Thread: Shedding Simpsons

I have a Simpson Colonel that sheds a lot - about 8-10 hairs per shave. This brush is actually a replacement for my original Colonel which did the same thing and was replaced by the dealer. Had to send to old brush to England and took weeks to get the new one.

Is this a known problem with Simpson brushes? Any hope for getting a replacement that doesn't keep shedding?

Steve W.
Omaha, NE

I have a Chubby 2 that is doing the same thing. I was hoping it was just a "breaking in " thing, but it's been going on for about 4 months now so I don't think that's it. If you learn anything, please let me know. They are expensive and nice brushes, but this doesn't seem right.

Years ago, when they were made by the old company in Somerset, Simpson had a rash of shedding for a short time. IIRC they had a new girl who hadn't quite got the assembly down pat. AFAIK they always stood behind their product.

I once had a Plisson HMW that shed 8 to 10 hairs per shave. I notified the vendor and he told me to keep it for 3 months, and if it still persisted in shedding to return for a replacement. That was Atkinsons in British Columbia. So I did as he said, I kept the hairs and sent a photo at the end of the three months. I had a pile of 'em. They replaced the brush.

Here is a good article on shedding..
The Facts on Brush Shedding

Originally Posted by LexTac

Here is a good article on shedding..
The Facts on Brush Shedding

Good article. One point of interest, Thater recommended avoiding Borax, or other strong detergents. Unfortunately they didn't recommend a particular substitute in the literature that come with the brush. Dish soap, I suppose. I don't wash my brushes, just rinse them thoroughly, and dry them hanging bristles down. Forty years of using brushes and so far so good.

Although I have not done it yet myself, I have read of some suggesting hair shampoo once or twice a year to clean out a brush. Makes sense in a way since it is hair after all. I have two brushes that I use in a rotation, a Simpson Chubby 2 in Best badger, and a Saville Row in Silvertip(a gift). Currently I just rinse them in warm not hot water post shave and let them dry in open air. They are nice and dry by the time I get back to them after two days. The Saville Row doesn't loose any hair at all(after an initial 3 weeks or so), and actually lathers better and sucks up less product than the Chubby. In many ways I like it better than the Simpson.

I have only had one Simpson brush out of 6 total that did not shed on the first couple uses. All have stopped shedding post second use however. To me, if a brush sheds a few hairs right away it is ok. If it continues, it's a problem. My Thaters, Kents, Vulfix, and Vie-longs were not shedders even on the first go. Others have been but all have stopped.

I occasionally lather mine with dishwashing liquid (Dawn, etc). It works well for me.

OP here.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply! Helpful perspectives all.

When I had this problem with my first Colonel, the dealer told me that Simpsons has a standard that it is considered normal for a brush to lose up to 5 hairs per day and that they don't replace a brush for that level of hair loss. In both cases, it was between 5 and 10 per day, and this is 3-6 months of use so not something that just happened when I first got the brushes.

I do use circular strokes when loading the brush, but am pretty careful not to use excess pressure. I do face lather as well but again think that I'm pretty good on the pressure side.

I will try to contact Mark at Simpsons and get a new one.

To put things into perspective, my worst Thäter lost three hairs on day one. None after that. None of my other Thäter brushes ever shed any hair. Well done, Simpson (dealer).