Thread: The Dreaded Shedding Brush

Hey! I tried to look back through the forum to see if there was a related issue but I could not find something similar. I have been using a Thater silver tip brush for about 6 months now. This brush for me has been wonderful. It makes a lather very nicely, and feels great once applied to my face. Just within the last two weeks however, I have been experiencing about 10-15 hairs of shedding during each shave. It just has me a little worried about maybe a faulty technique. Is this amount of shedding considered normal use of a brush? Below is kind of my routine to see if there is an error in my technique:

Warm my bowl with water. Place the brush in the water (the water level is always below the start of the handle). The temperature of the water varies but it ranges from warm to hot (slight steam from the bowl). After a couple of minutes I begin to create my lather. I try to prevent circular motions (as Thater recommends) but I usually get the best lather this way. After the lather is made, I apply it to my face. While shaving my brush stays out of my bowl and stands upright. After my shave, I rinse the brush under cold water to clean shaving soap out of the brush, and then wring it out and place in a shaving stand brush side down. I use this brush daily, as it is my only brush.

Thank you so much for reading this, and providing feedback. I hope you have a great day!

Not an expert, but it does seem odd that after 6 months of good service that it would start shedding every shave. I would contact the vendor you bought the brush from and see what they say.

I face lather and use circular strokes to load the brush and build lather with on my face. I also use cold water and don't soak my brushes. My routine is so different than yours that I really can't say what the problem might be with your brush.

One of the more knowledgeable members with a routine similar to yours may be able to help.

Bob

It's hard to tell if your hurting it just by what you described, I,m not sure about hot water or if your doing everything right, but I know it would be in your best interest to contact who you bought it from. Losing hairs happens, but not in a big way. And this long after it should have gotten most loose hairs out by now, so talk to them it might just be a bad batch of knots or glue or whatever. Thaters get bad knots too, it's just the nature of the beast, but they should stand behind it. Tc

I had a VP Leon Hardy 700050 large silver tip. Started losing bristles globs at a time, within 3 months of purchase. Losing bristles like that has more to do with workmanship, not technique. Contact your vendor. Mine replaced the brush.

Yes, that is abnormal. Contact your retailer for a replacement.

I had a brush that shed like that and I called the retailer. They told me to use the brush for 3 months and if it continued to contact them again. I had contacted them after about a week of shedding. I began saving the bristles that shed, putting them in an envelope.

At the end of the three months, the brush continued to shed, I sent a photo of the brush with the collected hairs beside it. They replaced the brush. I am just telling you this in case you receive a similar response from the vendor.

The only thing I see is I never wring out or squeeze a knot. I just shake gently and brush lightly on a dry towel.

Never had more than a hair or two come out of a name brand Brush...Thater or Simpson. But those custom designer home made brushes..that's a whole nuther story...shedding machines !

I have an AoS brush and I'm not very gentle with it. I do almost the identical prep with my brush except for one thing. After I squeeze the excess water, after rinsing the leftover soap out, I vigorously shake the brush in the shower to get every drop out. The motion is similar to what people do with a can of chewing tobacco before they open it. If needed I could video the motion. Wringing the brush in a twisting motion seems bad and not shaking out the excess water may cause an issue. But you let it hang upside down and I just put it on my counter, handle down.

See my thread:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...-simpsons.html