Vie long 04382

[mawashi]

I got this off the bay and was wondering how long a break in it requires.

Since I've only started and although I love how a badger feels, I thought horse hair was a more environmentally friendly option.

Can anyone chime in on how I can best maintain n get it to break in soonest?

Cheers.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

I don't soak my horse hair brushes for too long, like one might for a boar or badger. Just long enough for it to pick up water and warm the knot. I find that keeps it from tangling and breaking the bristles. And I run a comb through them occasionally.

 

[mawashi]

I don't soak my horse hair brushes for too long, like one might for a boar or badger. Just long enough for it to pick up water and warm the knot. I find that keeps it from tangling and breaking the bristles. And I run a comb through them occasionally.

Thanks but isthere any anyway to speed up the break in process?

 

[RayClem]

Horse hair is a lot like human hair. When I get a new hair brush, I wash it in shampoo followed by conditioner (or use a combination product). If you want to be authentic, you can use a product line called Mane and Tail that was originally designed for horses, but has migrated over to the human shampoo aisle. Shampooing the brush a few times will help get rid of any residual funk and also help with break-in. You can also try building a lather and then let the lather dry in the brush overnight before washing it out the next morning.

Like human hair, horse hair can tangle, I keep a coarse dressing comb handy. Every few uses, I will comb out the horse hair knot to keep it from tangling. If there are tangles, be gentle so you do not break or pull out any of the hairs. Try to comb it out at the first sign of tangling, before it become difficult to untangle. If it gets badly tangled, hair conditioner can be used to make the hair slick and easier to untangle.

 

[mawashi]

Hi RayClem,

Wonderful info, many thanks I shall give it a try. So far it isn't scratchy when I have sufficient lather but when I don't have the time, the lather is a bit thin and the brush does't feel as smooth.

I should have left the lather in today cos I had quite a bit lol!

 

[Clay S]

I got this off the bay and was wondering how long a break in it requires.
View attachment 953026
Since I've only started and although I love how a badger feels, I thought horse hair was a more environmentally friendly option.

Can anyone chime in on how I can best maintain n get it to break in soonest?

Cheers.

I've been trying to force a horse hair brush to break, but as far as I know, they pretty much stay the same from the get go.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Agreed^. The tips stay pretty much the same with repeated use, and do not split like boar tips. As received, you will probably have to dip the knot in soapy water a few times to remove the smell, that's all that's needed as to break-in. If soaked, I find that horse hair knots clump together. So these days, I just dip the knot in water for around 20-30 seconds before lathering.

 

[ajkel64]

Nice looking brush. Keep us posted please.

 

[BigJ]

Great looking brush!

 

[mawashi]

So far the brush is about the same despite 2 weeks worth of repeated heavy usage.

I made lather, I used it on my shower soaps, I soaked it in lather overnight, applied conditioner and even tried to use a hair dryer on it... Its pretty much the same, that is one tough horse lol.

I found some info on tvbshaving, it's suppose to be extra brown horse hair, 58mm loft, 21mm knot.

It doesn't have the solid backbone of a boar nor the softness of a broken in boar, badger or synthetic but its an excellent bowl lathering brush.

It's still a little scratchy but if i just use the top tips during application it works fine.

I paid $7.5 for it so I'm not complaining considering the quality of the handle and it is very durable lol.

Overall its a 7.5/10 brush.
I'm looking to get a really decent omega boar brush next lol!