agigcbo, thank you, glad you are enjoying them! You will not regret your boar brush purchase...easy to break, feels good on the face, works well with hard soaps and creams. Great value for the cost.
Thanks Michael, I enjoyed this, the Semogue is a great brush, I have the owners club brush, with the cherry wood handle, all the guys who have Semogue brushes seem to be pleased with them, thanks again good video.
From Wikipedia: The Sami people, also spelled Sámi or Saami, are the indigenous people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway.
Hello again Michael. A quick question: Why I couldnt get a good lather from a Razorock Emperor Soap using Omega 49 pro? I startes with damp brush and push it hard to the soap and made a lot of swirls. I did a face lather. For the first pass was OK. but for the next passes the lather was little. I went again into the soap for more product. In your videos that is not happening. I thought that the brush was pasty and it was ,as you said in another video... Any suggestions?
Michael Ham has a term for this, which I hope will translate: "lathercidal"; it combines the words "lather" and "homicidal". For some reason, many new boar brushes kill the lather at first. The lather is weak, or watery, and just never really comes together. It may be something they use to coat or prepare the hairs, but whatever it is, it never lasts. I would do the following if you want to get it going: Soak the brush for 30 minutes - make a lather, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes and rinse. Repeat two or three times, including the 30 minute soak. See if that helps with improving your lather. I just saw in some video of an Italian barber where he recommended that you soak your new boar brush (water only up to just under the handle) for *two days*, after which it is perfectly ready to use.
TWO DAYS??? That unspoken! I try Marco's method with Proraso Red soap(!) two hours ago in a bowl and I was drowned to lather. I made lather for 10 passes without exaggeration. The thing is that I achieved that with my Omega 20102 which is UNUSED. The only thing that I did was to wash the brush with liquid detergent, leave in the bowl for 15 minutes, wash it out and then I made lather on my hand with some Proraso and leave it there overnight when I bought it. The other thing is that the less lather(Razorock) was with my main boar brush Omega 49 which I have been using it for 10 or more shaves. Maybe is not fully broken in yet, or maybe I destroyed the hair by using glycerin and hair conditioner after a cleaning maintenance that I did three weeks ago.. Or else it is haunted!
+T Rex you need to be careful when using hair conditioner...use very little because many hair conditioners actually make it harder for the brush to lather. I experimented with one of my brushes (badger) and found that the argon oil based conditioner I used really did not work for the brush. Not sure that conditioner is really a good idea after all.
Checked it now no argon oil . Only cetyl alcohol, cetrimonium chloride, ceteareth-20, panthenol, butylene glycol, olea eurpaea(olive), fruit extrac, parfum, citric aci, benzyl alcohol,hexyl cinnamal, Methylisothiazolinone, Chloromethylisothiazolinone. Do you think it was damaged? throw it away?
@CorCat87 it is the 1250, which looks like the owners club, but is slightly different...I think it is also a bit cheaper. Either way you are getting a great brush!
+T Rex the 1800 may have more backbone, but I would always go for the more natural look (yes I know the hairs are bleached, but they are not dyed). The 1250 is a nice brush, and also pretty cheap.
Michael Freedberg Thanks for the reply. I put another semogue in the game. The 620. I know its for face lathering but do you think it is worth when bowl lather? I do it with creams, but with soaps I prefer face building lather like you do. Also the 620 has terrific backbone and I think none of my omegas have the same.
@paperhanger29 that cream made us into lathering weaklings...ha ha! Did you see, by the way, just how shiny the lather was in this video? The QCS keeps impressing.
I bought floid pre shave oil. Should i use it with wet face as you did it? The lather after that should be applied to face straight away or wet again your face after on you put pre shave oil?After the 2 passes, and if I want to go ATG I have to re-apply it?
+T Rex Apply the pre-shave to your wet face. You don't need much, don't overdo it. Once you have a nice thin layer applied, lather right over it but just remember that the oil can affect the lather as you build it or apply it. You can re-apply for the last pass IF you feel it is really helping you get a better shave, but I think that by the last pass all you really need is a really good lather. One last thing: oil can become viscous or thick..heavy...trap a lot of hair, and actually create more drag than slickness. Don't use too much and rinse your razor frequently.
Michael Freedberg I thought that you mention on the video that it really does not bother the lather and that it provides slickness for more passes. I bought it because I needed a product to help me with ATG for the final pass,here my razor hurts me the most under the god damned chin. I forgot to mention that I followed your advise in another discussion with you and I changed my soap from Proraso red to Razorock Emperor which contains tallow. I think that it is denser and provides more cushion but on the 3rd pass the lather on my face is starting to dry a bit. Do you think the only problem is the water I have to add?
