how long do you need to soak boar brushes for?

However long it takes me to finish showering.

I soak all but synthetics for the duration of my shower in warm water. Squeeze out excess water and brush away.

I put it in hot faucet water up to about a quarter inch below the handle while I shower and dry off. Maybe ten minutes or so.

jonwilson said:

Ok, so most soak their boar brushes for a few minutes. What do you normally do after soaking your boar? do you shake or squeeze the excess water out of your boar? would it be better to shake it out completely or give it one squeeze and you're good to go?

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Two good snaps of the wrist. But then, I bloom my soap while I'm showering, so the soap isn't dry. BTW, I don't waste the bloom water. I use it to splash my face before my first pass.

I soak while in the shower.

jonwilson said:

5 minutes? is it better to soak a boar in warm/hot water for a few minutes or can you just wet it quickly and than use it? Also, is there a quick way to remove the pig smell from a boar brush? I hear some say use vinegar or lather up your brush and keep the lather in for a day and than rinse. Any tips you guys have? thank you

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One method that might help with smell. Soak with dish soap for about 10 minutes, rinse it clean. Then with the wet brush build a lather. Once the lather is good, don't rinse the brush. Just let it sit out overnight. Rinse it clean in the morning, and let it dry before using. Sounds complicated be takes just a few minutes. It will help with the smell and break in.

I soak 1 to 2 minutes. I shake it once or twice ( the brush) and i always keep proraso red on hand to leave lather on it overnight for a new boar, the scent of that soap sticks to everything.

I never had a boar brush that smelled that bad. Some guys must have sensitive noses. I also soak mine for 1 - 2 minutes.

If the smell bothers you try hand lathering it a few times, rinse and let dry. I don't soak any boar, badger or synthetic and use cold water to shave with. I just swish the boar brush in cold water, shake and load the brush then face lather. Just do whatever way works best for you after a little experimenting.

Bob

I soak all of my brushes in hot water in a lather bowl for about 2 minutes before use. For the badger and boar brushes I find it softens them up nicely. My boar brush is actually pretty hard before I soak it and once it sits for a couple minutes, it becomes nice and soft. I actually like it better than most of my badger brushes, except for the Parker King Size. For the synthetic it warms it really well. I absolutely love the feeling of warm lather on my face. As for the smell of any animal hair brush, I have never washed any brush I have bought. I simply rinsed it thoroughly in hot water before the first use, no soap or shampoo. I then lathered up. Smell disappears after 2 or 3 uses.

10 to 15 minutes in cold water; the colder the better. Get the bristles fully hydrated and they not only become super soft, but the bristles act as a reservoir that releases water as the soap demands. There is nothing like a cold wet shave on a hot summer day.

I also soak my boar brush in warm/hot water for about 5 minutes or so. Sometime, it may be a bit longer. When I'm ready to shave, I give it a couple good shakes, and then load my soap (I never bloom my soap).

For a couple of my boars that had a little bit of a stink, I made a practice lather and let the lather sit in the brush for 20 or 30 minutes, and then cleaned out the brush. I did that for 2 or 3 days. It did help the smell to dissipate and the brush to break in more quickly than if I didn't do anything, but it retrospect, I'm not sure if I would have done anything (the smell goes away quickly enough on its own).

I soak my Semogue 820 in warm water during my shower, about 5 minutes. Can't remember if it had a bad smell, but I think a few test lathers would fix that quickly.

I stopped soaking brushes because I like them to have more backbone. Now I just run them under the tap for 30 seconds give or take. I found that the brushes don't soap up or eat the lather this way either. The best way to get rid of the boar or badger funk is just use it. I always do a few cleaning lathers when I first get my brushes with dish soap.

Whipped Dog ships a little packet of oxy clean with their brushes. (Maybe 1 tablespoon of powder).

I believe their advise for smell removal was to wash your new brush with dish soap, soak in a glass of warm water with dissolved oxy clean for 20-30 minutes, and rinse (wash?) it out.

I just rinsed mine in warm water, made a practice lather with shave soap, rinsed it out - and figured it was now "clean".

Then i made another lather, shaved, and rinsed out the brush.
All the wet dog smell went away by day 5 just from using it.
80% of the smell was gone after day 3.

I think that the brush will have absorbed about all the water it is going to absorb within 30 seconds. But my routine takes longer than this. So it soaks longer.

I would guess what I am saying is what most other people are saying (not reading all the replies, sorry). The boars soak while I shower. Sometimes it's longer and sometimes it's shorter. Either way, I have never had any problems.

I have done some experiment by doing quick 10-second soaks, just enough to make sure each hair has a chance to 'take a drink', with good results.

It depends to the temperature of the water that you are soaking your brush. If it is tap water in cold area you must soak it longer. But if you soak into the hot water (not boiling of course ) you diminish the soaking time.

In addition, You can soak Boar brushes into hotter water (1-2 minutes enough) , compared to the badger brushes (4-5 minutes).

I have the best results just by wetting it under warm water, letting the brush sit for a couple minutes, lightly squeeze out excess water and lather up!

I've actually done some experimenting concerning soak time and find that all my boars max out absorption at ~12 minutes in tepid water.

I'm absolutely able to notice between 4, 8 and 12 minute soaks. I am not able to further distinguish between 12 minute soaks and 12+X minute soaks.