Boar brush not shedding but bristles are breaking

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DavidB
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Boar brush not shedding but bristles are breaking

Post by DavidB »

A question for you boar veterans out there...

I've been face lathering for about six months with a boar brush. The bristles haven't been falling out, but lately I have been losing a half-bristle every three days or so. I pushed the loft to the side and I can see a handful of half-bristles sticking up. These are just the bristles that are on the perimeter of the loft, so I assume there are more inside that I can't see.

Is this breakage due to the face lathering vs. bowl lathering? I'm sure the bristles get more of a workout on face lathering than bowl lathering, but I wasn't expecting the breakage.

Or is this a brush issue? This is a banded boar, with a black stripe mid-way up the shaft, right where the breakage has been occuring. Could the dye be weakening the bristle?

Dave
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suffolksupplies
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Post by suffolksupplies »

Boar bristles can break if not fully saturated, this is the only cause I can think of.
Best regards,

Paul



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DavidB
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Post by DavidB »

suffolksupplies wrote:Boar bristles can break if not fully saturated, this is the only cause I can think of.
I soak my boar brush for several minutes in warm water before I lather up; I never just rinse it and start lathering.

Dave
SiR-ed8

Post by SiR-ed8 »

I've yet to experience this as I've only bowl lathered.

When I'm breaking my boar in and fully immersed it sheds but certainly not break. Now come to think of it, this actually happened with my Boreal 323. For the price one can gauge the quality material. It not only shed more than I'm used to upon initial use but bristles did in fact break in middle section.

BTW, David what brand is the brush?
bernards66
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Post by bernards66 »

Dave, Boar bristle is much more brittle than badger, and so, it has a tendency to break off like you describe. To a degree, it's just the nature of it. You could attempt to mellow your lathering routine, or just use it until it becomes a practical handicap, chuck it and get another. The dyeing of the bristle has nothing to do with your problem I don't think. It just so happens that the band is about half way up the bristle shaft.
Regards,
Gordon
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drumana
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Post by drumana »

David - try soaking the brush for a bit. The bristles will get more 'rubbery' as they absorb water and be less likely to break. Aside from that, perhaps your face lathering style just warrants a new brush every now and then.
-Andrew-
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swarden43
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Post by swarden43 »

I have several boar brushes and do just what has been recommended - soak the brush. I fill the sink with hot tap water and set my bowl and brush down into it. They soak while I shower. The brush gets soft, the bowl gets hot, and I get a very satisfying warm lather.
Take care and God bless,
Steve
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TRBeck
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Post by TRBeck »

Well, David, I've had similar issues, though to a lesser extent than you describe. My boars get a minimum 5-minute soak before every shave. It is just, as Gordon said, the way the bristles are. They tend to be brittle, at least relative to badger. I don't have many break, but it happens. I figure that the brush is inexpensive, and based on what I've been told, many boars won't last more than a decade, so I don't worry about it. On the other hand, that many bristles is a bit troubling. Do you have hard water? I have wondered if hard water may compound the problem, as mineral deposits might be left behind when the brush dries and water evaporates. It seems this could cause the bristles to be a bit less flexible, but I don't know. :?:

Regards,
Regards,
Tim

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DEF
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Post by DEF »

EDIT: Geez, I completely ignored that you face lather. Yes, it must be your abrasive face! :lol:

One other thing to consider might be your lathering bowl/s. If there is any sort of rough texture around the rim, that could be abrading the bristles and contributing to breakage.

For the most part, my brush philosophy is "Buy 'em cheap, use 'em hard, replace 'em when necessary."
Doug
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DavidB
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Post by DavidB »

Thanks, guys. Great input!

Dave
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Gweezemeister
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Post by Gweezemeister »

Happened to me as well (half bristles coming off). The worst case was on a travel Vulfix superbager ( of all brushes!!). I too initially thought the hairs weren't well saturated or at the very least that I wasn't using it enough. I even posted about it on another forum several years ago called "Use it or lose it?!?!". But it stopped thankfully.
Andy
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