Thread: when do you replace a brush?

ok this my sound dumb. but when do you replace a brush? monthly? yearly? never? I asume they wear out over time. I shave once, maybe twice a week, and this is just something I think about when I get my brush out.

Mike

Shaving that seldomly, I would think your brush should last quite some time. I've been wet shaving almost every day for 3 years and have 4 brushes since I started and they all get used. My very first brush is just starting to shed, but with a brush rotation, it's not a problem. Stick with wet shaving and you'll probably acquire more brushes, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Assuming no gross mistreatment, a quality brush will probably outlast the user. I used my first brush, an Ever Ready 150, exclusively for two or three years and then less often as I added brushes but still in regular rotation for nearly 25 years. Then four or five years ago I left it at the lake house for a couple of months and some critter (insect?) ate most of the bristles. Had it not been for that I am sure I'd still be using it.

We do have to clean the soap scum out of them from time to time depending upon the soap used and the hardness of our water but that's about all the care they need other than rinsing and making sure they are dry before stowing them away.

rs,
Tack

I have a Van der hagen brush that came in a kit with a mug, soap and stand. what is proper care for a brush? how do you clean them?

mike

Opinions vary about care, naturally. I rinse mine in warm water, squeezing with a sort of "milking" action, shake out the excess water with thumb and forefinger gently squeezing at the base of the knot and set aside. When finished with my cleanup I will dry the brush a bit on a towel using the same stroke used to build lather and hang to dry. Lots of guys set the brush on end rather than hanging them, do what suits you. I clean mine every couple of years by soaking in water with a little borax added, then rinsing, etc. That's recommended for removing soap scum. There's no reason to become overly concerned about brush care, after all, a dying brush is an excuse to buy another!

rs,
Tack

I think replacing a brush is more a matter of personal choice than function. I have a VDH boar brush that I've had for five or six years. I dropped it once on the bathroom floor so there's a hairline crack in the handle otherwise, it's as good as new. Once in a blue moon it will lose a hair or two but nothing too catastrophic. Squeeze the water out as Tack described and hang to dry. There's no real "requirement" to change a brush. As far as I can tell the average man will be long dead before even my bargain price VDH loses enough bristles to be unusable. Like straight razors themselves, a guy could function for a lifetime on just one (assuming AD's are not an issue.)

I've used a Vulfix 374 nearly everyday
since the end of 2005. All I've ever done
is rinse out the lather give it a few shakes
and place it a stand. It seems to be holding
up very well.


Terry

You replace a brush religiously when it doesn't work anymore.

Most of us buy em because we like em but if you are a one brush guy, as long as it functions keep using it.

If you care for it and it's a quality piece you will have it a very very long time

The main issue is to rinse the brush and most importantly, hang it up upside down so that the water runs away from the handle so the bristles dry and don't start rotting at the base.

I've been using the same brush for 25 years, and it's still working fine.