Broken bristles on my boar brushes: Is this normal?

I noticed that there are some broken bristles on my new boar brushes.

Is this normal?

Not really! Did you soak your bristles before using the brush! Dry boar hair is relatively brittle.

(07-11-2012, 06:11 PM)Craig Wrote: Not really! Did you soak your bristles before using the brush! Dry boar hair is relatively brittle.

How long would you recommend soaking a boar brush before using it?

How many bristles are you talking about? One or two is probably normal. And you usually see them on the very outside of the knot. If it's more than that then it's not normal.

(07-11-2012, 05:39 PM)Pnume Wrote: I noticed that there are some broken bristles on my new boar brushes.

Is this normal?

What brand of boar brush?

(07-11-2012, 06:59 PM)wlmcad Wrote: How long would you recommend soaking a boar brush before using it?

I soak mine in warm water for 10-20 minutes before lathering.

I'm probably just being paranoid . . .

There are maybe two or three broken bristles on the outsides of the brushes and I found various broken bristles when moving my index finger slowly along the tips of the bristles, but I was really looking for them. I dunno if people would normally notice broken bristles in their brushes if they weren't looking for them.

My boar brushes are Omega and Semogue; each have broken bristles. I soak them for about half an hour before using them.

Probably nothing to be concerned about then. Now if you find a half dozen hairs everytime you use the brush, you might be concerned. I've had a few from the outside but not many, if any from the inside hairs break. I have noticed it more with my Omega brushes over the Semogue brushes, but I personally believe Omega uses a finer boar hair.

@Pnume
You mean split hairs? Split hairs are totally normal for boar brushes. Generally, this is what you want to achieve when breaking in a boar brush. The more - the better I'd say.

Well, if you have just a few broken bristles (not talking about split ones, of course, that is normal), well, there's nothing to worry about. That happens with my boars, too.

But if you have a great quantity of them, that can be an issue, and you should contact your vendor.

i hope you have resolved your problem.