Thread: My brush smells like, Badger?!!

I got a cheap badger brush from Amazon. More specifically Elite men's care products for $15. It smells like the last part of the critter to get over the fence. Is this normal? I have it soaking in a baking soda & water solution, with a cap full of bleach. Any other tips? I thought of vinegar & water, but that is not available. I'm in Afghanistan, and Amazon won't ship that out here for less than $20.

Not sure I would have used bleach.

I used oxyclean on one with good results and plain old shampoo on another. They get better smelling with use.

I dip in barbicide for 5 minutes and then do a few lathers without shaving, wash rinse etc. That does it for me.

20 Mule Team Borax

But it will go away on it's own too, I would not have used the bleach, just a hint, you might want to wait 24 hours in the future,and ask right here at SRP and wait for an answer before doing anything potentially harmful to your shave gear...

I've heard that setting it in direct sunlight will help too, but I never have got around to trying that one.

A lot of them smell like a deal animal, because it is. Normally, the smell will wear away over time. Creating lather and shaving helps.

+1 on the borax. I use it about once a year on all my brushes for a good cleaning.

P.S. Rinse the hell out of your brush. Make sure you get all traces of bleach out. Mix baking soda and water and soak the brush. That will neutralize the bleach. (Bleach is an acid, Baking soda is a base)

yes, the bleach can turn your bristles blond and eat them up not to mention some of it getting on your face. Just some good shampoo should do it. Borax works great too.

I believe in hot water and White vinegar soluble
When it dries another bath with a soap/cream with strong fragrance.

Originally Posted by unit

Not sure I would have used bleach.

I used oxyclean on one with good results and plain old shampoo on another. They get better smelling with use.

I saw this and had the same problem. Oxyclean really helped out.

What you're smelling is urine from the bristles off of a male animal. It's the sameas as like with a billy goat. Wash the brush with dish soap to get the animal oils of of the hair and then wash it with your regular shampoo. Then hang it outside overnight to dry. It will take a week or so for the stink to go away but eventually it will. I had one that stank so bad that it smelled up the entire house. Now it smells just fine; i.e., no smell.