If you are a wet shave enthusiast or wanting to get into wet shaving you know you will need the best shaving brush to help apply your favorite shaving soap or cream. But how do you know which one to get with hundreds on the market?
In this article, we want to show you want to look for as well as give you a few recommendations so you can find the right one for you.
Shaving brushes have actually been around since the mid 1700’s, the French simply called them badger. Wet shaving is risen in demand recently creating a need for high quality badger hair shaving brushes and they have come a long way since the 1700’s!
Back then, a shaving brush was a status symbol almost like a watch or a car even! When the straight razor came along, allowing men to shave themselves rather than go to a barber, shaving brushes quickly followed.
The different parts of the shaving brush are what makes each brush unique or work in different ways than others.
The three parts of the shaving brush consist of:
The handles on badger hair shaving brushes can be made from a variety of materials and one is not necessarily better than another. It comes down to preference of the look and feel of the handle.
Different materials can also cause the handles to have different weights which will affect the feel in your hand.
Some common handle materials are:
The handle doesn’t really influence how the brush works during your shave, it can really be more of a status symbol like we mentioned before. However, the length of the handle will affect how it feels in your hand depending on how you like to grip it.
You will see the most debate among wet shaving enthusiast about the knot on their shaving brush. The knot it where the hair is attached to the handle. The knot size is the width of the knot where it meets the handle and is usually 20-25 mm.
However, there is more to the knot than just the size because manufacturers can also control the density here. Two manufactures may use the same amount of hair with a 22mm knot as a 24mm knot so the smaller knot will have more density than the larger knot.
The loft on any shaving brush is the length of the hair coming off the handle. The length of the hair fibers will affect the stiffness of the brush.
The longer the hair the softer they will feel and the shorter the hair the stiffer the brush will feel. Each of these have their own advantages.
The length of the loft and the size/density of the knot are said to give the shaving brush backbone. The stiffer the backbone the more control you will have with the brush. It may also be easier to transfer the lather to your face.
With a looser backbone, the brush will absorb more water and create a lather quicker and can cover a larger area faster than smaller, denser knot.
The hair can also be shaped like a bulb or a fan.
The hair in the shaving brush usually consists of synthetic, boar or badger hair. The synthetic fibers are commonly made with nylon and may last longer than the other types of hair.
Boar’s hair brushes tend to cost less than badger hair but can still perform the job well. however, the industry standard is badger hair. Badgers are protected in the US so it mostly comes from China. Badger hair is not cheap and is usually the most expensive element of the shaving brush.
Badger hair usually comes in 4 different grades:
There are some benefits to using a shaving brush, it is not just for looks and status!
The hair’s ability to hold water allows you to create a richer and moister lather which will help your blade slide smoothly across your face. This will help reduce irritation as well.
The shaving brush will also exfoliate your skin. This is great because it removes dead skin cells which also helps you have a more efficient shave.
Finally, the shave brush will help lift and soften your bread hairs. This reduces the amount of pressure needed from the blade to give a close shave. This why you will find people using shaving brushes when they wet shave vs. applying shaving soap or cream by hand.
This is a great choice on Amazon right now. The Parker Silvertip
Parker has been around for over forty years and has a long subculture of presenting some of the finest merchandise for wet shaving such as razors, brushes, soaps, stands and bowls. Their organization has been around since 1973 and that they strive to offer the closest and most comfy shave.
This silvertip badger bristle shaving brush is one of the nicest brushes for the money.
Silvertip badger hair is considered the greatest sort of badger hair for these brushes due to the fact these bristles can hold huge amounts of water.
Silvertip brushes can quickly create rich lathers together with your preferred shaving soap that you can lather on your face. that is a vital tool if you wet shave with a DE safety razor.
Additionally, they use an excessive density of bristles on this brush so it’ll get the activity accomplished well.
