brush shedding; how long?

Hi all. About 5 months ago I bought an AoS Fine Badger brush new (AoS is generally a little spendy for me, but I happened to stop in to my local store when they were having a clearance sale on their combination packs that include a brush, and so I got a not too crazy price). It's my first non-synthetic brush, and I Really like it, nice backbone without being prickly.

That being said, it seems to shed a couple of hairs every time I shave (which is pretty much every day), usually into my mug as I'm lathering. I expected that for the first few months, but Is that normal this far along? I do my best not to mash it when lathering, to clean it out after every shave, and shake out the water as best I can. I do store it bristle-up (I just don't have a stand) and I haven't ever washed it with detergent, I don't know how much that matters.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I have a large 30mm VP Leon Hardy kept sheding for about 4 months. Scores of bristles each shave. Contacted seller and he replaced. Two years later still sheds, but not much. Bottom line: contact seller and see if he'll exchange and start over.

As to drying out bristles up, not recommend. But I too have no stand for a 30mm knot. Solution: get a piece of string, tie it around base and hang on a door knob, or something.

I don't have the exact answer, but if it was mine;

I would clean it in a method shown in this link below, then use a great hair conditioner on it, then store bristles down from now on.

Home Depot sell these twist ties in all sixes & colors. I use one now to hang a large brush on attached to the towel rack. I take them on trips to mold razor stands & brush holders.

Brush Cleaning Video | ShaveInfo.com About Wet Shaving

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Ive stored all my brushes bristle up. Dont have any issues.

Short answer...if it sheds...it will keep sheding.

Why...
Wek to keep it simple something is wrong with the way the knot is tied or glued...
And there is nothing you can do to fix it...sadly...

If it drops 1-2 hais on a shave it's ok...but if it drops more it can be a problem as when hair drops it kind of destabilizes the surrounding hairs and makes it easier for them to drop.

my 2 cents.

A good knot does not drop hair no matter how you store or use the brush....as long as it is not abuse.

This may sound silly, but check the hair that drops out. How long is it? Is it longer than the loft, or shorter? This will help you determine if the hair is falling out of the knot base, or it's breaking/cracking before the glue.

Hope you get what I mean.. latter will be better, of course. The wash and conditioner may help in that case.

If it's shedding from the base, then what Cotiga said is true - it will keep shedding more and more, until you have dozen of bristles falling out on each shave. Before this happens, I would try to return the brush, if at all possible.

Could be a drying out issue. After shaving, rinse it off thoroughly and give it a gentle squeeze to remove standing water, then a few shakes (I aim at the shower curtain) to remove a bit more, and finally, brush the tips off on a towel. Then leave it standing on its base, bristles up*, to dry out. Also helps to do this in a dry area rather than a basement, and if in a damp area, it could require a 48 hr. drying time.

*For a number of years, I was of the bristles-down, shaving stand school. Then an e-mail exchange with a Larry at Whipped Dog caused me to change my way of thinking. Larry's premise was that with the bristles turned down, water would remain trapped in the knot area (where the bristles are attached to the handle) irregardless of the the bristles drying out. Better to leave it bristles up to allow evaporation from the knot area rather than hamper this by leaving the bristles down. Ever since, my brushes have been stored bristles up after shaving, and I've not had a problem with shedding since, apart from knots that were improperly glued into their handles.

Gotta say, that is a very interesting premise.

Why do we even dry brushes bristles down? In hope that gravity will pull the water out of the knot? This is highly unlikely, I'd say.
(I for one, never saw drops of water form on bristle tips the next day, when I have them hanging bristles-down. What's the deal with that?? [emoji38])

Five months and it still sheds?

We can come up with all kinds of excuses but the one staring you in the face is the answer. It's a shedder meaning it will always do it if it's been consistent this long. I'd talk to the retailer about it.

As long as it doesn't get worse it will probably still serve well for years.

As to the why's who ever made the knot probably didn't do a great job.

You have some great advice above so follow that. However, I have heard that Art of Shaving has an excellent customer service reputation and would likely exchange that brush if all else fails. Take it back to the store and explain your situation and see if you can't get it resolved to your satisfaction.

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Originally Posted by Gasman

Ive stored all my brushes bristle up. Dont have any issues.

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This is not a discussion on how to store a brush with bristles up or down, start a new thread on that issue & see the debate develop.
I simply told him what I would do with that brush.

ive found that AOS badgers are not that good a knot, so quality control is going to be loose there. if its still shedding it will probably shed as long as you have it. ive got good quality knots that haven't shed a hair. Tc

by the way John I got me several packages and different lengths, of gear ties those things are handier than sliced bread!, I have found many uses

Yes TC, I shape them into straight razor & brush holders on the road

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Five months and it still sheds?

