Thread: The hair o' the dog

This question may sound a bit silly, but it's a serious question..

There's no doubt that animal hair (fur) and human hair have a few fundamental differences. Animals often have an undercoat along with outer hairs.. Humans not so, it's pretty consistent..
Since I've been honing, I'm in constant need of hairs for testing. I either get no hair on a pull, or I get several. Now, I don't have as full a head of hair as I used to... i still have it all, but it's thinned somewhat. While honing this afternoon, the thought struck me.. I've got two setters sacked out on the bed. An instant and inexhaustable supply of hair! The weather is warming, and they'll not be needing it anymore anyway.

So, the question...
Does it matter for the HHT whether the subject is a human hair, or dog hair? And, is there anyone else that sees the dog as a great source of hairs for the HHT?

I've gotten your contact info and have reported you to the ASPCA .... they are on their way over and you are toast.

Just kidding ..... great minds must think alike. I don't have a dog but I have tried my cat's hair .... no shortage .... and it is finer than mine so no help for me. You could try the dog's. or any other hair. There is a video where Mastro Livi is using a bird's feather.

I use a hair brush rather than a comb on my head. I know that the ideal for the HHT is a freshly washed and plucked clean hair but I make it harder and use old greasy ones pulled out of my hair brush. Hope that helps.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I've gotten your contact info and have reported you to the ASPCA .... they are on their way over and you are toast.

Sometimes I wish I had it as easy as these dogs!

My hair is very fine, and bends extremely easily, so unless I get very close to my fingers the HHT often doesn't work, and I like my fingertips very much!! The English setter has firm silky hair, the Gordon's is much finer.. So, I've been harvesting from the ES.

It can't hurt much... She barely opens her eyes!

So, I guess the test is still relatively valid?

Originally Posted by BlacknTan

My hair is very fine, and bends extremely easily,

Mine too. Early on I used to figure the same thing was inhibiting my results. Then I took a brand new Feather DE blade and gave it a try. With my hair some are finer than others. I can see a difference when i pull them out of the hair brush. Mine are mostly white or gray and sometimes are difficult to see once they are in between my fingers. I have to hold them in good light and against a darker background. Anyway ..... a new Feather won't always cut the finer ones but it will cut the thicker ones.

gssixgun frequently says that the HHT has to be learned and I used to wonder about that. Now I believe that to be correct. I have a much greater success rate with it than I used to. This could be because I have improved my honing skills or because I've improved my HHT skills..... or a bit of both. The real deal is that the shave is the true test and I've gotten great shaves off of edges that didn't cut HHT. So focus on the shave and don't get bummed out if HHT doesn't come easy. If you have a new DE blade see if your own hair will pass with that BTW.

Good advice on the De blade, Jimmy!

I've got some brand new Feathers.. I'll try some of my own limp gray hairs, and also borrow one from the English Setter.

She's having her "after dinner" nap on my bed!

Originally Posted by BlacknTan

Animals often have an undercoat along with outer hairs.. Humans not so, it's pretty consistent..

Wait, now I'm not sure anymore what I am....

As you may guess the correct answer is to try it and see if it works. At the end of the day you want a razor that shaves well, if you find some test that indicates whether that's true or not without destroying the edge it doesn't matter if it's cutting dog hairs, or beheading zombies.