Boar lathering experience

Hey guys,

I bought myself an Omega 31064 boar brush to experience a different type of brush. I currently have a Vulfix 850 Pure badger brush.

I've been shaving daily with the Omega Boar brush using TOBS Lavender soap. I still can't get a decent lather that lasts more than one pass. I'm constantly going back to the puck to recharge the brush. I watched a video with a guy who has the Omega 31046 and explains that you should have the brush soaking wet and then begin loading the brush. I also followed the forums guide on how to build lather (using a very dry brush). I load the brush for a minute or so using different types of plunging motions and spins. Nothing seems to help. Today I even loaded the brush and then began building lather in a bowl (I always face lather).

I don't like using the soaked brush technique because it wastes soap like crazy and I haven't seen the results. It seems as if the brush somehow sucks the lather into itself and eats it.

I don't have any problems with my Vulfix badger brush. What are your experiences with boars? Do you go back to the puck after each pass?

Actually you do want to soak it. Boar bristles adsorb water like no one's business. If you aren't soaking it, that is probably what is drying out your lather as dry bristles are going to suck up and water in your lather until they have their fill.

Actually the best way to use a boar from my experience is to soak the brush, then let the excess water drip off, no shaking or squeezing, and lather from that. At least that is what works for me.

The other thing to keep in mind is that boar brushes will lather better as you use it more and more. There's a bit of a break in period required to split the ends of the bristles. Once they split, you should see an improvement in both the softness of the tips and the brushes ability to lather.

gollum83 said:

Actually you do want to soak it. Boar bristles adsorb water like no one's business. If you aren't soaking it, that is probably what is drying out your lather as dry bristles are going to suck up and water in your lather until they have their fill.

Actually the best way to use a boar from my experience is to soak the brush, then let the excess water drip off, no shaking or squeezing, and lather from that. At least that is what works for me.

The other thing to keep in mind is that boar brushes will lather better as you use it more and more. There's a bit of a break in period required to split the ends of the bristles. Once they split, you should see an improvement in both the softness of the tips and the brushes ability to lather.

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Thanks for the reply. So I'm assuming when you lather on your puck you have a ton of bubbles and lather all over the place. Also, how many passes are you getting from loading the brush initially? And finally last question, how long are you taking to load the brush....1 minute? Thanks.

Eug said:

Thanks for the reply. So I'm assuming when you lather on your puck you have a ton of bubbles and lather all over the place. Also, how many passes are you getting from loading the brush initially? And finally last question, how long are you taking to load the brush....1 minute? Thanks.

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Honestly I haven't timed it at all. It's loaded when it's loaded.

I soak the brush while I shower, then shake out all the excess. I use a lot of plunger motions and less swirling when loading the brush, and build lather in my bowl with mainly plunger motions to begin with.

When the lather starts to form to my liking, then I will swirl the brush until I am satisfied. I get at least 4 passes easily (of nice, thick lather) with a VDH brush and VDH Deluxe soap. (I can't wait to try my new Omega that just came today)

It took me a couple of weeks before I was able to figure out how to get a nice lather going. For me, the breakthrough was more plunger motions and less swirling.

dog said:

It took me a couple of weeks before I was able to figure out how to get a nice lather going. For me, the breakthrough was more plunger motions and less swirling.

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Good point. You do want to really work the soap in to the brush. If it's going to suck in lather anyway, why not help it so your brush is nice and happy? If it's happy, you're happy because it won't eat your lather.

I have an Omega boar and it is a champ with soaps.

I soak it in warm water and let the excess just drip off. When the stream turns in to a drip, the brush seems to have the right amount of water. After that, it's just a matter of swirling the bristles over the soap with the occasional plunge until it is sufficiently loaded, which for me is bristles gunked up with soap.

What is sufficiently gunked up? You know it when you see it.

Make sure the soap has been softened with a warm water. I put enough on top of the soap to cover it and let it sit for moment. I leave a little bit on top of the soap to help load the brush. Since I bowl lather, I like to drain the excess into the bowl. A warm bowl helps build lather so I like to soak the bowl in the sink to warm it up.

I can get complicated, but once you get a these few steps down, it all becomes second nature.

What do you guys think about the amount of soap the boar brush uses versus a badger? With all the excess water you need with the boar, are you wasting a significant amount of soap? By the way, did you even consider using your boar brush with a cream?

My dilemma is that I have a 35 dollar pure badger brush that works with soaps and creams quite well (very well to be exact). This Omega boar is slightly cheaper but takes longer to get a lather going and might possibly be wasting soap. Did I get lucky with my pure badger brush choice? I'm trying to rationalize why some would choose boar over a pure badger when both can be acquired for a similar price. Maybe money doesn't have anything to do with it.....your thoughts?

I'd soak your brush, flick off the excess water, then swirl the brush for about 8 seconds on the puck before face lathering.

gollum83 said:

Actually you do want to soak it. Boar bristles adsorb water like no one's business. If you aren't soaking it, that is probably what is drying out your lather as dry bristles are going to suck up and water in your lather until they have their fill.

Actually the best way to use a boar from my experience is to soak the brush, then let the excess water drip off, no shaking or squeezing, and lather from that. At least that is what works for me.

The other thing to keep in mind is that boar brushes will lather better as you use it more and more. There's a bit of a break in period required to split the ends of the bristles. Once they split, you should see an improvement in both the softness of the tips and the brushes ability to lather.

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Very precisely put. I am quite a boar fan myself and have 2 from the 3100XX series, a pro, and a few more omega boars. The brushes are absolutely fantastic and take in a lot of water. With Indian shave creams and the Godrej shave round, I experience rich creamy lather which lasts enough for around 3 passes. Let me also add that I have a Semogue 730 silvertip badger which is a king latherer. The boar maybe slight of a step down from the badgers and may use a wee bit more product, but there is a technique to it and once you get the hang of it, boars definitely will not disappoint you with soaps as well as creams.

One trick that I've learned when bowl lathering with a boar brush is to press down on it so that the bristles splay a bit. That really speeds up the lather creation process!

Eug said:

What do you guys think about the amount of soap the boar brush uses versus a badger? With all the excess water you need with the boar, are you wasting a significant amount of soap? By the way, did you even consider using your boar brush with a cream?

My dilemma is that I have a 35 dollar pure badger brush that works with soaps and creams quite well (very well to be exact). This Omega boar is slightly cheaper but takes longer to get a lather going and might possibly be wasting soap. Did I get lucky with my pure badger brush choice? I'm trying to rationalize why some would choose boar over a pure badger when both can be acquired for a similar price. Maybe money doesn't have anything to do with it.....your thoughts?

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My Omega does work well with creams. It's a versatile brush. I would not worry too much about wasting soap. From my experience, it doesn't use any more soap than a badger brush.

If you prefer the badger, then by I would just stick to the badger.

Don't forget that boar brushes need their time to break in.

Actually I can't think of a better brush on soaps; after it has broken in even my small travel Omega holds enough lather for 3+ passes after just a few swirls.