We can come up with all kinds of excuses but the one staring you in the face is the answer. It's a shedder meaning it will always do it if it's been consistent this long. I'd talk to the retailer about it.

As long as it doesn't get worse it will probably still serve well for years.

As to the why's who ever made the knot probably didn't do a great job.

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That's kinda what I was feeling, but thought I would check the collective wisdom. Having not had a natural hair brush before, though, I wasn't sure how common shedding is; I just know that I have heard reference to it as a common experience in new brushes, even high quality ones (although to a lesser extent than in their lesser-quality brethren, I'm sure). I guess I also wasn't quite sure how long a brush is considered "new" in this hobby where vintage equipment is common.

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

ive found that AOS badgers are not that good a knot, so quality control is going to be loose there. if its still shedding it will probably shed as long as you have it. ive got good quality knots that haven't shed a hair. Tc

by the way John I got me several packages and different lengths, of gear ties those things are handier than sliced bread!, I have found many uses

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That's good to know. I'm going to give it a good cleaning and conditioning, and see if that helps, but if not, It sounds like exchanging it may be a good way to go. I work right by the AoS store I bought it from, so it's easy for me to pop in and see if they will work with me on that.

Just a quick follow-up, the cleaning and conditioning did not seem to slow the shedding. So, yesterday I brought it into the store, and they exchanged it with no hassle whatsoever, even though I couldn't find my original receipt. The whole thing Took about 5 minutes. I haven't used the new brush yet, but at the very least I was very happy with the customer service.

Good to hear. Hope the new one works better.

FWIW I have a Simpson Colonel and an Omega boar brush. Both are 2 or 3 years old and both shed 2-4 hairs or more each time I use them. I have sent the Colonel back to England for replacements twice already (Simpson too has great customer service) and have been careful not to mash the bristles, and I even use the Simpson-recommended side-to-side brush strokes instead of circular ones, but hasn't helped.

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Originally Posted by FoliageFace

Just a quick follow-up, the cleaning and conditioning did not seem to slow the shedding. So, yesterday I brought it into the store, and they exchanged it with no hassle whatsoever, even though I couldn't find my original receipt. The whole thing Took about 5 minutes. I haven't used the new brush yet, but at the very least I was very happy with the customer service.

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Good to hear and, hopefully, this one works out for you.

I bought a Kent BK8 from Costco online, lost 6 or 7 hairs every time I used it.
I contacted Kent via their website and without hesitation they sent me a new brush! with a prepaid return label to send the first brush back.
The second one has not lost a hair... customer service at it's best.

I have brushes made from badger hair, horse hair, boar bristle and synthetic; more than a dozen total. The only one I have that has ever shed more than a dozen hairs total is a inexpensive pure badger by VDH. It loses a dozen hairs every time I use it. I suspect it will continue to do so until there are no hairs left.

I have a Simpson P8 which shed a couple of hairs for a month or so, but did stabilize. I suspect there was an issue with the gluing of the knot, but fortunately not egregious.

Were I in your position I would definitely exchange the brush at your local AOS store, as this should never be the norm in a quality brush.

As for how one should store ones brush, eh, up or down should make no difference. At least it has made no difference in the many years I've used them. And I've owned far too many over the years.

I should have read the entire thread. Glad AOS gave you excellent customer service. It says volumes when a retailer goes the extra mile for a customer. I'm guessing you'll be a repeat customer!

I routinely use an AoS badger which I bought about seven years ago. It occasionally sheds a couple of hairs, but after all of this time, there's plenty yet. I didn't notice it until I had it for a couple of years and since it wasn't shedding much, I've just kept using it. Sometimes it doesn't shed at all for a couple of weeks and then maybe only one or two. The only problem I've ever had it that the knot came out of the handle after five years, but after a little cleaning and superglue, it's worked fine. Although they are pricey, I feel I've gotten my money's worth and will for years to come. Although it's not my only brush, it's a workhorse and gets used probably 5x a week. Of course, YMMV.

I bought a Kent BK8 from Costco online. It shed bristles like crazy from day one.
I'm in the UK so emailed Kent and received customer service second to none...
Sorry to hear you are not completely satisfied with a Kent product, we will send you a replacement immediately with a return post envelope for the faulty brush. It arrived the next day and the replacement loses an occasional hair but just what you would expect for a new brush.

I have a Vie Long horse hair that sheds. It shed on day one, shed the same on day 10 and the same on day 100. My Shervington badger that I used daily for 20 years never lost a hair. Echoing what others have said, a good brush does not shed, a brush that does will do so forever.