Shaving Brush Collection

What are the types of shaving brushes?

When we talk about shaving brushes, there are a few aspects to consider. Two important considerations are hair type and hair grade.

First, you need to decide what type of hair you are looking for in your shaving brush. Badger hair is the most common natural hair type for shaving brushes, because of its excellent properties. Other natural hair types include horse and boar which some wet shavers love for their stiffer bristles. Lastly, there is a growing variety of synthetic hair brushes that are quite popular with wet shavers. Synthetic shaving brushes are cruelty-free, easy to maintain, and often cheaper than their natural hair counterparts.

Second, you need to decide on the grade of hair. Although this is pretty much reserved for badger brushes, you can find quite a range of quality and price within this realm. Generally, the cheapest badger brush will fall under “Pure”, then “Best” or “Super”, and finally “Silvertip”. As you move up the scale, you move up in price and in softness/splay/skin-feel.

How do I choose a shaving brush?

After you’ve chosen the type and grade of hair that you want, then there are a few other factors that can influence your choice of shaving brush: size and shape. Both of these factors can be influenced by what type of latherer you are. Do you prefer mug/bowl lathering or are you more of a face/palm latherer. Once you’ve decided on that, you can begin to narrow down your choice.

The size of your brush can include the handle length (tall or long handles are sought after by mug lathers who need the extra length), handle width (a short, stout handle can work well for face lathers), knot size (refers to the number of hairs packed into the knot, measured in mm, the bigger the diameter the more dense and more lather it can hold), and finally loft size (measured in mm it refers to how much hair rises about the handle and it can impact splay and backbone).

Another consideration is the shape of the hair. You can get brushes with a fan or bulb shape. The fan shape is great for face lathers while the bulb shape offers more backbone for a stiffer brush.

How long does a shaving brush last?

Taking into account quality of construction, care & maintenance, and technique/frequency of use, a good shaving brush could easily last decades. There are wet shavers out there using shaving brushes 30 years, 50 years, or even passing them down to the next generation. Of course, buying the right brush and taking care of it appropriately figures highly into this estimate. In fact, having more than one brush will actually increase the longevity of the brushes as they are able to get less use and dry adequately between uses. So, really that’s just a good excuse to get another brush. Even if they last ten years, that doesn’t mean you have to have just one, does it?

Why is badger hair used for shaving brushes?

Badger hair has long been extolled by wet shavers because of its phenomenal properties in helping to produce a prodigious lather. The hair from a badger is particularly good at water retention. This means your damp brush is slowly releasing water as you whip, perfectly (or near perfectly) hydrating your froth. Badger hair, especially high end badger, has a particularly nice, soft face feel for applying the lather. And it has the “just right” spot of backbone to whip up a lather and still splay on the face.

Why does my shaving brush shed?

Initially, you may have some shedding with a new brush as the stray hairs that weren’t glued in during manufacturing may escape and shed. However, after a month or two of use, this shouldn’t continue to be a problem.

If you continue to experience shedding, there are a couple of reasons. 1.You might have a defective brush. 2. You might be soaking it in too hot water (causing the epoxy resin of the handle to expand, loosening the knot, or compromising the glue). 3. You might be lathering too vigorously causing the hairs to break off or the knot to become unstable.