What exactly is "Break in" as far as Badger goes?

[K.T.]

So I'm just getting into badger brushes after starting with and using boar for a while. With boar, the break-in process is well known: after some use the hair tips split up, and that facilitates lathering.

Well, badger hairs don't split like that. So my question is, what does break-in mean where badger is concerned?

I've noticed with my pure badger brush that the brush did not really retain a stable lather until after the third or fourth use. That is, it whipped up a good lather for the initial pass, but the lather broke down rather quickly for the second and third passes. After the fourth use, the lather stayed stable for the entire shave. It was great!

I recently picked up a finest and have used it twice so far. I'm experiencing a similar phenomenon, where the lather for the first pass is very nice, but by the third pass I have to add some more cream as the lather has broken down. I'm expecting that by the third or fourth use that the lather will remain stable throughout my shave; at least I'm hoping it will.

I'm relatively new to badger, so I'm wondering if this is a normal phenomenon, and whether this is what is meant by break-in as far as badger is concerned.

Thanks!

 

[tachi1247]

I'm experiencing the same thing with my new badger brush. I'm hoping it will eventually hold the lather for a longer time so I can get a 3rd pass out of it. For now, it seems like the bristles soak up the water/lather regardless of how long I soak the brush before I use it.

 

[huntmol]

I feel that break in mostly relates to brushes that are very dense, have a lot of backbone, or both. Generally, the breaking in process is that they become easier to create lather with and softer on the face.

In my experience, the break in process takes anywhere from 2-4 weeks of daily or semi-daily use.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Bloom increases a little more
Outer hairs wire out a bit (get Doc Brown hair)
Prickliness fades or goes away (in higher grade hairs)
Softness increases slightly
Water retention goes up


It's a lot more subtle than boar breaking in, but it's there.

 

[Drubbing]

Badgers repel water and need to be soaked to get, er soaked. I've not really noticed any break in as such with a low or high end badger.

Silvertip has pretty much lathered well from day 1. Maybe it has increased ability to retain water, but not really any night and day difference in use.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Sounds more like it took you 3-4 shaves to learn the specifics of the brush, not that the brush needed any breaking in.

 

[K.T.]

Sounds more like it took you 3-4 shaves to learn the specifics of the brush, not that the brush needed any breaking in.

Yes, that may be true.

Or maybe something subtle like the contribution of the conditioner being washed out over several uses (I shampooed and conditioned the brush before using it)?

Whether that or just my own adjustment to the brush, the first few cycles seem to be subpar. Just curious if this was a characteristic of the badger hair.

 

[Brownbear]

There is another thread about breaking in boar brushes in which someone states that badger brushes don't break in. That has not been my experience. Their softness, water holding ability and, to a lesser extent, latherability increase with use. The softness, for the lower grades, continues to improve for weeks after the other characteristics level off. My TGN black badger gets softer with every passing week.

Looking at my vintage knots, they have the split ends (tags?) on them that are said to be a trait of a broken in boar or a high grade badger. My guess is that, like any hair, repeated exposure to soap and wetting and drying will cause split ends and those, unlike human hair, are a desired trait of a good brush.

 

[solar]

For me, break in is when the badger brush stops smelling like road kill. Some brushes never really have a break in, such as my higer-grade Simpson's or my monster Kent BK 12. Others, such as my Rooney Heritage still reeks, despite soaks in Dawn dish soap and other remedies, and as such neighbourhood dogs persist in hanging around the house waiting for the Rooney heritage to come out.........