Thread: Rinsing a brush when done shaving

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

Does that rank like vinegar or what?

Nope, I gave it rinse with washing up liquid and its fine.. I did use distilled vinegar maybe that's less of a potent smell??
Its clean and smells nice, although I have to get used to a soft brush now.

Try it all and find what works best for your razors and your technique.
Doubt any natural is 20k, most not by half.
Experiment

I save my brush for cleanup last. Run it under some lukewarm water and squeeze from the base; repeat. Then go to the towel and on a dry part make like 30 small circles with the brush, go to another dry spot and go in the opposite direction. Then I "fluff" the edges a bit to get the last bit of moisture out, then stand it up (don't have a stand...yet.)

The advantage to this I found is 1. It doesn't take very long to do. 2. When I "fluff" my brush if there is still a lot of lather and soap in it it shows because the bristles look almost grouped together (if that visual makes sense.) Then I can repeat the process above until I am satisfied if that is the case.

-MusicMan95

Originally Posted by MusicMan95

squeeze from the base

That approach will drive soap into the base of the knot, resulting in soap residue which will, over time, make the hairs brittle, and eventually break. As stated previously, fanning the brush open under running water while turning it repeatedly will help avoid that situation.

Originally Posted by RobinK

That approach will drive soap into the base of the knot, resulting in soap residue which will, over time, make the hairs brittle, and eventually break. As stated previously, fanning the brush open under running water while turning it repeatedly will help avoid that situation.

Thanks for the tip, I had been doing exactly that - squeezing from the base, will stop that.

Interesting thing I noticed yesterday, I happened to pick up one of my brushes, and noticed that some fine dry soap powder came off the brush, I had been carefully rinsing the brush, damping softy on a dry towel to dry, and hanging the brush knot down to dry.

Is this normal or am I not cleaning thoroughly?

Cleaning a brush is a bit like walking into Mordor. You do not simply do it.

I have never managed to keep a brush permanently free from soap residue. I asked a brush maker (knots, not handles) about it, and he said he uses regular washing-up liquid for that. I have been doing that for years, and it has been works nicely.

If you have a high quality brush, you should definitely avoid aggressive cleaners (like Borax), or other treatments often recommended here because they offer a short term solution, but damage your brush permanently (like using boiling water).

Thing is, I tend to believe people who have been i the business for a few decades. Like said brush maker. Works like a charm.

Rinse, then shake the dickens out of it in the shower, then rinse again. I've been doing this for years and it does the job.

All the water I use for shaving is cold so the brush gets rinsed in cold. When I finish shaving I swirl it in the sink water as the sink drains which gets a good deal of the soap out of the brush and helps keep the sink clean too. Next hold the knot by a circle created with my thumb and fore finger under running cold water and oscillate it to rinse into the core of the knot. A gentle squeeze of the tips, several shakes, a quick stropping of the tips on a towel and hang to dry. So far so good with the boar, badger and synthetic brushes I have. I haven't washed my brushes yet but may do a cleaning using kitchen dish soap like Palmolive in the future.

Bob

My badgers get treated as I would my own hair (if I had any) mild shampoo & the best conditioner on the market.

IMO, I believe in rinsing out all of the soap. I rinse it in hot water, squeeze it out, and then shake it until it's all fluffed up. Then it goes upside down in a brush stand until it's next use. I haven't lost a bristle yet.