Avoid Brush Damage

Thanks for sharing Brad.  Are there any other things you can share?

I have a couple of questions.

1. An email with tips on brush care said to plunger the brush in a glass or shaving mug of water until the water is clear.  What is your take?

2. There are places that say to let a brush dry hanging from a stand and others that say to place it on the base with the brush going up.  What is your take?

If I may give my take on this.

Some soak their badgers before use, other just dip it under the tap.

I do feel soaking the brush for 2-3 minutes before the shave in warm water is the way I prefer to do it.

In order to maintain your badger brushes in top shape, you make sure to clean out excess soap/cream residue after the shave. I rinse my brushes under warm/tepid water, hold the brush with the knot facing down and only holding it in the knot and not the handle, then with my fingers gently (yet still quite firmly) squeeze the water out of the knot. Do this 3-4 times until the water, that comes out of the brus looks like regular water and not water mixed with soap/cream.
Then gently shake the brush 6-8 times to pull the water out of the brush towards the top of the bristles. Don't shake it too hard, the knot can loosen if you shake it with too muich force.

Then I wipe the brush dry in a soft towell and stand it on its base, preferably next to a window, in an open area, where the excess moist can evaporate from the bristles.

I used to hang my brush with the knot facing down - but now, that I own so many brushes, that I use the same brush perhaps every 3-4 months or so, the brush will be completely dry before I use it for a shave again.

There is no scientifically proven test, that indicates, that hanging the brush is better than standing the brush on its base.

As Gary Young, the former owner of Simpson brushes, said: "If badger brushes were meant to hang to dry, they would come with a stand or have a hook attached to the brush handle"

I totally agree with the comments about soaking brushes before use. I don't worry about that with synthetic brushes. My face is much happier if the brush soaks for three minutes or so before use with natural fibers

Don't really load it like you hate it..

Load it like you're just slightly annoyed at it.

Edit:

Nope, I don't soak my brushes. Too much work.

They seem to be holding out just fine.

People when you load your brushes only use the tips to not press hard into the soap doesn't matter whether you use circular motions or back and forth motions just load the tips do not press your brushes into the soap the goal with Badger and boar brushes is to beat up the tips so that they split that's what gives you your bloom. Now as far as drying brushs Shake It Out.. wipe it on a terry cloth towel then it really doesn't matter whether it stands up or down. And that my friends is how you treat your brushes.

Well, no one is responding on the brush up or down for drying, so I'll share the explanation that makes the most sense to me.

Letting the brush dry by sitting it on the base with the bristles up makes most sense to me.

Why,?  The explanation I read advised to gently squeeze the water out, then shake the brush to get more water out.  The reasoning they gave is that after this, the water droplets are not big enough to be impacted by gravity and drying with the bristles up makes it easier for them to dry.

I don't worry about this with my synthetic brushes.  The only natural bristle I use is horse hair.  I use a rotation though they are dry by the next day.

I have only stood my brushes on their respective bases after a light shake and towel strop. No ill effects.

Per Claus' comment, in an interview years ago Gary Young mentioned that if they had intended on their brushes to dry hanging, they would ship with hooks in the base [this in specific reference to CH2].

Not going to hurt but not necessary. More important to get all your excess soap out and rinse properly.