The pre-shave oil *may* affect your lather, so that is just something you need to watch for. If you find that you are really struggling to build a lather after applying the pre-shave oil, and you did not have the same issues *without*, then you know that that particular soap is having issues with that pre-shave. As for the lather, it should never be drying out. so I would absolutely recommend you add more water when building the lather. You can always drip a bit of water onto the face of the brush before you relather for the second and third passes, which will help keep the lather wet. Under the chin? You can try tilting your head further back to tighten the skin OR jut out your chin but keep your face straight -- you have options! Under the chin can be hard, but don't give up.
Michael Freedberg As always accurate and great answers. The 2 final questions. I have 4 or 5 creams all opened. the same happens with soaps. I use them in my rotation. could any of them go bad? I will end up them probably in a few years! what do you do with your stuff when you use them at the same time? And boar or badger hair? I prefer boar, especialy with soaps.
Creams in tubes will be absolutely fine for ages, just keep them capped. You may find that the cream in the very tip will harden over time, but you just squeeze that out and discard it and use the rest. Same goes for many soft soaps, although they can degrade or lose their scent depending on the soap type. The *most important thing* is to put them away after you have let the soap thoroughly dry, and they should last for quite a while as well. Hard soaps - those will go for decades :-) I generally prefer boar, I just prefer the face feel, and I think they are the more versatile brushes.
And I was right, it's not something you would eat on a sandwich (grin)!! Thanks for the compliment, so much fun practicing that around the house. What is a sami, or who is a sami?
Danny, I think you would enjoy the 23c, it is a good balance between weight and mild shave, and I have to say I like that head shape better than the Gillette...but next shave will be with both for comparison!
Semogue are making the absolute best boar brushes. I'm in love with my 1305. It's a soap killer.
agigcbo, thank you, glad you are enjoying them! You will not regret your boar brush purchase...easy to break, feels good on the face, works well with hard soaps and creams. Great value for the cost.
Thanks Michael, I enjoyed this, the Semogue is a great brush, I have the owners club brush, with the cherry wood handle, all the guys who have Semogue brushes seem to be pleased with them, thanks again good video.
From Wikipedia: The Sami people, also spelled Sámi or Saami, are the indigenous people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway.
Really am enjoying your videos so far, Michael. Great stuff. Like your insight.
I hope to have one of the Semogue 1250 boar brushes soon. Glad you like yours.
A great value for the price - I really like the handle shape and the natural bristle look.
I'm using a Voshkod blade, it's a comfortable shave.
Since 1250 cream was also very well
i'm on shave 7 with the voskhod blade you sent me. beers coming very soon. bottling the esb on wednesday
Hello again Michael. A quick question: Why I couldnt get a good lather from a Razorock Emperor Soap using Omega 49 pro? I startes with damp brush and push it hard to the soap and made a lot of swirls. I did a face lather. For the first pass was OK. but for the next passes the lather was little.
I went again into the soap for more product. In your videos that is not happening. I thought that the brush was pasty and it was ,as you said in another video... Any suggestions?
Michael Ham has a term for this, which I hope will translate: "lathercidal"; it combines the words "lather" and "homicidal". For some reason, many new boar brushes kill the lather at first. The lather is weak, or watery, and just never really comes together. It may be something they use to coat or prepare the hairs, but whatever it is, it never lasts.
I would do the following if you want to get it going:
Soak the brush for 30 minutes - make a lather, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes and rinse.
Repeat two or three times, including the 30 minute soak.
See if that helps with improving your lather.
I just saw in some video of an Italian barber where he recommended that you soak your new boar brush (water only up to just under the handle) for *two days*, after which it is perfectly ready to use.
TWO DAYS??? That unspoken!
I try Marco's method with Proraso Red soap(!) two hours ago in a bowl and I was drowned to lather. I made lather for 10 passes without exaggeration.
The thing is that I achieved that with my Omega 20102 which is UNUSED. The only thing that I did was to wash the brush with liquid detergent, leave in the bowl for 15 minutes, wash it out and then I made lather on my hand with some Proraso and leave it there overnight when I bought it.
The other thing is that the less lather(Razorock) was with my main boar brush Omega 49 which I have been using it for 10 or more shaves. Maybe is not fully broken in yet, or maybe I destroyed the hair by using glycerin and hair conditioner after a cleaning maintenance that I did three weeks ago.. Or else it is haunted!
+T Rex you need to be careful when using hair conditioner...use very little because many hair conditioners actually make it harder for the brush to lather. I experimented with one of my brushes (badger) and found that the argon oil based conditioner I used really did not work for the brush. Not sure that conditioner is really a good idea after all.
Checked it now no argon oil . Only cetyl alcohol, cetrimonium chloride, ceteareth-20, panthenol, butylene glycol, olea eurpaea(olive), fruit extrac, parfum, citric aci, benzyl alcohol,hexyl cinnamal, Methylisothiazolinone, Chloromethylisothiazolinone. Do you think it was damaged? throw it away?
