I clean mine every time I use it. I use whatever shaving soap or cream I am using that day. Then, I just do a thorough rinse and give it a day or two off. I haven't seen the necessity to do more.
Shampoo on the bristles rub it around in my hand. Good rinse, same with conditioner, good rinse. Hang dry for 2 days. It works for me so I don't see any reason to change.
Not very often. I would say may be around once a month. I just sort of think, "I haven't cleaned this brush in awhile. "Then I clean it.
Whether it's a Boar or Badger brush, it's bristles will not tolerate a lot of mashing and twisting. Frequent shampooing and/or combing the bristles sounds to me like a sure fire way to shorten the life of the brush and increase shedding from broken bristles/hair.
After shaving all that I do is to run hot water into the knot, and gently squeeze out the residual lather/soap. When the squeezed out water runs clear I stop, do a couple of criss-crosses on a towel to fluff out the bloom, that that's it. Never done anything else and have had no problems.
Do you ever comb out the hair? White Vinegar is good. Probably like most things at TSD to each their own.
The way I look at it, the brush gets washed with each shave. It is filled with soap lather, which is then rinsed out after the shave is done. I gently squeeze the brush to get rid of the water, and then shake it a couple of times to get rid of the last remaining drops. The brush is then allowed to dry until the next shave. As for maintenance, I don't see how a shaving brush needs any maintenance. Unless you count letting it air dry as maintenance.
