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Why does my brush's knot look like this?

Q

Question

Member
It doesn't fan out properly like my other omega brush for some reason...it just sticks together in one huge clump. Even when it dries it still remains in one lump.

0xobC9N.jpg
 
I dunno but maybe try rinsing it out for longer to make sure there's no residual soap in there and maybe comb it out a bit?
 
@Question before hanging the boar brush always give a the brush a good gentle rub with a dry towel to dry out the knot, that way the brush bloom better with a towel if you hang the brush straight away without using a towel it won't bloom on it own while drying out.
 
My omega has never fanned out. Doesn't look quite like that but not far out.
 
Omegas don't fan out like badgers. Even so, the brush pictured is sopping wet and will stay that way if not dried first. I shake all my brushes out, then towel dry. Then it should just dry pretty straight, no fan.

If you have another omega that dries differently, then the knot in that one might have an issue. The band looks broken.
 
So, no fans for Omegas!
 
Im confused, i thought a brush stand was supposed to help it dry by making the water drip out or something? If the brush air dries, shouldnt the hair spread out too? My other omega brush does this when it dries...not sure why this one doesnt.
 
You should not be returning a brush to its stand dripping wet. It should be shaken until it does not fling any water droplets, then gently brushed on a towel before placing into a stand to air-dry.
My higher quality brushes come with maintenance notes. Interestingly, they all state that on no account should the knot be wrung dry by hand, yet I see many so-called online experts doing this.
I have consolidated the various OEM instructions into a regime that I use for my brushes:

* After shaving, rinse brush thoroughly, ensuring all soap is removed.
* If water is hard, I soak brush for 10 sec in soft water.
* Shake brush in a linear flinging action to de-water. I do this by aiming the brush fling into the shower recess, and I nominally do this 20 times.
* Gently stroke the brush 2-3 times North-South, then East-West on a clean dry towel.
* Place brush in stand (inverted) to air dry.
* To expedite drying, I place the brush in a location where it receives constant air flow.

About every six months, I clean and condition my brushes by soaking in a warm dilute solution of borax, vinegar and detergent. The brushes are then rinsed thoroughly, air dried, and put back in circulation. Some recommend the use of hair conditioner after the cleaning process, but I do not subscribe to this step, nor is it recommended in my OEM instructions.
 
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Ah thanks, It wasnt dripping wet, I shake it to get rid of the excess water, but didn't dry it with a towel. Just seems weird that you should need to dry the brush with a towel i guess...im used to stuff like this air drying.

From a scientific viewpoint, are there any negative effects of air drying brushes?
 
Air drying is gentle and even. Heat could be used, I guess, but it would need to be done carefully and gently e.g. Using a hair drier at lowest setting, and some distance away from the knot. You wouldn't want to compromise the glue within the knot.
Personally, I would stick to air drying in a gentle draft.
 
TomG said:
You should not be returning a brush to its stand dripping wet. It should be shaken until it does not fling any water droplets, then gently brushed on a towel before placing into a stand to air-dry.
My higher quality brushes come with maintenance notes. Interestingly, they all state that on no account should the knot be wrung dry by hand, yet I see many so-called online experts doing this.
I have consolidated the various OEM instructions into a regime that I use for my brushes:

* After shaving, rinse brush thoroughly, ensuring all soap is removed.
* If water is hard, I soak brush for 10 sec in soft water.
* Shake brush in a linear flinging action to de-water. I do this by aiming the brush fling into the shower recess, and I nominally do this 20 times.
* Gently stroke the brush 2-3 times North-South, then East-West on a clean dry towel.
* Place brush in stand (inverted) to air dry.
* To expedite drying, I place the brush in a location where it receives constant air flow.

About every six months, I clean and condition my brushes by soaking in a warm dilute solution of borax, vinegar and detergent. The brushes are then rinsed thoroughly, air dried, and put back in circulation. Some recommend the use of hair conditioner after the cleaning process, but I do not subscribe to this step, nor is it recommended in my OEM instructions.
Click to expand...

Much keener than I am - but then again most of my brushes are old and beaten up anyway :)
 
Mark1966 said:
Much keener than I am - but then again most of my brushes are old and beaten up anyway :)
Click to expand...
I know what you mean. Mine gets a shake out then is placed handle down on the windowsill.
 
Question said:
Ah thanks, It wasnt dripping wet, I shake it to get rid of the excess water, but didn't dry it with a towel. Just seems weird that you should need to dry the brush with a towel i guess...im used to stuff like this air drying.

From a scientific viewpoint, are there any negative effects of air drying brushes?
Click to expand...

A stand is nothing more than bathroom furniture. It has no positive or negative benefit on a brush drying. Leaving it shaken and standing on a stand or upside down on its handle will make no difference to how long it takes to dry. But it will take a lot longer than towel drying. By towel drying, I mean running the brush through a towel to get extra moisture out, not vigorously trying to dry it completely.

There is no harm to towel drying a brush and then letting them dry completely on their handle. Towel drying takes all the extra time out of the process and restores some shape to the brush.
 
Some OEM's go so far as to state that their brush should not be hung on a stand to dry...
 
Ah, what i meant was, is there evidence that air drying a brush is harmful to it? IIRC, there is some evidence that air drying your hair after you take a shower (instead of using a decent hair dryer) is harmful to your hair.

I thought stands are actually beneficial to drying brushes? Strange that OEMs would say that stands should not be used...what do they recommend? To put it handle down?
 
Question said:
...
I thought stands are actually beneficial to drying brushes? Strange that OEMs would say that stands should not be used...what do they recommend? To put it handle down?
Click to expand...

Warning, Warning, Will Robinson !!!

How to dry brushes and particularly whether to use a stand or not has been the source of long and bitter arguments, and worse, between wet shaving aficionados. Have you not heard of 'The Great Stand War of 2013' or the 'Battle of the Long Knot' in 2012?

Men have died for making lesser statements than yours, and to ask questions, @Question, well that can be considered by some on either side of this vexed debate as tantamount to treason - a hanging offense ...
 
Question said:
I thought stands are actually beneficial to drying brushes? Strange that OEMs would say that stands should not be used...what do they recommend? To put it handle down?
Click to expand...

Yes, most do. The ones that don't, also sell stands....

Stands have no practical benefit. They make bathrooms look tidier.
 
I read somewhere in the past couple of months that there has been recently a scientific paper published (I believe Germans) about the drying of brushes. I might bet it is somewhere on YKW, but just can't be bothered to dig it out...

Difference of stand/up side down vs no stand makes no significant difference.

Difference in humidity of environment - ie super humid bathroom/SE Asia/Nth QLD/NT vs Adelaide - makes a huge difference ;)
 
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