Summer Brush Sabbatical :: 2019

[naughtilus]

I was away from home for the last few days, visiting the village where my father-in-law was born. We stayed in the cottage house he used to own (unfortunately he passed away a few years ago) and I figured that this was a perfect opportunity to use my synthetic brush. Indeed, I got great results using Arko, despite being in the region with the hardest water in Greece, as reported by our National Water Company. I needed to start with a drier brush and add a lot of water progressively, in order to get good slickness, but the lather quality and stability were excellent. Probably all that is nothing new to all of you, but it is nice that I am warming up with it.

A couple of days after we arrived, while going through her father's belongings, my wife found this cute little boar brush.

View attachment 985035

The label reads: "DuX, made in Greece". Never heard of the brand before. There seems to be no current production. A quick Google search only revealed some vintage pieces that were sold in a popular auction site. The brush seemed well broken in, it even had a crack along the wooden handle. I decided to clean it up and give it a spin. I had a great shave and once again I verified how much I love boar brushes for face lathering.

All in all, it was a really nice trip. Going on holidays with my beloved ones to enjoy springtime is priceless. It is also a chance to practice other hobbies...

View attachment 985036

Thanks for reading!

Have fun and happy shaves,

Sotiris

Amazing pics and a great brush! Boars rarely disappoint when well worked in. Perhaps the handle can be glued and clamped to dry back in original shape. Descaling dried soap from the base of the knot will reduce pressure on the handle.

 

[Sotiris_A]

Amazing pics and a great brush! Boars rarely disappoint when well worked in. Perhaps the handle can be glued and clamped to dry back in original shape. Descaling dried soap from the base of the knot will reduce pressure on the handle.

Thanks! I will put it in vinegar and water solution for a couple of hours next time. The handle is still stable but the crack is a bit wide. Perhaps I need to ask in the restoration sub-forum for suggestions. In any case this is part of family memorabilia and I don't want to mess with it that much.

 

[naughtilus]

In the next 3 days I will use as pre-shave 3 different cold creams that are oil-in-water emulsified, with top 3 ingredients being water, glycerine and paraffin oil. Razor, brush, blade, soap will be the same: Fatip Grande OC, Omega 98, BIC Platinum, Proraso Green (tub). Water straight out of the tap (very hard water). Let's see if I can get a smoother shave as the wise grooming druids of Italian forums claim I should.

 

[naughtilus]

Happy to report that my shave using the Calendula extract moisturizer as pre-shave was spectacular. Even better than my first try with the balm as pre-shave. I buffed over unlathered areas excessively, used pressure, had Proraso really watered down, went 4 passes, yet nothing but smooth comfort and no irritation in sight. Skin is elastic, hydrated and calm.

I have no doubt same quality will be achieved with the Nivea creams as pre-shave, but I'll report back if they don't do as well.

 

[Sotiris_A]

In the next 3 days I will use as pre-shave 3 different cold creams that are oil-in-water emulsified, with top 3 ingredients being water, glycerine and paraffin oil. Razor, brush, blade, soap will be the same: Fatip Grande OC, Omega 98, BIC Platinum, Proraso Green (tub). Water straight out of the tap (very hard water).

Happy to report that my shave using the Calendula extract moisturizer as pre-shave was spectacular. Even better than my first try with the balm as pre-shave. I buffed over unlathered areas excessively, used pressure, had Proraso really watered down, went 4 passes, yet nothing but smooth comfort and no irritation in sight. Skin is elastic, hydrated and calm.

I have no doubt same quality will be achieved with the Nivea creams as pre-shave, but I'll report back if they don't do as well.

Sounds like a fun experiment. Did you find that it was messing with the closeness of the shave?

 

[naughtilus]

Sounds like a fun experiment. Did you find that it was messing with the closeness of the shave?

Didn't get me more or less close simply because I would push to a daily DFS regardless of comfort anyway.

But I understand there are people who back off from a rough shave and seek comfortable experience as their primary goal. I believe this type of pre-shave added to less slick soaps like Proraso Green would benefit them for a closer shave. However, @Boar Fighter claims that all soaps benefit from this, even the slick ones.

 

[Sotiris_A]

Didn't get me more or less close simply because I would push to a daily DFS regardless of comfort anyway.

But I understand there are people who back off from a rough shave and seek comfortable experience as their primary goal. I believe this type of pre-shave added to less slick soaps like Proraso Green would benefit them for a closer shave. However, @Boar Fighter claims that all soaps benefit from this, even the slick ones.

When I was using pre-shaves, I found that the more protecting ones were resulting in too much cushion, similar to denser lather but with added slickness. That was good to mask sloppy technique and help with more blade forward razors, but the closeness suffered a bit. If the method is mainly boosting slickness, then it is interesting.

It would be fun to compare with distilled water too. After our discussion on that other thread, I played a bit with it and the lather was dramatically improved.

