Excellent explanation and your patience is incredible to help people who have SOC! Thank you !

I have had exactly the same problem with my SOC. I have put it aside and have thought about giving it away except that it was a Christmas gift two years ago now. I ran across your video this morning and I will try this out tomorrow. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Mark for passing on the tips! Thank you for sharing another excellent video!! Regards Jim NI

I wasn't happy with my SOC but I followed your suggestions and ... it works perfect. Thanks and congrats for your videos!

Thank you for the link Mark, I'll have another go with it tonight using the "Hutchinson" method 😌👍

Nice video and good advice 're the boar brush. I tried what you suggested this morning as have had the same issue with my 620 and I must say after doing exactly as you said I had no issues getting enough lather for 3 passes and pickups without returning to the puck. It has reignited my love of boar brushes!

Hello, Mark! Just stumbled across this older video and just like you I have a previously owned Semogue Owners Club boar brush (Taj resin). It can be challenging to use, but the bristles are so soft and the handle is just lovely. To give it a bit more backbone I picked up some #18 rubber o-rings from a local hardware store that has an inner diameter of 15/16". I store it in the groove on the handle and slide it up to the base of the knot when using. I do the same with my Omega 49 Pro boar, but I use two of the o-rings and it really helps in face lathering. I had shaved with my SOC boar yesterday, so after watching your video today I followed the technique you described using a Yaqi two band badger. I soaked it for 30 minutes in warm water, gave it four light shakes and then loaded the brush pretty strong, maybe not a minute. I loaded a bit more water when face lathering and had more than enough for my three pass shave. I will definitely use this technique the next time I use my SOC boar. Thank you for this video and all the great content you produce. Be well!

Hi Mark. Nice shave there. Have 3 Semogue my self, and none are cursed 😊 I think they al are superb. So lett the SOC lather on 😊 Have a lovely weekend Jan

I love Semogue. Especially the 1800. My technique is 1 minute load. 1 minute bowl lather and 1 minute face lather. Thanks for the video.

Hello from germany. :-) I loaded my almost new yaqi mocha 26mm badger brush this way that evenig. I have to say: THANK YOU!!! That helped so much. The brush made a awesome lather that way and it last for 3,5 passes. GREAT!!! I am so happy and smiling now :-) That is what i love at our community, everybody helps everybody! Getting tips that way is great. Have a nice evening. Cheers, Jens

For me, when I wear both, I put the plash on first then the balm. For me when I use a straight razor, if I'm not bleeding and I still have both of my ears, well it was a good shave.

Here in Brazil the Semogue brand is highly appreciated

Hello Mark, I'm sry for this belated reply, I saw yr video rather late. Yes, I experienced the rather poor water holding on boar brushes, especially Semogue SOC (not the standard 2000, which is fine). So I've taken rather drastic measures to break them in f a s t . Out of the box warm water, plenty dish washer soap and turning the brush in the sink, not less than 5min. Then rinse and foam up with cheap soap (Arko etc) until full n leave it overnight. Next morning rinse and use for shaving. Then clean again and reload with Arko, let it stand. That I do 5x after eachother and all hair is perfectly split, tight bush and facefeel somewhere like 'best badger', softer the pure badger. The waterproblem also has been solved, but naturally it won't reach badger levels. Cheerio.

Hi Mark. I just watched your vid and excellent it is. I suppose you know what happened. Yes, I've ordered an SOC boar brush with a cherry handle. You cost me a fortune! I'm really looking forward to trying it. Thanks for all the tips regarding soaking time. Cheers, mate.

Using my Semogue 1305 for tonight's shave and will keep this in mind.

Congratulations in overcoming the SOC(Curse) ;-) and have completing a fine Straight Razor shave. In answer to the question at the start: I never seem to have a problem building or holding a lather. I think I could use a toothbrush and have success. :D And for the 2nd question> I mix and match, sometimes aftershave lotion on first followed by balm and other times the reverse and occasionally no aftershave lotion depending on the balm.

Very nice shave Mark.

