Soaking Is For Suckers

Well it's been awhile now, since I stopped rinsing out my brushes after every shave and made a habit of just squeezing out the lather before drying. The question in my mind at the time was, would the Semogue 620 brush tips suffer from being stuck together? Frayed tips or split ends seemed to detach and end up floating in my soaking mug water, initially.

That observation stands, I suppose. Qualitatively, I sometimes wonder if the boar couldn't be softer. However, no catastrophic failure has occurred. It has not eroded to coarse, blunt, "best badger"-like scratchiness. (Nor has the nylon splayed unexpectedly or corroded in any way.) I usually stroke to separate bristles when they are still slightly damp, which may make some difference.

Before

After

My routine was shortened from beginning, middle, and end. No soak is required before the shave. Soap holds the water's place until it is simply wetted again. But it doesn't leave when the water arrives, either. That prevents the bristle from eating lather, because it's already full. I can imagine the soap makers wouldn't necessarily want to point that feature out.

The keratin is unlocked at all times, also allowing the bristle to dry quickly. Perhaps that reveals the dark heart of this story, since it has been suggested that boar afficionados should have two in rotation, to allow for complete drying between shaves. Drying probably is an important deterrent to microbial growth, and soap could be suspected of absorbing moisture from the air. Vermont is a humid environment for at least two and a half of the four seasons. I've noted no odor in my brushes but soap.

Though I have not used badger or horsehair in the meantime, I expect boar would be the most problematic, if there were a problem with not rinsing a brush. It certainly benefits the most. Ah: perhaps THAT is the evil source of the rinsing "tradition."