Will these boar brushes soften further?

[merkur59]

I have Omega 10066 (blond fav) and 10077 (which I dislike due to its scritch)

I previously used the 66 frequently (less than 100 cycles, until it was replaced by the Omega 10275 and 80266 which are a tad softer). The 77 is used very infrequently, probably less than 20 times.

The question: would the tips get more softer (especially the 77, which I intend to retire 'permanently', if it remains as is), to the extent that there is only a tiny amount of scritch, or are they at the optimum?

Pics of current status of hair tips attached
left:10066 right:10077



top view of 10066:


top view of 10077:

 

[Mick]

It's hard to tell how split the ends are from your photos. Close up of the tips would be better for determining how much split the hairs have become.

 

[merkur59]

Sorry about the bad pics. Unfortunately its the best my crappy camera phone can do.
Guess I'll just have to continue with the actual wet/dry cycle to find.

Thanks.

 

[Danricgro]

I have never gotten any scritch from a broken in boar brush. Perhaps it just needs more time or perhaps I have a face made of shoe leather.

 

[talibeard]

You can often read on B&B that a boar is well broken in after 5-10-20 uses but in reality that process has only started. One of my boars (a Vulfix 2189) has taken more than a year before the first tips started to split due to the thin hairs. My oldest brush is a Dutch Vero in boar that feels like cotton fluff with backbone that is about a decade old, though it doesn't get much use anymore.

In short; the 10066 (which I have as well) will not be fully broken in after 100 cycles, the 10077 has hardly started that process after a mere 20. Simply look at the number of splitted tips. Thicker hairs will split faster than thin hairs, clipped hairs will need much more time, if they split at all. Both will soften up significantly with more use.

 

[Eeyore]

My Vero brush is almost two years old, being used almost daily, and I imagine that it is still getting softer (though I have put it aside as my travel brush now)

My experience with Omega brushes is that they need much more than 20 shaves to reach their final softness. As Talibeard already mentioned; even after a hundred shaves, it keeps improving.

However, there is a clear difference between scratchy from new bristles, and prickly from clipped bristles. I once made the mistake to buy a brush with clipped bristles, and it was awful. Whereas even a new Omega brush feels good (just a different quality).

 

[merkur59]

The 10066 is usable and, from the experience posted here, I think I'm going to enjoy it more after a few more months, or more.
The 10077 is impossible to use for face lathering (ok for bowl lathering but I face lather exclusively). I will try palm lathering daily for a few weeks. Could it be clipped hair?

Thanks for the input.

 

[Eeyore]

The 10077 is impossible to use for face lathering (ok for bowl lathering but I face lather exclusively). I will try palm lathering daily for a few weeks. Could it be clipped hair?

Omega? No.



Btw, I have an Omega brush with exactly the same loft, just a slightly different handle. I love it for face lathering.

The 10077 has a shorter loft than the 10066, I think ... that also makes a difference in the face feel.


Edit: do you soak the brush before starting to shave? It makes a huge difference. And do you allow it to fully dry between shaves?

 

[merkur59]

With the softer omega, I soak only half way, for 2-3 minutes.
With the 10077, I simply dunk it into water and let it soak between 5-10 minutes, depending on what I am doing in-between.

I usually rotate, letting my boars dry for 48 hours, but since I am trying to 'softten' up the 10077, I simply blow dry partially with lowest setting and re-lather/rinse the next day. Have been doing it for a week now (previously using it very, very infrequently for a year).

I like the 77's backbone but not the scritch. If there is potential in it (soft tips), I won't mind investing the next 2-3 months to break it in.

 

[GDCarrington]

Find a wooden board that is flat like a kitchen cutting board that has no knots or splintering.

Take the brush and soak it in water for 10 minutes.

Apply current Willams soap, ARKO, or some other low cost soap and build some lather.

Rub across the board for about two minutes.

Clean the brush and repeat the process one more time.

Clean and let the brush dry in an area that is not humid (i.e. not the bathroom) for two days.