Great shave mark I used to put my aftershave splash on first and then my balm but I have been trying it the other way around because I have oily skin and I prefer it this way 👍🏻

I just had to have this beauty. Had my first shave with it today, and I agree it eats lather. I just don't care ;) I think of it as my pet (don't laugh), and that I'm feeding it with lather. Hmm, that tabac is yummy ;) I have a lot of love and passion for this guy. It deserves to have some lather. I like everything about it. I guess it's like unconditional love. Mine was love at first sight Mark. A very merry Christmas to you and yours ;)

I have a badger SOC brush, exactly the same handle as yours. I also had a bit of a trouble in building up the lather when I used a metal mug. I have been using a marble grooved cup (from Supply) for a few months, and I’ve seen a great difference. I fill it with hot water and let the brush soak while I take my shower and the bowl keeps the lather warm all during the shave.

I put on my after shave first,so it can do it's thing and then apply my balm.But I only use balm in the colder months.I'm breaking in a boar and horse brush at the moment.I bloom a soap,then pour it in a mug,lather up the brushes,then put them in the mug of bloom water and leave for a couple of days.

If you are looking for that boar experience but with the lather retention of a synthetic? The Omega S brush is a great alternative. It is almost compares to a boar with exfoliating properties just a bit softer but still has enough backbone to lather from hard soaps.

Hi! If you're using only one of them, either balm or aftershave can be put on with no significant difference. If you are using both, then the alcohol goes on first to disinfect, then you put the balm on to restore the skins outer layer of oils. If you do it the other way around and put the aftershave on after the balm, the balm forms a barrier to the aftershave contacting and therefore disinfecting the skin. I hope this helps. Also, it is advisable to wash off the alum after a few seconds. Some balms will coagulate when they come in touch with the alum.I hope this helps!

You make straight razor shaving look entirely too easy! Great shave!!!

Really enjoyed the video. Your experience with the straight razor mirrors mine. I have to finish off with a DE razor as there's some stubble I just can't seem to shave off. Still practice makes perfect I suppose.

For me post shave routine is cold water, witches hazel, aftershave balm, then once balm is completely absorbed into skin aftershave splash. Works great for my skin and hair type.

Hello Mark, I have just ordered a Kent BLK4 badger silver tip .I have been informed that using a pre-shave oil, will clog the brush and thus make it unable to lather. I was also told that the oil will make the brush unusable for any future use. I will be pairing the brush with my Muhle R89. The above information came directly from Kents own customer services. I have recently just come over from the plastic side, so any guidance you can provide will greatly be appreciated. Your love of everything shaving is evident. Another subscriber on board.

Thanks for the advice on the SOC. I had one arrive in the mail this week and had same problem as you described. I'll give this a try tonight. I thought maybe it was just because it hadn't been broken in yet. I have an omega boar that doesn't cause the soap to disappear, but I think the omega isn't packed with hair as tightly as the soc.

I rarely soak my SOG boar brush. I wet it, sling it dry in the shower and load it at most half a minute. It performs great with this process.

Man, I just got a big boar brush from Kent in the mail and worked like a dog to get it to produce a lather. I think I'm starting to figure it out but this video will certainly help. I plan on putting this brush in rotation using it maybe three times a month so I don't really want to keep it damp, I suppose a little extra soaking, heavy loading and light tips will be in order. I'll try it. Thanks.

nice video!

I have also had success with another strategy. Wash boar brush with liquid dish detergent and water really good. Soak in dish detergent and warm water for about a minute. Rinse. Soak in clean water with a splash of vinegar or Apple cider vingar. Work brush in solution, agitate while soaking for a minute or so. Rinse thoroughly. Use soap if desired. Squirt a modest amount of hair conditioner in brush and work it in your hand as though you are building a lather. Let it sit in brush for 30 mins to an hour. Rinse out conditioner. I have had excellent results with this. Give it a try next time if you like! Cheers my friend and happy shaves!

Interesting, i do have my dads Old Spice shave that was part of those kits (soap/bowl/boar brush). Probably a 1970-80's kit. I used it now and then in the 90's out of need (discovered it) and did not know what I was doing...but kind of worked. Now my mom moved to an flat, discarded the soap because she thought it was too dry. Well the brush is there....was too dry and I soaked it in olive oil trying to avoid it braking..... The bristles kind of revived but building a lather was still difficult. So then I soaked it in vinager and water x 2. Washed it w shampoo and conditioner x 2.....it did not improve much. Then I did the fridge / towel thing x 3.....and if I soak it now for 15' it kind of works.... last I tried was with a mix of soap I did melting and adding stuff to soaps ..... . It works with glycerine soaps...but subpar compared to synthetic and badger.... Next time I visit my mom I will try again.... The reason I keep it is purely sentimental..... and despite having tried all I could find to improve it....I still think it's subpar. Cheers mate, looks like you make your brush work....

