak your boars and badgers, just respect the glue line.
 
Wow! I didn't know that. I've been immersing my Parker BCPB brush in tap water as hot as I can make it for about 15 years and it's sturdy as ever. IDK? Maybe some of the newer brushes are made with inferior glue?

b/r

ON_1
 
I don't know about glue knots but I did ruin my first brush by soaking it hot and too deep. It was a Perfecto off Amazon, the handle was plastic coating over wood, it only took a few months and the wood swelled up enough to split the plastic off. I still soak my brushes but only about 2/3 of the bristles submerged.
 
Wow! I didn't know that. I've been immersing my Parker BCPB brush in tap water as hot as I can make it for about 15 years and it's sturdy as ever. IDK? Maybe some of the newer brushes are made with inferior glue?

b/r

ON_1
I'll bet any reasonable quality brush would be fine, however if a brush were made by an cost conscious entrepreneur in a far off land that shared a building with another enterprise that made say- knock off DUBBLE BUBBLE all bets are off.
 
It's very nice to have a warm brush when applying lather, but super hot water is not a great idea. Soaking is really only needed for boar brushes. The knot softens considerably giving it a very different feel on the face.

Soaking just the bristles is easy to do using a coffee mug. Several of my brushes have wood handles so I don't immerse the handles as a habit.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I was just listening to a shave video on YouTube and they were saying to not soak your shave brush in hot water. They said it will loosen the glue on the knot.
He could be right? Boar brushes all I do is get a old ceramic coffee cup and fill with warm tap water and then put the brush in with the water level about 3/4 of the way up or just short to the knot goes into the handle and soak for a minimum of 2 minutes while getting gear ready for shave. Boar bristles are hollow in the middle from my understanding so it takes a while to soak in or up the bristle.
I do this to my badger brushes also but badger is possibly not warranted and will not hurt them and synthetic brushes do not need to be soaked but it will not hurt them also for a few minutes if you like to do that. The warm water on boar bristles makes them more flexible so less chance of breakage + a softer split end hair tips face feel also with a boar brush.
When I was Greenhorn I bought this boar brush 30 + years ago and did not wet it at for any 2 minutes time but just under the tap for a few seconds and with in 14 months the brush started loosing bristles and bristle breaking to the point I had to toss it, plus I did not dry it properly. I was thinking I will just go back to using Gel with my cartridge razor because I did not know any better, there where no shave forums because I had no computer back then, they where just starting to becoming personal computers and no lab tops.:yikes:
 
The Parker BCPB (Black/Chrome Premium Badger). The handle is some sort of Acrylic.
20230110_112839.jpg


b/r

ON_1
 
Are you not supposed to use hot water when soaking your brush?
Yes, especially boar brushes which should soak for at least 2 minutes. Badger brushes need less time to soak but we are also talking about warming up the fibres in colder climates. I only use water temperature the same as I would for a head shampoo so avoid the extreme temperature. Bear in mind the receptacle you use for soaking the brush will absorb some of that heat. In a hot climate you may prefer a cold water soak but you do get better soap performance from warmer water.
I would also suggest soaking only two thirds of the loft so you avoid damaging the knot; the water will inevitably travel up towards the
glue bump anyway through capillary action.
Some glue knots are more robust than others so there are no hard and fast rules on this.
Look after your tools is my motto!
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
It is certain that synthetic fibers do not absorb water, so there is no need for any soaking.

One way to replace a brush knot is to "steam it" and pull out the old knot.
So "yes", high temperature and humidity will definitely affect the resin of the knot and make it deteriorate, please avoid long-term use of overheated water to soak the knot.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
I soak all brushes in warm water while showering.


The best mug for brush soaking is the one you use.

For me, the mug for the shave den shouldn't be prone to breaking which is part of the reason I use this nice rubber mug. Mavy brand if memory serves. From Amazon I think.

(Mavy makes other mugs which are not rubber; I think only the green is rubber.)​
GreenMug.640.JPG





I also use a PAA ceramic brush warmer between passes. I like a warm brush and warm lather.


10-27-20.PAA.Brush&Warmer.FullSide.640.JPG

To me, it looks ugly, but it works beautifully. I have tried other brush warmers and scuttles and all that. This is the best brush warmer for me.

These will break and chip though. Be careful. That said, mine is years old and only has a smallish chip on the top, a chip which doesn't bother me or impede the function.​



Water too hot for me is too hot for my brushes.

(These brushes of which you speak are yours. Do whatever you want to with them. If you ruin 'em, buy more, and maybe treat them better.)

Boars actually need to be soaked. Still, you will find guys who don't soak even their boars.

Synthetics don't need to be soaked, but I usually soak the one I use on the rare occasions I use it.

Plenty of idiots have YouTube channels. Some of us also post on internet forums. Few of us are experts so it's mostly the blind leading the blind. All I know is my experience and what I've read on the internet.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
+1 to no soak required for a synthetic. They're all I've ever used.

I just get mine thoroughly wet under the tap for about 30 seconds then right to lathering.

How much water I leave in the brush varies depending on how thirsty the soap is.
 

Chef455

Head Cheese Head Chef
Huh... interesting to read so many "don't bother soaking your badger brush" posts. I just completed a fixed four kit for February and my brush was my Simpson Duke 3 in best. One reason I chose the brush was because I tend to get lazy and not soak it or don't soak it for very long. I soaked it every day for at least 5 minutes, usually longer, and I consistently got better performance out of it than when not soaking...

Maybe it was all in my head, either way it was warm, performed spectacularly and made me happy. It would appear to be another case of YMMV. Me... I'll continue to soak my badger brushes.
 
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