Flow-through frustrations

I have a few dense badger brushes (thanks SBAD) that I've been struggling with for a couple months, and my frustrations have to do with flow-through. The brush holds onto the lather, or releases it around the knot instead of the tips. So I end up using a paintbrush motion to apply the lather from the sides of the knot, but when I try to even it out, the tips end up wiping it away.

I've been face-lathering for the most part, and the brushes in question are a Simpson Chubby 1 (two-band super) and a couple Rooneys (1/1 and 1/2). I have a Savile Row that's less dense and has less backbone, and it doesn't give me any problems. Do you think it's the density or the backbone that's the source of my frustrations? Or are the two inseparable?

Maybe I need to check out some Simpson best hair and move away from the super?

I too sometimes get this problem. if it gets real bad i usually just squeeze the brush a lil moving he lather up out of it.

It's the density. With dense brushes like yours you have to use more soap/cream because they will hog the lather. It's the nature of the beast.
You can also try using the tips of the brush more to build lather rather than pushing the brush on your face.
You could also try using a shave stick. Dense brushes work very well with shave sticks.

+1 to what Peter said . Also, you may try to hold the brush at the knot (rather than the handle). This way, your fingers can be used to push the lather out a bit. It works like a charm

Thanks, gents!

I had heard that dense brushes required more product, and I've tried to load more soap, but maybe just not enough. I'll try that. I'll try using the tips more too.

A shave stick is something I hadn't considered. Sounds like a good idea!

I've tried squeezing the lather up from the knot, but I still have a hard time evening it out without wiping it away. Plus I really want to be able to lather without having to resort to the squeeze, even if it means I have to downgrade my density

Oh boy, look at the time... Happy Thanksgiving!

roboboticus said:

Plus I really want to be able to lather without having to resort to the squeeze, even if it means I have to downgrade my density

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You might want to look into a Vulfix Mayfair, Piccadilly, or possibly Hyde Park from their London Series. They are Pure Badger, but hand sorted and loaded so scritch isn't bad, but the fact is they are under 50mm loft. That certainly helps the less dense brushes get away from flop. I face lather with the the Pic and Mayfair a lot, and I have never had to use tactics to get my lather when I want it.

Like anything else, it is hard for a single item to meet all our diverse needs. Often, for the superb backbone that a dense brush can give, it locks a lot of that lather up tight. The less dense, while being free with the goods, often don't offer that firm face feel lots of us like. You either have to find a somewhat happy medium--or own several different brushes with varying characteristics.

If you hang around B&B long enough, you're probably going to do the latter.

All of my brushes are pretty dense and I rarely have that issue. You just have to make the lather to suit the brush and the soap and you will be OK.

Thebigspendur said:

All of my brushes are pretty dense and I rarely have that issue. You just have to make the lather to suit the brush and the soap and you will be OK.

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You may not have the issue because you aren't trying to get that soap that's down in the lower knot. It's still there, but will get rinsed down the drain. With a dense brush, you need to use extra product because some of your lather is just being used for filler so accessible lather is on top.

One of the traits of dense brushes is that they have to be fed more to produce the same amount of easily accessible quality lather. That's no problem for many folks. I see where it could be for some.

Crixus said:

You may not have the issue because you aren't trying to get that soap that's down in the lower knot. It's still there, but will get rinsed down the drain. With a dense brush, you need to use extra product because some of your lather is just being used for filler so accessible lather is on top.

One of the traits of dense brushes is that they have to be fed more to produce the same amount of easily accessible quality lather. That's no problem for many folks. I see where it could be for some.

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I find that if I use a lot of deep paint brush storks (almost with the side of the brush) that helps get lather in the bottom of the knot to fill it up. This seems to help get lather out of the top, as the bottom is not pulling lather down by capillary action. There is a small technique factor in addition to proper loading. Though a dense brush will hog lather no matter how much you compensate. YMMV.

Crixus said:

You may not have the issue because you aren't trying to get that soap that's down in the lower knot. It's still there, but will get rinsed down the drain. With a dense brush, you need to use extra product because some of your lather is just being used for filler so accessible lather is on top.

One of the traits of dense brushes is that they have to be fed more to produce the same amount of easily accessible quality lather. That's no problem for many folks. I see where it could be for some.

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You are right I'm not trying to get the soap out of the lowest parts of the brush. I don't need to since I have more than enough to do the job 2x over. It's a non-issue to me. If you get a big or thick brush it just makes more lather like that. It would seem the solution is stick with a smaller brush. Kind of like using the same coffee grounds 2x to get all the product out or driving around in a car with a big engine and being unhappy with the poor city mileage.

Just my way of looking at it.

The Simfix Grosvenor LE solved my flow thru frustrations. I am really not fond of overly dense brushes.

The best way I found to deal with lather hogging on a hard soap is to load up quite dry, leave a shave stick like layer of soap on my face then go back to the puck. Then lather up as normal, which gives you almost twice the product without forming lather all over the puck.
Gives me oodles.