I did a search and was surprised I couldn't find much on this. I'm curious what protocol is for caring for and maintaining your brushes? Also, if there are differences in care between badger, boar, and anything else. Right now I use either a Trumper Pure Badger brush that I've had for years, or a new Semogue 1305 Boar brush which I'm still breaking in. But since I'm figuring all this out on my own, i wanted to know if i'm doing anything wrong, or failing to do anything important. Typically when I shave I'll soak the brush for a few minutes (as per the 'comprehensive guide to lathering...' thread), then use it for lather, and while i'm shaving i usually leave it either standing upright on its handle or tips down in the shaving bowl. Then, once i've finished shaving I tend to my face before starting any of the clean-up. When its time to rinse out the brush, I usually first rinse the shaving bowl, then fill it with water and swirl the brush until most of the lather rinses out, and repeat several times. Is this a standard way to clean the brush or should I be doing more? I wonder because oftentimes the fragrance of the shave soap is still pretty strong off the brush the next time I go to use it. After rinsing I usually shake it vigorously until no water will come free, then i store it in a little plastic stand. The knot on the Semogue is too wide for the Trumper stand I have, so i have top put it in at an angle. Overall its still pointing down, but diagonally down. So far this has worked for me, but I've always wondered if there was anything else I should be doing. Its weird figuring this stuff out on your own when you didn't have a parent teaching you, so i feel like i might be missing something fundamental. Thanks guys and gals.
There is no standard way to treat a brush, just your way that works. It works if you don't damage the brush and use it effectively and with pleasure. I don't personally take that much time with the brush , soak,and rinse when done. Some guys though have elaborate rituals for drying brushes , put it down to infatuation with brushes. Boar or badger just shake it out 15 times or so and let it dry. Let dry in a ventilated dry area . Brush stands don't make a difference one way or the other , drying upside down or on its handle doesn't make a bit a difference for the brush. I have found that with badger you want to rinse thoroughly as leftover lather dries the bristle and can cause it to break or fall out. Consensus is that Borax , which can be found as Twenty Mule Team Borax at Walmart in the laundry detergent aisle, for $3, is the best brush cleaner. The shaving vendor Em's Place has a excellent tutorial on her website on cleaning badger brushes.
That's really great to hear... I swear I read somewhere once never to let your brush dry upright because of some mysterious "damage" that would happen, but it always sounded kinda silly. I'll check out Em's tutorial, thanks.
here's a question... is it a bad idea to keep my brushes in the bathroom? For the most part it is ventilated and dry, but whenever someone takes a shower it does get steamy in there.
That's where I keep mine. No issues yet. And EVERYTHING Hanzo said was right on. Keep in mind - the brush is a tool. Use it how you want to, short of abusing it. If it wears out, it wears out. I don't believe in coddling my tools, but I don't abuse them either. They're tools, for cryin' out loud, meant to be used! Use them, man! Use them, I say!! :angry037 ahem...'scuze me...a little carried away there...I'll just go over here and...
HEAR HEAR!!! Agreed 100% you bought it to use it not look at it... well mostly in my case. I find stuff sometimes takes negatively to being babied when it was built for use.
good, i'm glad i can stop worrying about the stupid brush stands then, haha. now a razor stand... that's something i should get if only to make my shelves a little safer.
Perhaps not quite an 'elaborate ritual,' but a member here, msandoval858 advocates drying the brush a bit more carefully before putting it away on his website, Shaving 101. His method possibly helps the brush to dry more quickly, and then he elaborates his method for occasional brush grooming. (Call it 'taking care of your tools', swarden) All that said, I usually just do the squeeze, shake, and hang method with mine, too. Still, worth a read.
Good stuff. Thanks. I follow the same drying procedures with the towel, I just don't comb my brushes. I also don't have a stand for all my brushes, so most just sit on their base to dry. I haven't noticed any ill effects...yet!
