My Simpson is a 'best badger' so I will experiment and compare how it performs in comparison to the boar using the soaking technique and report back in as great detail as possible.
It took me a while to find these again. http://www.shaving101.com/index.php...erstanding-hair-grades-of-badger-brushes.html Badger hair is the hair of choice for shaving brushes because it natural water absorbing qualities allowing the lather to build in the brush and it retains the optimal firmness and flexibility to effortlessly produce a thicker lather most suited to shaving than any other type of brush. http://www.badgerhair.net/index.php/en/about-badger-hair Natural hair, squirrel, badger or sable are used by watercolorists due to their superior ability to absorb and hold water. http://www.himalayafineart.com/Category/8/Brushes Rollers Palettes and Knives.aspx If you leave any natural animal hair in water for a sufficient time it will absorb water. In fact too long of a soak can damage the hairs.
I soaked my Wee Scot and followed the same procedure. Definite improvement in the quality of the lather. I think I am going to like this. Thanks again.
Years ago when I first wet shaving, I would always soak my brush in my hard soap cup with hot water. It's an old habit that has been hard to break with softer soaps.
I always soak the brush in hot water at least 1 minute In the past i tried the 2-5 minute soaking but i had no benefits contrary to 1 min. After the soaking i pull out the brush and let the gravity do the work for few seconds for the excess water Then i turn the brush up-side down so the gravity will send the water to the base of the knot This movements must be done quickly otherwise the hot water will burn your fingers as flows. I shake gently 1-2 times and then i load the soap (note: some drops of hot water will soften the surface of the soap and will help loading). The only brush that is a little bit tricky and does not love that technique is my SOC.
