It's not just your skin that benefits from some post-shave care, your shaving kit does too! When looked after correctly, MÜHLE products can last a lifetime. With a little oil and a quick shine, maintaining your shaving set or razor doesn’t have to be an enormous task. Read on as we go through the best ways to look after your MÜHLE treasures, helping you to enjoy them for as long as possible!
Post-shave Checklist
Brushes
You’ve finished your shave and are feeling fresh, now time to care for your shaving brushes! To properly clean the brush after a shave, first, run clean water down into the middle of the brush head. Gently parting the bundle, stroke through the brush head several times from different angles, making sure that there are no more visible lather residues even in the middle of the brush head. Ideally, the water should be warm, not hot (should not exceed 45°c) and never use chemicals such as detergents, vinegars, Dettol, borax etc for cleaning.
After rinsing, shake the brush to remove any excess water and hang upside-down in a stand to dry. Make sure to store brushes away from consistently damp areas and for natural hair, do not use closed cases until the brush is completely dry.
Top tip! One of the main causes of shedding, dried soap residue is an enemy for brush longevity. Soap residue can easily be spotted as white deposits on the handle/ hairs and can raise dust when dry.
Razors and Handles
Like brushes, razors and handles also benefit from a rinse after shaving.
One of the best ways to avoid any signs of corrosion, we would always recommend rinsing all soap residue from the razor after shaving and using a soft cloth to pat the pieces dry.
Helping to remove any chalky residue, drying the razor ensures hard water spots and rust cannot form on the chrome. Quite a task to remove, if they can be removed at all, these spots of rust can eventually lead to damaged threads affecting the longevity and performance of your razor.
We would also again advise that pieces are not kept in consistently damp areas and no chemical agents are used in the cleaning process.
Monthly Checklist
The shaving set is clean and dry and safely stored away, but every now and again, some of the natural materials that inspire so much of the MÜHLE collection benefit from a little extra attention. Only slightly oiled in the factory, timbers such as olive, ironwood, ash or plum can become brittle with regular exposure to soap and water. To restore their beauty, MÜHLE recommends that the surfaces be re-oiled every three to four weeks (depending on use).
Chrome pieces, especially razor threads, can also benefit from regular oiling so we would always recommend using a gentle multipurpose oil that can be used on metal as well as wooden materials alike. Developed in collaboration with the heritage company Ballistol, MÜHLE Maintenance Oil is the perfect go-to care accessory. A minor marvel, ‘’the MÜHLE maintenance oil is a true jack of all trades," says Andreas Müller. "It maintains wood and horn, oils machine parts and threads, protects razor blades against corrosion and is also skin-friendly." Alternatively, Camelia oil can be used.
Lower versus Higher Maintenance Materials
It is also worth noting that not every shaving set is alike- some materials do require a little more looking after than others! From various hair types to handles, it’s always good to consider the maintenance needs of different materials when choosing your perfect piece.
Brush Types
Like fine paintbrushes, the better quality of hair, the more care it will need. Natural badger hair bundles are particularly sensitive to dried soap residue, so if you’re interested in lower maintenance options synthetic Silvertip and Black Fibre bundles can be fantastic alternatives.
Handle Materials
Undoubtedly one of the easiest materials to care for, resin handles are extremely low maintenance and still provide that eye-catching finish. Available in Vivo, Rytmo, Stylo, Kosmo, Sophist and Purist other hard-wearing finishes include resin sealed woods such as our Karelian Masur Birch and Porcelain.
