It is time to explain our treatment technology.
I divide its evolution into four stages.
Before 2019
Before OUMO entered this field, the industry had no clear standards for badger hair treatment. Treatment was primarily aesthetic — the purchasing standard for almost every brand was simply not to damage the integrity of the hair tip.
This treatment softens the tips to a degree, but because varying temperature and humidity affect the outcome, the degree of treatment was never stable from batch to batch. Brands had to explain the characteristics of each batch to their customers, and most would ask us, as manufacturers, to keep things as consistent as possible.
Some products with a slightly higher degree of treatment would produce gel tips — but this rarely occurred at the time.
2019 to Early 2021
We improved our treatment technology, focusing especially on gel tips. We believed gel tips could significantly improve the feel, and during this period, gel-tipped badger hair knots became the market mainstream.
This technology also greatly accelerated OUMO's development. Nearly all high-end badger hair knots on the market during this period featured gel tips, and the top priority in every order we received was gel tips.
However, the treatment technology of this era was not yet mature. Some badger hair tips would show red treatment marks — harmless in use, but detrimental to appearance. For high-end hand-tied products especially, such defects in an expensive item were unacceptable to any customer.
Mid-2021 to Mid-2022
In pursuit of the ultimate feel, OUMO launched Lotus treatment technology. It delivers a cloud-soft touch — but at the cost of significantly reduced knot lifespan.
Lotus treatment can be understood as probing the breaking point of badger hair. The closer you get to that threshold, the more absorbent the hair becomes. At the same time, the cuticle scales at the tips swell with moisture, producing ultimate softness.
But that same absorbency means the knot requires far more shaving cream or soap — earning Lotus the reputation of a new-generation "soap monster."
During this period, Lotus treatment generated as many negative reviews as positive ones. That is why I call it a "love-hate treatment."
End of 2022 to Present
We upgraded our treatment technology once more.
This time, we sought a method that delivers the Lotus experience while preserving lifespan. Unfortunately, this is a paradox — it cannot be achieved through traditional treatment alone.
We reworked our long-standing process and developed an extremely time-consuming treatment technology that partially achieves the goal. We preserve most of the hair's natural oils, maintain the integrity of each badger hair as much as possible, and have replaced the traditional whole-tip treatment with a topical treatment applied in four stages.
The result is what you see in our current products: the T-3/4/5/6, M-3/4/5, and Meri-2 all use this technology.
It is not perfect, and we are still searching for new ways to reach our ultimate goal. Each badger hair remains complete and soft — the treatment can even enhance the hair's elasticity and tip length. We have been experimenting continuously, and the experimental materials accumulated so far would be enough to produce two complete Tyrant-series knots.
I believe we will eventually succeed — and solve the puzzle of badger hair treatment technology once and for all.
I have noticed that many newcomers have joined the wet-shaving community in recent years, which is deeply meaningful for this entire retro culture. However, most newcomers did not experience the pre-2019 era and have significant doubts — even misunderstandings — about treatment technology. I hope this article can help clarify things to some extent.
Thank you so much.
Best regards,
Carry