Boar brushes: what makes the hair split faster?

poikkeus · Jul 27, 2014

It's common knowledge: boar brushes "break in" when the ends split, making the bristles even softer. After nearly a month of continuous use, my Omega "Professional" took nearly a month of use before even the slightest hint of splitting hairs; my new Omega 10098 has somewhat longer hair, and I noticed the hair starting to split around a day.

What's going on here? Could it be that, as I suspect, boar hair must be bone dry before splitting? Or is it dependent on the hair itself?

mswofford · Jul 27, 2014

Letting a boar brush dry thoroughly is when the hairs split (break in). 24 hours may be enough, but 2 days is better. Some boar brushes do take a long time, like up to 3 months to break in. If you have a magnifier, you can see that the outside bristles split first because they dry first. Just keep using your brush; it will happen.

poikkeus · Jul 27, 2014

Thanks - that makes sense. Boar hair absorbs water easily - so it makes sense that the hair has to be completely dry before any splitting happens. I hadn't counted on the fact that boar hair was so good at absorbing water, so drying it out completely looks like a good idea.

:laugh:

bosseb · Jul 27, 2014

This Semogue 2000 is now on 20+ shaves and it seems to be broken in in the sense that it doesn't seem to improve any more.

I have a write up coming on a comparison between some nice badger brushes compared to this one:

I have been given some good advise on breaking in a boar brush here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/410500-Is-this-boar-broken-in .

J743 · Jul 28, 2014

Be sure to soak the brush in warm water, or, if you prefer cold water shaves, at least rinse the brush in warm water after.

Heat damages the bristle, especially towards the end. Ask your girlfriend about split ends; she might say something along the lines of how a cold shower amended the issue, or conditioned it thoroughly. Yes, it'll happen and don't overthink it. This is really just one of the "whys."

Try brushing the ends on a towel after the ritual shake (post shave of course). This is ensure proper drying--which is the real key here.

Some have blow dryed their brushes. I don't feel a pressing need to do that, and some caution is advised because of excessive heat burning the hair.

If you use preshave oil--STOP! it's even worse than conditioner as it will "glue" the split tips together. That was my experience, others may disagree, but oil will at least hinder the process if it doesn't all together hinder the brush.

Musikmann · Jul 28, 2014

I have a few boars and none have broken in (split ends) but I don't think I've used them enough for this to happen. I like the face lathering scritch the way they are, and one of the reasons I added these to my badger collection.

tromboneliness · Jul 29, 2014

If you have a sunny windowsill, set your brush on it and your boar will probably dry thoroughly in plenty of time for the next shave. I can actually set mine outside in the sun, and it is perfectly dry in a couple of hours even in humid weather.

Also, since we're dealing with a natural animal product here, it doesn't surprise me that one brush might break in before another.

Rosenberg · Jul 29, 2014

J743 said:
Be sure to soak the brush in warm water, or, if you prefer cold water shaves, at least rinse the brush in warm water after.

Heat damages the bristle, especially towards the end. Ask your girlfriend about split ends; she might say something along the lines of how a cold shower amended the issue, or conditioned it thoroughly. Yes, it'll happen and don't overthink it. This is really just one of the "whys."

Try brushing the ends on a towel after the ritual shake (post shave of course). This is ensure proper drying--which is the real key here.

Some have blow dryed their brushes. I don't feel a pressing need to do that, and some caution is advised because of excessive heat burning the hair.

If you use preshave oil--STOP! it's even worse than conditioner as it will "glue" the split tips together. That was my experience, others may disagree, but oil will at least hinder the process if it doesn't all together hinder the brush.

This worries me. I have a boar brush on the way, but I benefit greatly from pre shave oil.

J743 · Jul 29, 2014

Rosenberg said:
This worries me. I have a boar brush on the way, but I benefit greatly from pre shave oil.

I'm sorry for my post, forgot to stamp a YMMV on that one--rest assured, plenty have and currently use pre shave oils with all types of brushes. It is possible, so no worries in that department.

The truth is it comes from being kind of particular (anal is the word) about brushes. If it makes the decision you made to purchase a boar easier, I did recently try some oil with my 830 and the brush is fine.

Admittedly my experience is biased because in the past I used too much oil directly on the brush--an ominous warning I did not heed. In the current amounts you I assume are using, you may be just fine. I was simply phased by that experience. Less is more with oil.

The rhetoric there was a little dramatic. Enjoy your shave sir.

