Hard Water Damages Brush

I have heard adding a teaspoon of citric acid to your shaving water will soften it a bit

I did some experiments with citric acid a while back, and it works really well to make lathering easier. But you have to use just a tiny amount. Just 1 gram in a liter of water was plenty, and adding too much made it completely impossible to make lather.

Will have to give it a try.  Thanks for the info Chuck!

For daily maintenance I rinse thoroughly with warm water then rinse again with cold water to make sure there is no residual soap inside the brush( I actually lift the brush to my ear to listen for a soap "crackle"). Every 6 months or so I'll use either Pinselseife brush cleaner or if it's really getting build up I'll use Zartgefühl Cleansing Soap and it basically makes the brush brand new. If you've got some high end brushes you're looking to preserve these brush soaps are worth the extra expense IMO.

I have hard water and have never seen any negative impact on my brushes. I keep a few in rotation and keep the clean and well dried before each use. I also do not mash them into a puck of soap or my face when lathering , I believe all of the above would have a greater influence on brush longevity than your waters gh.

Thanks for all the replies. It was very helpful.

yeah as others have said it shouldnt really impact the brush as long as you properly maintain it. i have hard water and i have yet to see any of my brushes affected by the type of water used and ive used water in iraq, korea, kuwait and all over the place with no issues.

What I tend to do is boil my water in a kettle then pour it in a mug and let the water sit until luke warm. I believe this helps "soften" the hard water. I still do maintenance cleaning on my brushes every few months but it seems to work

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San Diego has hard water but with just normal rinsing and complete drying I have not noticed a problem so perhaps the water here isn't as hard as other places. As Brian suggests, consider giving synthetics a chance. They have come a long way in just a few years. I picked up a Plisson synthetic that was made for L'Occitane for only $30.00 and the performance and face feel are just amazing.

Hey Freddy,

Where did you get your Plisson for at that price? I thought they were noticeably more expensive?

I can confirm that they are $30.00 just got one the other day which I plan to sell as part of a kit.

$45 US dollars including shipping for a plisson white acetate handle here: http://blaireauxplisson.com/en/shavingbr...34801.html