An update here: I am so pleased to say that the Semogue 1305 I demonstrated on one of my She Shaves with Jill videos using the Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Brush Cleaner and your hints here, that I used it tonight and it is performing much, much better! Now for the next few days, I am going to further break it in with the refrigerator method. Take the brush and fill a glass and don't let the water go all the way up to the knot, stick it in the fridge and 24 hours later take it out and do a 5-10 minute rub out on a towel and comb it, change the water and stick back in the fridge and do the same cycle for a total of 3 days. I use that step in my method of breaking in all my new natural hair brushes. Another hint is after your shave and when rinsing out your brush, the last moments use cold water. It is good for human hair and you know how it helps to do a cold rinse after your shave.

Very good shave,I have a question,I tried the same strategy but at the second pass the lather disapears from my brush,at the first pass I had a perfect lather..I used a 3 times used brush Omega.what do you recomend me?.

Wow, a really interesting and surprising video. I do use both Semogue and Omega bristle brushes and myself, I consider the portugueeze a notch better, especially SOC. I can only think of 2 scenario's, either you got 'bad one', or it has been treated with some sort of chemical. Before, I do use any brush, I give it a thorough cleansing, a quick bath in applevinegar... Last not least I foam up and let the foam stay in the brush for 1 full day. With his kind of procedure, it also shortened the breaking-in period. Hope this helpd, cheerio, Achim Singapore+

The only brush I have ever had any problems lathering with is a Semogue 830. Rubbish at lathering, but I found if I only soak the tips of the brush instead of the whole of the hairs, then dip the whole brush in water for only a second, it performs better.

Yep, I'm a member of the Semogue Loser's Club. My Semogue 1520 is a delightful brush, and works fine. I saw the (problem child) Semogue 1470 last year & decided to get it. The 1470 has spoiled it for me - Semogue is obviously a ¢rapshoot when it comes to performance - no more for me. I'll be happy with my 1520, and happier still with my various synthetics, the cheapest one out performs the Semogues by a wide margin. The 1470 is now soaking overnite with one last chance to perform. If it doesn't work out to my satisfaction, I'll harvest the handle & install a synthetic knot. Does the metal ring at junction of knot & handle need removal to disassemble the brush?

What do you guys think of synthetic hair brushes good bad in between?

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Hi mark, I have the same brush, but unlike the one you have, I have no problems with it, in fact its one of my favourites to use.

Thank you so much.... I was about to burn my SOC due to being cursed...

Now that quite a bit of time has past, what is your final verdict ? Has the SOC become your "go to" boar brush or have you decided it's too finicky and not worth the trouble ?

The reason a new boar brush will not hold a lather is because the fat in the boar hair breaks down the foam bubbles. Semogue are excellent brushes but require a lot of breaking in.

And here I thought that I was the only one who had a cursed SOC brush ! :-) To be honest, I bought the brush because of the great rave reviews it seemed to get on forums ... plus I liked the handle which I think is one of the nicest available for a boar brush. In terms of performance though, I was greatly disappointed. I used it for 60 days in a row in an effort to get it to break in and, while it did get very soft, it was still nowhere near as efficient at lathering as my lowly old 100065 Omega boar brush when it came to soaps. I'm not sure if I perhaps may have a bad copy since boar hairs are a natural product and vary from brush to brush or if the SOC is just like that and is over-rated. I still use the brush but now I use it for creams only i.e. I treat it like one of my badgers which is actually what it feels like.

I think 30 minutes to too long to soak a brush. You're oversaturating the bristles. How often are you cleaning your brushes with vinegar? I find that vinegar has a way of making a brush feel ike it's "just out of the box" and needs to be broken it again.

So tip is; in cold water and stay in refrigurator for 3 days?

Balm first Then wash all the Gear. Aftershave To finish,,,,,,,,,,,,,,!!

Jesus Christ, man! Wake up! You just work in slow motion??