That QCS did look amazing. When I get thru a little more of my armegedon supply of soaps ill have to give it a go
@CorCat87 it is the 1250, which looks like the owners club, but is slightly different...I think it is also a bit cheaper. Either way you are getting a great brush!
I am between this brush & Semogue 1800 which is dyed. What do you think? Which has more backbone and which splays more?
+T Rex the 1800 may have more backbone, but I would always go for the more natural look (yes I know the hairs are bleached, but they are not dyed). The 1250 is a nice brush, and also pretty cheap.
Michael Freedberg Thanks for the reply. I put another semogue in the game. The 620. I know its for face lathering but do you think it is worth when bowl lather? I do it with creams, but with soaps I prefer face building lather like you do. Also the 620 has terrific backbone and I think none of my omegas have the same.
Michael, you've convinced me to dip my toe in the water and try out a boar brush. Excellent video. Really enjoy watching your videos.
@paperhanger29 that cream made us into lathering weaklings...ha ha! Did you see, by the way, just how shiny the lather was in this video? The QCS keeps impressing.
I bought floid pre shave oil. Should i use it with wet face as you did it? The lather after that should be applied to face straight away or wet again your face after on you put pre shave oil?After the 2 passes, and if I want to go ATG I have to re-apply it?
+T Rex Apply the pre-shave to your wet face. You don't need much, don't overdo it. Once you have a nice thin layer applied, lather right over it but just remember that the oil can affect the lather as you build it or apply it. You can re-apply for the last pass IF you feel it is really helping you get a better shave, but I think that by the last pass all you really need is a really good lather.
One last thing: oil can become viscous or thick..heavy...trap a lot of hair, and actually create more drag than slickness. Don't use too much and rinse your razor frequently.
Michael Freedberg I thought that you mention on the video that it really does not bother the lather and that it provides slickness for more passes. I bought it because I needed a product to help me with ATG for the final pass,here my razor hurts me the most under the god damned chin. I forgot to mention that I followed your advise in another discussion with you and I changed my soap from Proraso red to Razorock Emperor which contains tallow. I think that it is denser and provides more cushion but on the 3rd pass the lather on my face is starting to dry a bit. Do you think the only problem is the water I have to add?
The pre-shave oil *may* affect your lather, so that is just something you need to watch for. If you find that you are really struggling to build a lather after applying the pre-shave oil, and you did not have the same issues *without*, then you know that that particular soap is having issues with that pre-shave.
As for the lather, it should never be drying out. so I would absolutely recommend you add more water when building the lather. You can always drip a bit of water onto the face of the brush before you relather for the second and third passes, which will help keep the lather wet.
Under the chin? You can try tilting your head further back to tighten the skin OR jut out your chin but keep your face straight -- you have options! Under the chin can be hard, but don't give up.
Michael Freedberg As always accurate and great answers. The 2 final questions. I have 4 or 5 creams all opened. the same happens with soaps. I use them in my rotation. could any of them go bad? I will end up them probably in a few years! what do you do with your stuff when you use them at the same time? And boar or badger hair? I prefer boar, especialy with soaps.
Creams in tubes will be absolutely fine for ages, just keep them capped. You may find that the cream in the very tip will harden over time, but you just squeeze that out and discard it and use the rest.
Same goes for many soft soaps, although they can degrade or lose their scent depending on the soap type. The *most important thing* is to put them away after you have let the soap thoroughly dry, and they should last for quite a while as well.
Hard soaps - those will go for decades :-)
I generally prefer boar, I just prefer the face feel, and I think they are the more versatile brushes.
thats the owners club right? if it is i have this and its awesome!
And I was right, it's not something you would eat on a sandwich (grin)!! Thanks for the compliment, so much fun practicing that around the house. What is a sami, or who is a sami?
Great video as always Michael! You said "hæstkuk" very well. Sounded like a sami would say it!
Oh, THOSE guys! Of course...bet they are used to cold weather, even if the cold makes the hæstkuk shrink...
Danny, I think you would enjoy the 23c, it is a good balance between weight and mild shave, and I have to say I like that head shape better than the Gillette...but next shave will be with both for comparison!
13:08 lmao so funny your face expression ! Yay Portugal ! Proud to be Portuguese !
I might try adding hair conditioner to my face before lathering up for my next shave. ; )
Ugh, I forgot about that Cade stuff. I had nightmares cause of you Michael lol jk your videos are always so entertaining man.
@Dwebster367 let me guess...a place for everything and everything in its place. just feels like the right way to go, can't really explain it.
@hattrick364 seven shaves! wow, that is kind of shocking, really. Not bad for the money!
Good video :)
Easy to break IN, not break ( ha ha)...let us know which one you get.