Thread: 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

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.