 

[naughtilus]

These are extremely watery light moisturizers. They don't add thick layer of grease like oils do, or soapy layer like pre-shave creams. They are gone into your skin before you begin lathering your face. It's strange that they work since there's no obvious tactile change to the lather. I didn't reapply between passes, yet the improved slickness is felt through the complete shave.

My understanding is that these creams protect the skin from over-exfoliating which would lead to irritation. They don't improve the soap and its lather in any way. That's why they can be benefitial regardless how good and slick your soap is.

In my house I have very soft water, unlike in this city apartment. I'll give this a test with soft water and different soaps in the following days.

 

[Boar Fighter]

When I was using pre-shaves, I found that the more protecting ones were resulting in too much cushion, similar to denser lather but with added slickness. That was good to mask sloppy technique and help with more blade forward razors, but the closeness suffered a bit. If the method is mainly boosting slickness, then it is interesting.

It would be fun to compare with distilled water too. After our discussion on that other thread, I played a bit with it and the lather was dramatically improved.

In the italian wetshaving forum, there is huge thread, with people using hand creams as preshave. Some have tested an enormous amount of creams. Just before shaving, rinse your face, then apply a watery hand cream and then lather over it. Try Nivea soft, it's very thin. In soaps with less slickness, it increases the slickness notably. In soaps that don't need slickness, they still benefit as skin conditioning and post shave feeling. Use creams with Water as first ingredient and glycerin in the first 4. Nivea soft is just an example, that works well with my skin. Today, i "stole" from my wife another cream, an italian one, which i doubt you will find, with oil or Argan. This has even more slickness, but it's slightly denser and for my oily skin, is "overkill". Denser lather can always be watered down by adding water.

Even the administrator of the italian forum (ares), advices this method (Cliosan is an italian cream). The overwhelming majority of people who tried it, preferred it over Proraso's preshave. This is a list of all the creams used by the forum members. As you might imagine, if it was total failure, nobody would have cared to try more and more and more. What you don't want, is thick creams (no Nivea blue or some very thick glycerine creams). You want runny ones. Those in tube are usually runny. The thread started in 2013 and it still goes on today. There must be something real...

Try it, you might be surprised.

 

[Boar Fighter]

Happy to report that my shave using the Calendula extract moisturizer as pre-shave was spectacular. Even better than my first try with the balm as pre-shave. I buffed over unlathered areas excessively, used pressure, had Proraso really watered down, went 4 passes, yet nothing but smooth comfort and no irritation in sight. Skin is elastic, hydrated and calm.

I have no doubt same quality will be achieved with the Nivea creams as pre-shave, but I'll report back if they don't do as well.

Experience from the italian forum, indicate that not all skins react the same to the same cream. Some need more slickness than others. But i don't remember many complaining that they saw "no difference", with any cream.

 

[naughtilus]

Experience from the italian forum, indicate that not all skins react the same to the same cream. Some need more slickness than others. But i don't remember many complaining that they saw "no difference", with any cream.

I noticed slightly less protection with this Nivea baby cream today, but this could be because I didn't apply much. It's of thicker consistency due to shelf life (water evaporation). It still did an improvement to the shave. Good stuff.

 

[Boar Fighter]

I noticed slightly less protection with this Nivea baby cream today, but this could be because I didn't apply much. It's of thicker consistency due to shelf life (water evaporation). It still did an improvement to the shave. Good stuff.

Ah, i am unaware of the concept of cushion. I use mild razors and my technique has been honed by using 16 different blades, to the point that i don't have need for "protection". Someone with Muhle R41 certainly needs protection. With EJ DE89 and Baili BD176, if you need protection, you are probably being sloppy.

There is no "magic preshave", because everyone has his skin and razor and blades and his technique. Try more and you will find what's best for you. I settled with Nivea soft, because 1) it's more than enough for my needs, 2) i can use the empty tubs for Haslinger soaps.

 

[naughtilus]

Ah, i am unaware of the concept of cushion. I use mild razors and my technique has been honed by using 16 different blades, to the point that i don't have need for "protection". Someone with Muhle R41 certainly needs protection. With EJ DE89 and Baili BD176, if you need protection, you are probably being sloppy.

There is no "magic preshave", because everyone has his skin and razor and blades and his technique. Try more and you will find what's best for you. I settled with Nivea soft, because 1) it's more than enough for my needs, 2) i can use the empty tubs for Haslinger soaps.

These creams don't add cushion one bit, just resilience from over-exfoliation by making the skin supple, slick and elastic. Or at least that's what I feel they do.

I'll try the Nivea Soft tomorrow.

 

[Boar Fighter]

These creams don't add cushion one bit, just resilience from over-exfoliation by making the skin supple, slick and elastic. Or at least that's what I feel they do.

That's what i feel too and that's exactly what i want them to do! It's like adding distilled water, glycerin and emollients to your lather.