Karlo · Jul 29, 2014

mswofford said:
Letting a boar brush dry thoroughly is when the hairs split (break in). 24 hours may be enough, but 2 days is better. Some boar brushes do take a long time, like up to 3 months to break in. If you have a magnifier, you can see that the outside bristles split first because they dry first. Just keep using your brush; it will happen.

Very true. I also noticed that a denser boar knot takes a longer time before most of the bristles start to split. My SOC took over 6 weeks before the bristles at the center of the breach started to split. My 620 on the other hand, was like old jeans after only two weeks. (No experience with Omega knots so I can't make comparisons.

)

Musikmann · Jul 30, 2014

I just thought of something else that may help; try giving the brush more of a workout. Use a hard soap, load it vigorously, bowl lather, then face lather. After thoroughly rinsing it, shake it, rub it gently in all directions on a dry terrycloth towel then hang upside down to dry and as advised, 24-48 hours. After it dries, rub it again on a dry towel to reshape the knot.

As I mentioned earlier mine are still not broken in but I think my method is giving them the best chance.

Eeyore · Jul 30, 2014

poikkeus said:
Thanks - that makes sense. Boar hair absorbs water easily - so it makes sense that the hair has to be completely dry before any splitting happens. I hadn't counted on the fact that boar hair was so good at absorbing water, so drying it out completely looks like a good idea.

I always recommend getting at least two boar brushes. You want to give the bristles the opportunity to dry completely before using the brush again.

Apart from that, I don't want to know what could be growing in an animals hair brush that is never allowed to fully dry.

coolcanuc · Jul 30, 2014

Time is the answer. You need to let the brush dry in-between uses, I have just the one brush and it dries in the space of 24 hours. Do not abuse the brush, just use as normal.

asingh · Jul 30, 2014

Eeyore said:
Apart from that, I don't want to know what could be growing in an animals hair brush that is never allowed to fully dry.

Oh..can that happen..? Even if the brush is kept in a clean bathroom environ.

Eeyore · Jul 30, 2014

asingh said:
Oh..can that happen..? Even if the brush is kept in a clean bathroom environ.

Actually I don't know for sure. But it looks like continued exposure to moisture can weaken the glue so much that the knot falls apart. Happened to one of my dad's brushes. But given that nasty things can grow in natural hair toothbrushes, why would shaving brushes be immune?

I guess that people who restore old boar brushes would know more about the topic, so I hope one will chime in!

thatonesmine · Jul 30, 2014

Another factor to be considered when talking about Drying Vs Split ends........... Is the quality of the Boar used as with badger not all Boar hair has the same quality, and grading is very important as well.

Charles U.K

poikkeus · Jul 30, 2014

Some excellent info. I've learned...

(1) to dry a boar's hair brush completely - until it's bone dry, so splitting can happen; (2) split air on boar brushes can vary according to the quality of the hair, or whether there are too many "clipped" hairs; (3) too much heat can, in certain cases, loosen the knot, destroying the brush; (4) get at least two boar brushes, so one can dry while the other one gets used; (5) it can take several years for a boar's hair brush to fully split.

peit · Jul 30, 2014

I found that grasping the knot about 1/2 and inch from the top with one hand while forcefully swirling the tips on the other palm/heel helps to soften up the tips while preserving the backbone.

Also washing with dish liquid or very harsh drying detergent helps.

BSAGuy · Jul 30, 2014

+ 1 for this. I have a window that gets full morning sun. After I shave, the brush goes on the window sill and I retrive it in the evening.

tromboneliness said:
If you have a sunny windowsill, set your brush on it and your boar will probably dry thoroughly in plenty of time for the next shave. I can actually set mine outside in the sun, and it is perfectly dry in a couple of hours even in humid weather.

Also, since we're dealing with a natural animal product here, it doesn't surprise me that one brush might break in before another.

Clubman4Life · Jul 30, 2014

Hey, brother. I'm still new to the game (about three weeks in) but I can tell you how I broke in my three new Omega boars.

I just did a few hand lathers the first few days I had them and let them dry overnight with the soap still on it to condition the hair as per "Nick Shaves" on youtube.

I've had the 10066 for three weeks and it looks and feels pretty broken in. The Bambino and Professional 10098 came extremely soft from the factory and had no trace of wet dog smell. After the first week of about ten lathers each, the hairs started to split.

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Boar brushes: what makes the hair split faster?

poikkeus

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poikkeus

bosseb

J743

Musikmann

tromboneliness

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J743

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asingh

Eeyore

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peit

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