Go back to and repeat the process 15 times. That will be about 30 + days worth of rubbing, drying, etc. that will allow the time for the brush to continue to "flag" without using your face as the applicator.

Good fortune.

 

[Eeyore]

Go back to and repeat the process 15 times. That will be about 30 + days worth of rubbing, drying, etc. that will allow the time for the brush to continue to "flag" without using your face as the applicator.

Good fortune.

I have been using boar brushes since 1985 (Omega and Vero), and I have never ever performed such tricks when I got a new brush.

Just start lathering away, and stop worrying ... it's a brush, not black magic!

 

[talibeard]

I like the 77's backbone but not the scritch. If there is potential in it (soft tips), I won't mind investing the next 2-3 months to break it in.

I think the 10077 is in fact the same brush as the 10019 which has a 50mm loft instead of the 55mm of the 10066. I vastly prefer the 10019 (and the 40033 at that) over the 10066 for face lathering mostly because of that shorter loft. It does need more time to break in though and maybe you simply prefer larger boar brushes. It will definitely get softer but I cannot guarantee that it will get soft enough for your taste, but the scritch ought to go away within those 2-3 months.

 

[StuMcB]

My 10077 is several years old now, and it's as soft as my Omega #34. I love the scritchey feel. Try it with a menthol cream or soap, open those pores and feel the cool.

 

[Eeyore]

I think the 10077 is in fact the same brush as the 10019 which has a 50mm loft instead of the 55mm of the 10066.

I think so too, and I agree with you ... I love the 10019 (and the likes) for face lathering.

 

[merkur59]

Find a wooden board that is flat like a kitchen cutting board that has no knots or splintering.

Take the brush and soak it in water for 10 minutes.

Apply current Willams soap, ARKO, or some other low cost soap and build some lather.

Rub across the board for about two minutes.

Clean the brush and repeat the process one more time.

Clean and let the brush dry in an area that is not humid (i.e. not the bathroom) for two days.

Go back to and repeat the process 15 times. That will be about 30 + days worth of rubbing, drying, etc. that will allow the time for the brush to continue to "flag" without using your face as the applicator.

Good fortune.

I get where you are coming from.
I palm lather. My palm is rather coarse (weight lifting) so kinda equivalent.

I think the 10077 is in fact the same brush as the 10019 which has a 50mm loft instead of the 55mm of the 10066. I vastly prefer the 10019 (and the 40033 at that) over the 10066 for face lathering mostly because of that shorter loft. It does need more time to break in though and maybe you simply prefer larger boar brushes. It will definitely get softer but I cannot guarantee that it will get soft enough for your taste, but the scritch ought to go away within those 2-3 months.

Good to hear about the scritch. At the very least I should give it a chance for the next 2-3 months. Really like the backbone.
And if it works, all my future boars should be around this specs, as the 10019 posted. Currently my preferred boars are around 25/55 (great soft tips but with backbone a tad soft).

Thanks for the many advice so far.

 

[Eeyore]

I used my Omega 10019 again this morning. Definitely more scratchy than my Vero. I've been using the Omega for 2 or 3 weeks, and my Vero for 2 years. The Vero is as soft as cotton.

I expect the Omega to soften up a lot, based on my earlier experience with Omega brushes.

 

[GDCarrington]

I get where you are coming from...

Good fortune on whatever method you choose to use.

 

[musicman1951]

I believe someone posted this past week or so about placing the wet boar on the dashboard of a parked car in a sunny location. The results were good. It can't hurt to give it a try.

 

[Eeyore]

FYI, I looked at the bristle tips of my Omega 10019 boar brush (in use a few weeks), and many of them are split already. I would expect the same results with your Omega 10077 brush after a few weeks of use.

 

[merkur59]

Thanks for the encouragement!

Still lathering with it everyday (blow dry on low setting to speed up the drying process).
Using a Japanese mini-mortar pounder (rough surface) in lieu of palm for lathering (fits nicely onto the palm).