Boar brush not shedding but bristles are breaking
Boar brush not shedding but bristles are breaking
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
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
- suffolksupplies
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Boar bristles can break if not fully saturated, this is the only cause I can think of.
Best regards,
Paul
Quality shaving products & toiletries from Connaught Shaving http://connaughtshaving.com
Paul
Quality shaving products & toiletries from Connaught Shaving http://connaughtshaving.com
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?
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?
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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
Regards,
Gordon
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,
Regards,
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
EDIT: Geez, I completely ignored that you face lather. Yes, it must be your abrasive face!
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."
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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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
Andy