Thread: Soaking shaving brush in water.

For a few months now when I shave I fill my sink full of hot water and then put the brush in this hot water to soak and get hot.

Anyway my question is since most people probably just wet the bristle and not the whole brush I have been wondering if soaking the whole brush is good for it.

My thought is that it doesn't make any difference because the bristles will wick water back into the handle but then again I am only guessing.

Any comments...........................

Soaking the entire brush in very hot water probably isn't good for the glue. If you're just using hot tap water it's probably not a big deal, but the brush doesn't need a big soaking, I just run mine upside down under the stream for a few seconds, then leave it soaking in the lather bowl while I wash my face.

You're right that the bristles will wick water into the handle, this is why it doesn't matter if you dry your brush with the bristles up or down, the water is going into the handle anyway.

Bill,

Part of the "Method Shaving" routine is to toss the brush and "the cube" into the sink and let them soak together. I would guess that over time there might be a cumulative effect. I keep a small coffee cup next to the sink, put in the brush, and then fill it with water up to about the handle. Since I have a few wooden handle brushes, I want to keep them out of water as much as possible.

RT

I do not soak the brush, and I also think "method shaving" is nonsense and waste of product...

Nenad

I'll never understand why people soak their brushes. tTrrible for the brush. A good brush under the faucet a minute or less and its has as much water as its ever going to retain.

I agree. The idea of boiling water, soaking your brush while you shower, and shaving when you get out? How does this make your brush MORE wet? Once it's wet, it's wet! Don't get me wrong, wetter is better, but come on? It seems to be a waste of hot water and a waste of effort. Surely a 30 second-1minute dunk in the sink or under the tap should do just as well, no?

While it is true that capillary action will cause the base of the bristles to get wet one way or another, I suspect there is a big difference between getting wet for a 20 minute shave vs. submerged for 20minutes + a 20 minute shave.

Regardless of the material handle, I always try to avoid prolonged and unnecessary soaking of my brushes and have always suggested similar treatment for any of the brushes that I sell.

Personally, I suspect that a lot of the reason some people find their brushes keep losing hair is this extended soak routine with hot pots, etc. it can't be good for the glue to be treated like that -- my brush gets soaked in my little lather bowl in warm water for no more than a minute while I'm washing my face, the bowl is small enough that the handle is barely in the water.

I wonder if the extreme soaking is an attempt to compensate for the cream scum buildup on the brushes? I stopped getting that once I switched to soaps full-time, but I can remember my brushes getting a bit waterproof after a few days of cream use.

I use creams exclusively but have never had a problem with my brushes going hydrophobic (water repellant). I rinse thoroughly following each shave and my water is neither extremely hard nor soft.

Under the FWIW category, I too do not see the need for an extended submersion soak of a brush. If your beard is said to be saturated after a minute or two of applying water, what would make one think that badger or boar hair is much different?

Just another data point,
Ed

I toss my brush into a mug of hot tap water and let it sit while I strop. I only do this because it saves me a little time. I've never seen any damage to the brush result. Just my $0.02

Jordan

I have soaked my brush during my shower, as well as for just a short ~1minute soak. There is no question, my brush soaks up more water if I leave it in the sink soaking for along time. However, the short 1 minute soak provides more than enough water. Personally I don't see what the big deal is with water retention. I get more than enough high quality lather if I do a short soak. I get more than enough high quality lather if I do a short soak and shake some water out of the brush. I have found that lather quality has more to do with amount of time spent working it than amount of water used. I get great lathers using hugely different amounts of water. My answer: do whatever, it will work.

Philip