Yaqi Boar Brush First Look: BBS Coolzilla and the Ghost

Hi there. Welcome back to Fred Shaves. Tonight I’ve got something new to test: a 24mm boar brush that Grace and Yaqi sent over for review. Really appreciate it.

Look at that handle. Chess piece shape, green base with a spark shimmer finish. I love it. And it’s got a boar knot, which, as many of you probably know, is not my favorite type of brush. I tried to break this one in before the session. Loaded it up a couple of times, washed it out. The ends are starting to split. It feels soft already, and still has good backbone. I figured it would take some use, but I was looking forward to giving it a real test.

The Lineup

For soap tonight: Coolzilla from BBS. It’s been in the 80s out here, hot summer weather, and this one has menthol. Perfect timing.

Razor is the Yaqi Ghost aluminum. Love this razor. Blade is a fresh Tatra Platinum, first use. I’ve got a couple days of stubble plus a bit of extra growth on the upper lip coming off today. My nose has been a little sore but it’s on the mend, so we’re doing the full face.

Loading the Brush

I loaded heavy. First time using this soap with this brush, so I’d rather have too much than too little. The lather came out incredibly shiny, super cakey, very dense. The Coolzilla scent hit right away. Fresh, cooling, really enjoyable.

The brush, though. Still stiff. I could feel it on my skin from the first stroke. Too much scrub for a sensitive face. I kept painting in water, waiting until the lather started to loosen up before I’d actually apply it. Ended up building a shorter lather than I usually do. Could feel the brush burn coming. I stopped when I knew I had enough.

Three bristles shed during the session. That’s expected from a fresh boar knot.

By the time I was done building I had visible redness on my skin. If any of you have suggestions for speeding up a boar break-in, I genuinely want to hear them. I cleaned this knot three times before the session, scrubbed it hard on a towel, soaked it in soap, and lathered it twice. Still rough. But that’s boar. They grow on you. They keep getting better with use. Some of them have a very long breaking period, and once they’re fully broken in, they can become beautiful. I’m not giving up on this one yet.

The Shave

The razor more than made up for the brush. Yaqi Ghost aluminum with a fresh Tatra Platinum is just smooth. Can’t feel the blade. It’s on the milder side, which makes it a perfect daily shaver. Three passes, very close result. Got a good clean shave off the upper lip and the couple days of stubble without any trouble.

The Coolzilla lather performed well once it was on the face. Dense, low-structure, super slick. I was actually a little worried I’d loaded too heavy at the start. Turned out I loaded just right. The lather stretched perfectly through three passes. And the menthol cooling was exactly what you want on a hot day. Clears the sinuses. Very enjoyable. The residual slickness after rinsing was serious too. My face was still slick after a lot of cold water. That’s a good soap.

The matching BBS Coolzilla splash finished it off. Witch hazel base, some alcohol, menthol forward. Nice burn. Solid hit. A little red on the skin from the brush, but a good clean finish overall.

Verdict

The handle is probably my favorite thing about this brush. The shape, the green shimmer, the weight of it in the hand. Really well done.

The knot is too stiff for my sensitive skin at this stage. No getting around that. But boar knots can transform with enough use, and I’m not ready to write this one off. You’ll probably see it on the channel a few more times as the break-in continues. If you like a stiffer scrub, you might enjoy it right now. I just can’t take that much brush on my face.

The Yaqi Ghost aluminum and Tatra Platinum pairing, on the other hand, was spot on. Smooth, mild, handled the stubble clean. That’s a pair worth knowing about.

Thanks for watching. Please subscribe if you haven’t, and I’ll see you in the next video. Goodbye.