The Best Shaving Brush: The Manly Guide to Selecting this Wet Shaving Essential
- Why use a Shaving Brush
- Different Types of Shaving Brush
- Sizes of Shaving Brush
- What Price you should pay
- How to use the Shaving Brush
Your Shaving Brush is going to be a staple part of your grooming routine for years to come, presuming you’ve upgraded to wet shaving of course!
Choosing which type of shaving brush you need can be confusing, there is an array of options out there for the beginner to choose from. It doesn’t have to be confusing, the trick is picking the right one from the start. Easier said then done eh!
Why use a Shaving Brush?
There are many advantages to using a shaving brush and soap or cream over the gunk that comes out of a can.
The main purposes of a shaving brush are:
- To form a rich and warm lather
- It helps soften and lift the hair off the face;
- It helps open the pores
- It gently exfoliates the surface of the skin to rid it of dead cells before your manly shave
The whole process of getting your shaving brush first thing to begin your morning is a very therapeutic routine. It gives you time to gather your thoughts before leaving your house to start your day.
Types of Shaving Brushes:
There are a few main types of Shaving brushes with most made from the hair of badgers, boars,horses or synthetic fibres. We stock synthetic, boar and various grades of badger.
Boar Brushes
The bristle taken from boars are more coarse than badger hair which is great for exfoliating. The coarser hair creates an unbelievable lather with very little product. They also soften in time and are probably the most affordable shaving brush out there. Apparently boar brushes are favoured by Italian barbers for these qualities.
We recommend using a bowl to lather when using a boar brush. They have quite a lot of backbone and the hair tends to be stiffer. It’s very effective at exfoliating but if you have sensitive skin then build a lather in a bowl and apply the lather to your face as if you’re painting a wall.
Synthetic Brushes
Synthetic brushes are produced from manufactured materials with no animal hair for all those vegans out there or for anyone allergic to animal hair. They’re usually made from nylon fibers and ours are no different. We have two grades of synthetic shaving brushes, both are very soft and work a lather very well.
Our brushes use high-quality synthetic fibres which feel very similar to our badger brushes. Synthetic brushes are a great alternative as they hold the lather well, feel great against your 
skin and tend to dry quicker so last longer.
The fibers tend not to break easily which is great and they’re soften than boar. Our are equal in softness to the best badger brushes out there.
As synthetic shaving brushes dry quicker, it means they’ll last longer. Be quick with that lather though!
Badger Brushes
Badger hair has been used for centuries to make shaving brushes. There are several different grades of badger hair: pure, best and silver tip and high white mountain, though the meaning and the names of the categories may vary by manufacturer.
We currently sell Black Badger shaving brushes, Pure Badger shaving brushes, Best Badger shaving brushes, finest badger shaving brushes, silvertip badger shaving brushes and high white mountain badg
er shaving brushes.
Pure/black badger hair is the least expensive of the grades and ranges in color from brownish-grey to black. The hairs are more flexible than boar bristles and usually coarser in texture than higher grade badger hair. Their solid quality will perform well for wet shavers who like a massaging effect while preparing to shave. We recommend a Pure Badger to beginners as it’s an affordable and quality brush.
Best Badger offers a significant improvement in feel and quality over pure badger. The hair ranges in color from lighter brown to gray and has better water absorbing capabilities than pure badger. On the face, best grade hair has a softer feel and is not as scratchy as pure.
Finest badger shaving brush. Our’s has a great sized knot and is really soft, definitely for the man who looks after themselves. It’s a step up from the best badger and is almost on par with the Silvertip. It’s actually great value when you consider you’ll be using the same brush for a few years.
Our Silvertip badger comes in a large knot with unparalleled quality hair.
This brush will last for many years to come and provide lots of shaving pleasure.
The Grand-Daddy of Shaving Brushes. Amazingly soft and supple bristles which helps create an unbeatable lather.
The last of our badger shaving brush range is the
High White Mountain Badger Shaving Brush.
A truly beautiful shaving brush, the bristles are the from the softest part of the badger. This brush features a generous 60mm knot. The handle fits perfectly into the hand to give a great grip to ensure you get a super lather. Made with chrome plated steel with dippling, it feels lovely in the hand. This badger hair is the softest around and will feel beautiful on your skin.
Handles
The handles of our brushes are made from a variety of reliable materials. The acrylic handles offer a really nice weight to the base of the brush so it really feels like you’ve a quality item in your grip. Either black or faux ivory colouring.
Some of our handmade best badger shaving brushes come with a beautiful hand turned wooden handle which adds significant weight and a beautiful centre piece to your bathroom.
Our luxury range features heavy chrome plated steel handles. They’re truly luxurious shaving brushes and both look and feel fantastic. Available with pure badger hair or HWM badger hair.
A luxury chrome shaving set for only €69.99 including stand.
Care
We recommend washing all of our brushes in warm water before use to clean off any natural residues. The animal odor will go away after a few uses and be replaced by the awesome smell of your shaving soap.
To care for your brush, you need to store it upside down in a stand so any excess water drips down to the ground instead of into the knot which will in time lead to hair falling out. Give it a good shake and then hang that bad boy up.
Don’t keep the brush in any closed containers when it’s wet!
You will know it is time to replace your brush when the bristles fall out or start to disintegrate in the water.
How much should I pay for my shaving brush?
How long is a piece of string. The honest answer is pay what you can afford. Our brushes are all selected for their quality characteristics. If you spend €10 on a boar brush or €100 on a high white mountain brush, you’re guaranteed a reliable, beautiful shaving brush which will provide many shaves in your lifetime.
How to Use a Shaving Brush
Fill the sink with hot water, dip or leave the brush in it until the bristle hairs are completely soaked with hot water and then remove the brush; alternatively, hold the brush under a hot running tap. Ideally you should leave the brush submerged whilst you’re having your shower.
Don’t tap too much excess water off the brush. The point is for the bristles to retain as much water as possible so it can keep your face hydrated and protected during the shaving process.
With circular motions, run the bristles over the soap to generate lather. The longer you whisk, the richer the lather, and the more protection it provides to the skin. Twenty seconds should do.
Once you have a good thick lather, paint it on to your face like you’re painting a fencer, this will ensure the bristles don’t break so your brush will last longer.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our article, any questions then let us know!
What’s the best shaving brush you’ve used?!
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