Why shed hair?
- Thread starter Roy
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I personally think it's comes down to being a triangle of density, glue quality, and maintenance.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
There must be a quality to the natural hair that makes a difference as density, glue, and maintenance could be the same for natural and synthetic brushes, yet I suspect the natural brushes would have a higher percentage of shredders. Accepted wisdom is that the biggest cause of shedding is an accumulation of improperly rinsed soap in the base of the knot. Perhaps the chemical qualities of a natural hair are such that they require more thorough rinsing, and that more soap residue accumulates if they are not properly maintained. Perhaps left over soap adheres more readily to the natural hair compared with synthetic fibres, maybe some sort of oil present in the hair. Just a guess.
The Facts on Brush Shedding
Hair shedding – the phrase alone is enough to enrage a badger shaving brush owner. I recently contacted several of the most respected shaving brush manufacturers in the world and asked them about their return policies. This article offers some insight about normal vs. abnormal brush shedding and...
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Most likely synths are simply stronger
FHI, I had a Parker synthetic brush that shed. It was also the worse brush I ever owned.
www.badgerandblade.com
Parker: My First Synthetic Brush
In the past I have taken a badger brush with me when I travel. In fact, the only brushes I own are badger brushes. My one complaint about the badger brushes is how long they take to dry. So, I thought I would try a synthetic brush and opted for a Parker because of its low cost. The brush...
www.badgerandblade.com
natural hairs are more susceptible to breaking.
Shedding after years of use and because the hairs are fragilized at the base by accumulated soap scum is one cause. But, a lot of brushes, regardless of their quality and price, start shedding right from the beginning. Here are two factors, IMO. Not all the hairs are properly glued in the knot and the glue may not be the best quality. Heat, steam, dilatation, the handle (plastic or wood) play also a role.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
That suggests that when a natural brush sheds, the hairs are not being released whole from the glue, but rather are snapping off leaving the root of the hair still in the glue. I am not sure that is the case. However, surely poor quality glue or shoddy glueing would affect natural and synthetic fibres equally as their relative strength would be irrelevant. Very confusing
In my experience with badgers, boars, and synthetics, the synths do BY FAR less shedding than the natural hair brushes.
I wonder if the fact that they dry so thoroughly so quickly has something to do with their resistance to shedding; or, perhaps it would be better asked whether the propensity of natural hair to hold moisture and dry slowly has something to do with why the hairs shed? I suspect that there is a relation.
I wonder if the fact that they dry so thoroughly so quickly has something to do with their resistance to shedding; or, perhaps it would be better asked whether the propensity of natural hair to hold moisture and dry slowly has something to do with why the hairs shed? I suspect that there is a relation.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
That sounds more plausible to me than synthetic fibres simply being stronger.
I personally think soap residue in natural brushes is what makes them have more of a tendency to shed. Every boar or badger I've used, even after being washed with Ship Shape, emit a cloud of white dust when running a finger through them after they're fully dry. My couple synthetics that have been used 20+ each, never cleaned in a brush cleaner like Ship Shape and do not emit this cloud of dust while running a finger through them dry. I can only surmise the dried soap is what weakens bristles in natural brushes. A really dense natural brush with a substandard glue knot would just make matters even worse.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
@Rudy Vey often says that he encounters accumulated soap residue deep in the knots of brushes that are shedders. Does such accumulation ever occur in synthetic brushes? If not then why not? If it does then why does it not seem to cause the same shedding as with natural brushes? I never get any white cloud from my natural brushes, perhaps it is the soft water in my location.
Natural hair is quite affected by the alkalinity of soap/creams (which will break down the hair), but synthetic fibers are not.
I will say the Black Wolf knot shed a few bristles when I first received it, but it's been great ever since. In my experience, it's certainly more likely to lose a few bristles on the natural hair knots.
I have an HJM boar brush that even from the very beginning shed like crazy and still sheds like that to this day whenever I try to use it. The hairs that are shed from it are really thick and even after a number of shaves they are not broken in, are still coarse and the brush still smells like an animal when wet. Just a poor quality knot all around. My HJM badger is not much better either.
The cheapest one of the three I own is a synthetic that has never given me issues. And I clean my brushes well after use.
The cheapest one of the three I own is a synthetic that has never given me issues. And I clean my brushes well after use.
1. I often see shedding with badger hair because there are some hairs that don't make it to the glue. So they just have to work their way out.
I'm glad to remove them myself, and not pay someone at the factory to do it.
2. Using water that's too hot, or soaking the whole brush instead of just the bristles. You have to keep the temperature fluctuations, and therefore expansion due to heat, to a minimum.
I use lukewarm or cool water for my shaves. I have over 40 natural hair brushes, from all makes, and not one of them sheds.
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I'm glad to remove them myself, and not pay someone at the factory to do it.
2. Using water that's too hot, or soaking the whole brush instead of just the bristles. You have to keep the temperature fluctuations, and therefore expansion due to heat, to a minimum.
I use lukewarm or cool water for my shaves. I have over 40 natural hair brushes, from all makes, and not one of them sheds.
Sent from my phone using Tapatalk
Great thread! 
The synthetic fibres dont absorb moisture like natural hairs do.
The absorbing then drying repeated cycles would cause slight swelling the shrinking of the hair shaft thereby loosening the grip of the glue bind over time.
I only soak my boar brush half way in up the hair length in warm (not hot) water for a couple of minutes to lessen this effect. I dont fo hot water because it's not natural a boar would never sit in water hot enough to scald.
My 2c
The absorbing then drying repeated cycles would cause slight swelling the shrinking of the hair shaft thereby loosening the grip of the glue bind over time.
I only soak my boar brush half way in up the hair length in warm (not hot) water for a couple of minutes to lessen this effect. I dont fo hot water because it's not natural a boar would never sit in water hot enough to scald.
My 2c
I've had boar brushes that shed after years of use, but the two badgers I use (Kent BK8 and SOC badger) never lose a hair, and I've had them both for years.
