Looking After A Badger Hair Shaving Brush

Q: I have a Badger hair shaving brush just over 12 months old (not purchased from your company I hasten to add) and it is starting to lose hairs very badly. I have been told that this may be due to me using Mitchells wool fat soap and failing to rinse the brush thoroughly enough to remove alkaline residues.

Is it true that shaving soap can make Badger hairs brittle and break off? 

A: Brian, it is unusual for your brush still to be losing hairs after 12 months. Certainly in the first few months it is fairly typical for a brush to shed hairs but the shedding should settle down. 

After shaving you must thoroughly rinse the brush in running water to remove all shaving debris including the soap or cream you used. Whether it is Mitchells Wool Fat Soap, Trumpers or Arko it doesn't matter, leaving shaving soap or shaving cream residue in your shaving brush will cause damage to the hairs.

After rinsing the brush in running water, flick it two or three times over the sink to remove the majority of water before storing the brush.

You should store the brush on a stand in a well aired environment to allow the brush to dry naturally by aeration.

You can watch our 'How to clean your shaving brush' video below for a guide on how to look after your brush.

Shaving Brush Stands are inexpensive to buy starting under £5.00. Follow the above steps and you can expect many years of use from your shaving brush.

Written by Brian Mulreany,
Sales Director, The Executive Shaving Company
Tel: 0141 880 3040
Email: brian@executive-shaving.co.uk