 

[Sotiris_A]

In the italian wetshaving forum, there is huge thread, with people using hand creams as preshave. Some have tested an enormous amount of creams. Just before shaving, rinse your face, then apply a watery hand cream and then lather over it. Try Nivea soft, it's very thin. In soaps with less slickness, it increases the slickness notably. In soaps that don't need slickness, they still benefit as skin conditioning and post shave feeling. Use creams with Water as first ingredient and glycerin in the first 4. Nivea soft is just an example, that works well with my skin. Today, i "stole" from my wife another cream, an italian one, which i doubt you will find, with oil or Argan. This has even more slickness, but it's slightly denser and for my oily skin, is "overkill". Denser lather can always be watered down by adding water.

Even the administrator of the italian forum (ares), advices this method (Cliosan is an italian cream). The overwhelming majority of people who tried it, preferred it over Proraso's preshave. This is a list of all the creams used by the forum members. As you might imagine, if it was total failure, nobody would have cared to try more and more and more. What you don't want, is thick creams (no Nivea blue or some very thick glycerine creams). You want runny ones. Those in tube are usually runny. The thread started in 2013 and it still goes on today. There must be something real...

Try it, you might be surprised.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Sotiris_A]

Still a brush addict I'm afraid. Latest provisions just before we begin.

 

[Boar Fighter]

Still a brush addict I'm afraid. Latest provisions just before we begin.

View attachment 985824

At least the brush addiction is the best available! The joy of swirling! Congratulations! The one on the right is the Muhle silvertip right? Is that the 25mm knot? Could you do a small review? Especially if it splays easily, springiness, backbone?

 

[Sotiris_A]

At least the brush addiction is the best available! The joy of swirling! Congratulations! The one on the right is the Muhle silvertip right? Is that the 25mm knot? Could you do a small review? Especially if it splays easily, springiness, backbone?

Yes, it's the Muhle STF xl. Here are some initial impressions.

My not so accurate measurements show that it is a 25mm/58mm knot. It splays a bit easier than my tuxedo (that one is 24mm/52mm) and a lot easier than what my tuxedo used to initially, so I expect it to improve on that with use. The strength of the knot in the center, is also less. The way it is set, it has more bloom than the tuxedo and I think that this also contributes to the ease of splaying since the density is lower. The brush still needs a bit of force initially and once splayed it has enough backbone and doesn't "collapse".

Speaking of backbone, it seems to pick up hard soap (that's all I use these days) less easily than the tuxedo, though still fast enough. My impression is that the backbone is more the result of the strength of the fibers with the density playing a secondary role. Due to the relatively high loft, there is some springiness when applying a bit of pressure, but the stiffness of the fibers make it is controllable and it doesn't feel very unnatural IMHO. Bending while using painting motions can result in some flinging movement (I hope this is a proper way to phrase it) once the force is released. I guess that's inherent in synthetic brushes and in my case, something that I got used to and know how to control it.

The tips of the fibers are a bit less soft than the tuxedo. For me this is a positive feature as I tend to prefer a bit of scrub. IMHO you still cannot get the same feeling of individual bristles like with a natural hair brush, but it is definitely an improvement.

All in all, right out of the box, this brush is a better approximation of a natural hair brush than a tuxedo. I had my first shave with it and I am very happy with the performance and the way it feels while face lathering. I'll report back once I get more experience with it.

 

[naughtilus]

Good picks! Enjoy those.

I'm surprised a soft synth can do well with hard soaps, but then again they don't need much product loaded to lather up.

 

[Boar Fighter]

Yes, it's the Muhle STF xl. Here are some initial impressions.

My not so accurate measurements show that it is a 25mm/58mm knot. It splays a bit easier than my tuxedo (that one is 24mm/52mm) and a lot easier than what my tuxedo used to initially, so I expect it to improve on that with use. The strength of the knot in the center, is also less. The way it is set, it has more bloom than the tuxedo and I think that this also contributes to the ease of splaying since the density is lower. The brush still needs a bit of force initially and once splayed it has enough backbone and doesn't "collapse".

Speaking of backbone, it seems to pick up hard soap (that's all I use these days) less easily than the tuxedo, though still fast enough. My impression is that the backbone is more the result of the strength of the fibers with the density playing a secondary role. Due to the relatively high loft, there is some springiness when applying a bit of pressure, but the stiffness of the fibers make it is controllable and it doesn't feel very unnatural IMHO. Bending while using painting motions can result in some flinging movement (I hope this is a proper way to phrase it) once the force is released. I guess that's inherent in synthetic brushes and in my case, something that I got used to and know how to control it.

The tips of the fibers are a bit less soft than the tuxedo. For me this is a positive feature as I tend to prefer a bit of scrub. IMHO you still cannot get the same feeling of individual bristles like with a natural hair brush, but it is definitely an improvement.

All in all, right out of the box, this brush is a better approximation of a natural hair brush than a tuxedo. I had my first shave with it and I am very happy with the performance and the way it feels while face lathering. I'll report back once I get more experience with it.

Thanks, very interesting information. Enjoy it. One last question. Do you think it's worth the money difference compared to the tuxedo?