Second-Hand Brushes

[UKRob]

We frequent barbers who use the same scissors/electric trimmers on multiple customers without cleaning in-between. They then use brushes to get rid of stray hairs from our necks - does anyone give any thought to this - I certainly don't.

In answer to an earlier post, anthrax was a problem in shaving brushes at one stage, hence the reason why many old brushes were stamped as sterilised. Now all we need to do is established how they sterilised the hair and we can all sleep soundly.

 

[Bechet]

The man has a phobia so all the logic in the world won't help him. There are plenty of new brushes to choose from.

 

[Nishy]

Just lather up some germolene cream.

 

[riverrun]

Lather up with some antibacterial hand soap for a couple of minutes, then rinse. Look - it says antibacterial on the bottle - it says it kills bacteria. Everything will be alright. Honestly.
Personally I wouldn't bother

 

[Dave-the-rave]

It only kills 99% of all known germs so we're still fecked.

 

[Nisse]

Clorine bleach is supposed to be good for sanitizing (at pH 5-6) but maybe it will make badger blond just like boar.

 

[Norfolkdick]

Greetings

To think there are people on this forum whom I have called and considered 'friends', who would not use a shaving brush that I had recently used to lather up my bollocks, I find frankly..........offensive!!

Regards
Dick

 

[Gordy]

Even a brush that's used regularly from new by the same user, is going to have a certain level of bacteria, unless of course you have the use of the autoclave in your local sterile services department. It's all about the level of bacteria that we encounter, our immune systems and our own practices.
I have a number of friends and family that are supposedly "clean" people but their habits scare the crap out of me ever eating or drinking in their houses.

 

[Bechet]

Yeah - shoresiders.

Apologies - I shouldn't say that in mixed company.

 

[Nishy]

Just make sure you don't take it to Brazil and use it as a sex toy.

 

[Dave-the-rave]

I use mine to gunk my bike engine and it doesn't affect the shave at all at all.

 

[Vyn Venal]

We frequent barbers who use the same scissors/electric trimmers on multiple customers without cleaning in-between.

Eww. Horrible thought. I certainly don't. I have used my own clippers on other people before, but only with guards on, and the guards got a wash afterwards.

 

[UKRob]

Eww. Horrible thought. I certainly don't. I have used my own clippers on other people before, but only with guards on, and the guards got a wash afterwards.

Well there you are - just wash the brush or razor in whatever you used for your guards and everything is OK.

Incidentally, with a used DE/SE razor - apart from the grungy element - there should be absolutely no issue as it's the razor blade that does the cutting. Even I might baulk at that. But consider all of us that use straight razors that are anything up to 200 years old - I have some medicated wipes that I use but really they probably don't serve any purpose once you have honed and stropped the edge.

 

[Fido]

Always just rinsed and used. And still able to tell the tale. And my wife has never commented.

 

[Holyzeus]

If its good enough for Fido..

 

[Darkbulb]

I'm sure the real risks would be minimal, but not none existent.

Herpes (HPV-1) can be transmitted by sharing cigarettes, eating utensils, lip-balm. Staphylococcus Aureous lives on the skin, and can survive on towels for weeks. A form of foliculitis called sycosis vulgaris was also known as "barbers itch" for obvious reasons. It depends on how much you want to think about these sorts of things.

Personally, I've already said, I tend towards the paranoid end of the spectrum...

Even so, I'd have no issue with using a razor that had been cleaned and sterilised properly.

How long can they survive outside of the body? Say, on a brush.