With soaps do you start with a wet brush or a dry brush ? Do you find a badger is better dry and a boar wet ? What works for you ? I prefer a wet brush myself, how about you ?

Edit - When I say dry I mean a brush that has been soaked and then squeezed to have the excess water removed.

I always soak my brushes for 5 minutes before loading. (badger, boar, horsehair, and synthetics.) I squeeze the brush after soaking.

Wet, I use the brush to apply water to the soap, and boar is my preference.

It's usually not by choice. My loving wife likes to pre- soak them for my shave. I've never been bother by boar or badger funk.



But really all my brushes I wet (badger and boar soak for 5-10 min) prior to use. That's with all soaps.

I have never tried to load a dry brush; even with creams. I soak all my brushes for a few minutes as I am filling the basin with water. I don't pay too much attention to time. Then, I let the brush sit in water while I put on a pre-shave oil. If I need more water on the brush while I am face or bowl lathering, then I dip the brush in the sink and stir some more.

All wet, all the time.............

I exclusively use an H.I.S. synthetic. I don't soak, I don't see the need with synthetic. But I wet it thoroughly, then squeeze it out, load it up, barely touch it to the water, and the proceed with face lathering.

Perhaps I should have asked if you squeeze the brush or leave it soaked.

This makes more sense. I was wondering if there was a brush technique I had missed out on.

I drop my brush in the sink while the sink is filling with water. Once the sink is full, I pick the brush up, tilt it about 45 degrees and let whatever water is going to drain out via gravity, then give the brush one heavy downward flick.

I find the above method leaves enough water in my Shavemac Flat Top Badger to load the brush with Stirling Electric Sheep and then face lather

@stingraysrock , I thought about this after. I was wondering if my post was misunderstood. I do something close. I let it drip, I don't usually flick it, then load away.

BTW, in case anyone misunderstood you can change your vote. I'm to lazy to tag everyone.

Ooooooh, well that's completely different. Squeeze and a flick.

I've always equated a dry brush with a soaked brush that has been squeezed. That's one issue with communicating over the net. People can be easily misunderstood. Oh well.

Soak it, pick it up, let it drip, then three or four gentle shakes.

I just put the brush under a faucet til it gets wet enough then give it a gentle shake or two.

+1

Usually 3 shakes.

Any more, and you are just playing with it.

"Shake it more than twice constitutes pleasure and we're not in the pleasure business ladies."-Gunny Highway