Thread: Glycerin for Brush Cleaning

Hey all,

I was wondering what kind of glycerin would be best for cleaning my Badger Brush. It is still very new but I wanted to have some cleaning stuff on hand. Also where do you buy glycerin?

Thank you.

Hi and welcome.

I've never heard of anyone using glycerin to clean a shaving brush. I rarely ever clean my brushes. We're using them to apply soap after all.

Some feel there's a soap film build up after some use and an occasional washing with a cleansing shampoo is useful. Others feel an occasional rinsing with a weak vinegar solution to be helpful.

A new brush that has a natural animal stink benefits from a washing with either cleaners, but even that I use sparingly, but that's just me.

Originally Posted by Mike12345

Hi and welcome.

I've never heard of anyone using glycerin to clean a shaving brush. I rarely ever clean my brushes. We're using them to apply soap after all.

Some feel there's a soap film build up after some use and an occasional washing with a cleansing shampoo is useful. Others feel an occasional rinsing with a weak vinegar solution to be helpful.

A new brush that has a natural animal stink benefits from a washing with either cleaners, but even that I use sparingly, but that's just me.

Hey Mike, thank you for that. Just saved me from buying something I didn't need. I always have dish soap on hand so that's easy enough. I was just worried about soap accumulating down by where the hairs connect into the handle.

Originally Posted by Bono09

Hey Mike, thank you for that. Just saved me from buying something I didn't need. I always have dish soap on hand so that's easy enough. I was just worried about soap accumulating down by where the hairs connect into the handle.

Every once in a while I'll give mine a more thorough version of their daily rinse/cleaning but on the whole I haven't noticed anything like an accumulation of soap that demands much more than that. You can always give the brush a good soak to loosen up anything that has accumulated, then give that a thorough rinse. I agree with Mike - no need for special cleaners here.

As for glycerin, it can give an extra boost to your lather (just add a drop or two when whipping up your lather) but I haven't heard of it being used as a cleaner in this sense.

Where do you get glycerin?

Originally Posted by Bono09

Hey Mike, thank you for that. Just saved me from buying something I didn't need. I always have dish soap on hand so that's easy enough. I was just worried about soap accumulating down by where the hairs connect into the handle.

One thing I do is thoroughly rinse the brush after use. After a through dunking and rinsing, I gently squeeze the knot. If I see the slightest bit of soap suds, I repeat the process.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

As for glycerin, it can give an extra boost to your lather (just add a drop or two when whipping up your lather) but I haven't heard of it being used as a cleaner in this sense.

Ahhh...what do they call that? Superlather? Uberlather? Anyways, glycerin can be had at almost any drug store. I wouldn't pay too much for it, it's a cheap and plentiful substance.

One of the reasons glycerin works in lather is that it attracts water. In photography it was used for print flattening because it permeates the paper and emulsion, attracts water, and keeps the print permanently soft and limp. I sometimes use it for softening wood and I use a solution in water as a "hair spray" to make my flyaway hair more limp and manageable. I don't think that this would be a desirable feature in a shaving brush, and it sounds like a good way to wreck one. In shaving soaps it probably just washes out in the cleaning, but I don't think it would be a good idea to soak a brush in the stuff.

The manufacturers recommend occasional washing shaving brushes in borax to keep mold down, don't they? This is both a disinfectant and a very light detergent.

After I think my brush is clean, I make a quick try at lathering my face with it. If there's no soap residue, nothing happens, I rinse my face off the brush, and hang it to dry. It turns out to be a really good test.

Originally Posted by Mike12345

Hi and welcome.

I've never heard of anyone using glycerin to clean a shaving brush. I rarely ever clean my brushes. We're using them to apply soap after all.

Some feel there's a soap film build up after some use and an occasional washing with a cleansing shampoo is useful. Others feel an occasional rinsing with a weak vinegar solution to be helpful.

A new brush that has a natural animal stink benefits from a washing with either cleaners, but even that I use sparingly, but that's just me.

I use that on my brushes now and again - hmmm, maybe I am due now that I think about it, but it works like a charm! A charm I tell you lol.

Makes mine feel "like new." It's kind of cool.

Originally Posted by Bono09

Where do you get glycerin?

I get mine at my local pharmacy.

I've heard of folks using a very mild Oxy Clean solution for stinky brushes.

I Used that for my horse hair brushes to get some of the funky smell out.