Thread: Brush Hair Maintenance

Hi everyone,

I had heard at one point in regards to brush maintenance that you shouldn't press down on the brush too hard and splay the hairs completely out. I find this to be difficult to often avoid especially with loading a brush with a hard soap or even working a lather in my scuttle. I've only seen this once while doing research on brush maintenance, but I wanted to get some more experienced people's feedback as I do not want to damage a well-made/expensive piece of work.

TIA,
Derrick

Hi Derrick
I press down just enough so brush just about fits the mug. Rotate it back and forth a few times. Release pressure and work up a lather.
Don't forget. If you lather on your face you are applying pressure and spreading the hairs too.
Hope this helps.

I try not to smash it down much. Id say about a 1/4 of the way down while loading and lathering. I know its not good for my brushes but at least im no longer smashing it down most the way to the handle any more. Just using the tips only just dont do the job for me. I will buy another brush when i ware one out but i dont see that happening very fast. I have many brushes and change them out often so it will be years before i screw one up to the point of needing replaced.

You did not mention the type of brush you are using. There are several factors that affect the splay of a brush: the type of fiber in the knot, the density of the knot, the diameter of the knot, the loft/length of the fibers, and the shape of the canopy (flat, fan, bulb). It sounds complicated, but that explains why there are dozens of different brushes for sale by multiple manufactuers. People have different preferences for brush performance.

If you have a brush that splays quite easily, then it is best to reserve that brush for bowl lathering of shaving creams. I have a Parker Silvertip that fits that description. It has a 25 mm knot, but completely covers my cheek when splayed. It is an amazing brush for creams, but it is horrible with hard soaps or face lathering

For hard soaps, you need a fair amount of backbone in the brush. That can be achieved by using a boar brush, some synthetic brushes, some horsehair brushes, and some badger brushes, especially those that are densely packed. Two-band badgers usually work well with hard soaps as do the more expensive Silvertip and Finest badger brushes. However, you can get great performance from boar and synthetic brushes without breaking the bank.

Even with hard soaps a floppy brush will work fine using minimal pressure. You just need to make sure the brush is very wet initially and you can put some water on the soap to soften the surface a bit. It may take a bit more time but in the end it will lather just as well as a stiff brush.

If you push down on the brush to hard the lather will be at the wrong end when you try to apply it to your face.

Originally Posted by RayClem

You did not mention the type of brush you are using. There are several factors that affect the splay of a brush: the type of fiber in the knot, the density of the knot, the diameter of the knot, the loft/length of the fibers, and the shape of the canopy (flat, fan, bulb). It sounds complicated, but that explains why there are dozens of different brushes for sale by multiple manufactuers. People have different preferences for brush performance.

If you have a brush that splays quite easily, then it is best to reserve that brush for bowl lathering of shaving creams. I have a Parker Silvertip that fits that description. It has a 25 mm knot, but completely covers my cheek when splayed. It is an amazing brush for creams, but it is horrible with hard soaps or face lathering

For hard soaps, you need a fair amount of backbone in the brush. That can be achieved by using a boar brush, some synthetic brushes, some horsehair brushes, and some badger brushes, especially those that are densely packed. Two-band badgers usually work well with hard soaps as do the more expensive Silvertip and Finest badger brushes. However, you can get great performance from boar and synthetic brushes without breaking the bank.

I've been purchasing different brushes to help develop a preference. I received a boar brush with obviously more backbone which feels like if I were to push to hard it would create a permanent splayed affect. It's still being broken in but I have the feeling that it is not incredibly dense so if the hairs were left spread then it could possibly leave a gap in the middle of the brush.

I have several synthetics and a few badgers that has plenty of give when pushed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel these brushes would be less likely to create that "gap" effect I just mentioned due to their tendency to spring back easier.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Even with hard soaps a floppy brush will work fine using minimal pressure. You just need to make sure the brush is very wet initially and you can put some water on the soap to soften the surface a bit. It may take a bit more time but in the end it will lather just as well as a stiff brush.

For floppier brushes the technique I've been using is to grip the hairs themselves closer to the tip as opposed to actually holding it by the handle. I feel like it gives it a little more artificial "backbone" as I load the brush.

While the subject is brushes, will one of you knowledgeable people tell me the difference between a single band and a two band brush? Thank you
for future answers.

Originally Posted by Learner

While the subject is brushes, will one of you knowledgeable people tell me the difference between a single band and a two band brush? Thank you
for future answers.

Back in the old days a two bander was a very special brush which came from a very limited area of the critter. With global warming badgers aren't producing those hairs any more. So now two bander doesn't mean much. It could be the way they trim the hair when making the knot or maybe the Manchurian Badgers which are the closest to the originals but really they aren't.