KABOOM Your Brush?

What kind of shaving brush do you use? Tell us all about it!
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Ouchmychin
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KABOOM Your Brush?

Post by Ouchmychin »

:D I recently purchased a squirt bottle of a bathroom cleaner called "KABOOM" to get rid of soap scum on tub shower and wash basin. Then I got the bright idea---what would this do for my brushes? I got my cheapest brush and squirted a bit of the foam on the outside of the bristles and worked it in. After a rinse I was amazed that what appeared to be a clean brush was now behaving differently. The bristles were only boar and they tended to clump after rinsing. I discovered that this was from a soap film. So I tried it on several brushes and all benefitted from getting the film of soap removed. It is only a temporary fix since I add new soap with every shave. I don't think it is harming the bristles to clean them. You might want to try this on one of your cheap brushes too. I believe this contains a calcium chelator, and several similar products such as CLR and Lime Away could be used.

Ouchmychin (Pete)
Rich53
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Post by Rich53 »

I wouldn't try it. I would be afraid that the harsh chemicals would damage the bristles....dry them out or make them brittle or worse. It may work but I ain't gonna try it.

regards,
Rich

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jaybee
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Post by jaybee »

I agree with Rich. I too am amazed every time I clean out my brush at how different (better) it is, but I'd choose a less harsh chemical. Using Kaboom once probably won't hurt a brush, but I'd worry about the long-term.
JB
notthesharpest
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Post by notthesharpest »

Do clean the soap scum out, especially if your water is hard (soap scum builds up quickly in that situation). But don't use something harsh to do it. It's hair - use what you would use to get soap scum out of your wife's hair. :D
jaybee
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Post by jaybee »

It's hair - use what you would use to get soap scum out of your wife's hair.
Just fyi, I think even this is a little bit misleading. Human hairs fall out and new hairs grow in all the time--the life of any individual hair is not necessarily very long. So if you're doing something that causes long-term drying or damage, you might have great results with your hair, whereas with a brush--on which the same individual hairs need to last for years--there could be problems over time. (I'm thinking here in particular of peppermint--I would use a shampoo with a lot of peppermint in it--in fact, I currently do--but there is no way I would wash my brush in anything that contained peppermint.)

The take-away is just that you should be careful to use gentle cleansers on your brush. At least if you plan to keep it for a while.
JB
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Hoos
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Post by Hoos »

notthesharpest wrote:. . . .- use what you would use to get soap scum out of your wife's hair. :D
Easy-Off, an open flame, and KABOOM! of course. :lol: :lol:

Kaboom or any other chemical prepared product would eventually do harm to fine brush.

I prefer the dish soap wash/vinegar rinse as provided in the video at Em's Place. It does a great job and the brush is amazingly soft afterward. If you have a particularly stubborn brush problem, her borax wash should do the trick without damaging the brush.
Brent
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Horse Shaver
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Post by Horse Shaver »

FWIW, I never have to clean my brushes and I believe its partly due to the QED soap I use in my rotation. I have found this vegetable based soap rinses VERY clear and tends to help remove the accumulated gunk... Besides, its a great soap which gives superb shaves...as natural and pure a product as you can make when it comes to a refined product like soap.

So if you are a regular user of tallow based soaps or traditional creams try some QED in your rotation and see if it doesn't help keep your brush clean.

The fragrances are fantastic. My favorites are Patchouli, Tea Tree and Peppermint, Sandlewood, Lavender, and Frankincense and Myhr. They contain only natural essential oils as a fragrance base. I find the lather superb--perhaps not as much cushion as an English cream or soap but definitely good lubricity and the closest shave of anything I've ever tried....and that's a LOT of soaps and creams....
Jeff



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TOB9595
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Post by TOB9595 »

Pete, have you any post Kaboom experience or thoughts on it.

I don't know if the brush would be harmed by the Kaboom. Makes sense to be careful.
Tom
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Gareth
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Post by Gareth »

As long as you make sure that the brush is clear of lather and soap after each shave, it shouldn't be necessary to clean the brush all that often (especially if you have several in rotation). I also wouldn't risk using a chemical product to clean my brushes.
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Ouchmychin
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Post by Ouchmychin »

I used the Kaboom treatment on most of the brushes in my rotation once. No ill effects from that. It does get rid of the slight film that refused to rinse out with water alone. Then the bristles are like hair that has been washed too thoroughly and not conditioned -- sort of a wild hair day. I also tried using a conditioner that was designed to strengthen hair. I think they work with a water dispersion of fine wax droplets that melt in warm water and coat the hair strands. Couldn't tell any effect from that. My brushes all cost me less than 60 bucks each so I'm not really worried about them. The only one that is currently shedding hairs is my old original Burma Shave brush that has been shedding for over a year now. I still can use it in my rotation and I like the feel of the thing.

Ouchmychin (Pete)
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Scorpio
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Post by Scorpio »

A good shampoo every now and then is all I use on my brushes. No need for anything harsher chuck full of chemicals.

Raf
"A well lathered face is only half of a good shave"
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