Another cool element about Parker brushes is that they include stands for the brush. That is vital for the long-term care of your brush. You’ll need the brush to drip dry to hold it lasting for future years.
The fake handle makes this badger brush easy to grip and exceptionally comfortable. You’ll be able to easily create a rich lather together with your preferred shaving soap or cream helping you get a close and relaxed shave. It has an enjoyable weight to it as properly giving it a strong, masculine feel.
You will be pleased with this brush. Check out the critiques for yourself on Amazon, there are over a hundred and eighty happy clients who purchased this brush.
Vikings blade luxurious badger brush may not be considered the highest-quality shaving brush around but it in really packs bang for your buck. It’s presently selling for less than $30 on amazon and has a favorable rating with over one hundred twenty reviews.
They use “Best” grade badger hair on this brush that’s a step up from pure however, it isn’t the best.
So, although this could nonetheless have a high-water retention to offer you a pleasing lather it won’t keep an awful lot water like the silvertip brushes.
This could or could not be a huge deal for you. However, this brush is great if you are looking to save a few bucks.
Like all badger brushes there may be a break in period in which the brush will shed a few of its hairs.
Don’t forget to wash the brush a couple times with shampoo prior to your first use to speed up this process and dispose of any badger smell.
Vikings used a heavier base in this brush to give you an extra manly, robust sense while using. The base is made with obsidian black acrylic. they declare 100% pure manliness is what you get with this brush!
In case you are seeking out an outstanding starter brush, this Perfecto Pure Badger shaving brush simply might be the one for you. it is certainly one of Amazon’s top sellers, probably because they’re promoting for less than $20 with free shipping right now.
If you are pro wet shaver this could not be the brush for you. It only uses natural badger hair that is the lowest of the grades.
However, that doesn’t mean this is an awful brush. it’s going to nonetheless get the task finished. It simply is probably a touch coarser than those with best or Silvertip hair.
This brush is four inches in total length with the knot being two inches and the handle being 2 inches so it is very near the common length for shaving brushes. it is made in China and Perfecto states the same old warning of shedding during the first few uses.
This is ordinary, you may need to wash the brush a few times with cleaning soap or shampoo before your first use.
For upkeep, you must rinse and continually hang upside down for it to dry. This brush doesn’t come with a stand however for approximately the same fee, you could get it as well.
It has an excellent higher rating of 4.8 with over 3,000 opinions! This should be a pleasant stand that people are using with different brands of brushes.
Because they use a grade of pure badger hair on those brushes this brush may be better for exfoliating your pores and skin. Perfecto lists this in their product description and several the reviews mention it as well.
That is fantastic for you pores and skin in general however additionally enables you get a greater efficient shave. All those dead skin cells are just extra gunk to clog up your razor.
Well this is one of the best brushes we’ve reviewed with a 90-day guarantee. it is excellent to recognize when an agency stands behind their product, it offers you a feeling of protection while you make a purchase.
Shaveology is presenting a silver tip badger hair brush and stand for what many corporations are just providing the brush.
This brush won’t have the highest reviews on Amazon however it sure does pack plenty of bang on your buck. Keep in mind, silvertip badger hair is the very best quality in comparison to other brushes that might simply use pure or best badger hair, that are lower grades.
Silvertip hairs are softer and preserve more water to make it less complicated to transfer the lather to your face. Also, silvertip brushes can last up to 10 years with right care.
That is probably why they give you the stand for that fee, so you can properly hang your brush out to dry. It additionally helps soften and lift your facial hair at the same time as gently exfoliating your skin, all essential steps on your pre-shave routine.
This brush gets plenty of love from its fans on Amazon with a high 4.5 rating with over 275 reviews!
Latherwhip placed a whole lot of thought into the design of this brush. They went outside the box from what you usually see.
First, they strategically used a 22mm knot. This was designed to help you be extra effective when applying your shaving soap or cream.
Larger knots can on occasion be lather hogs. They don’t transfer the lather on your face easily due to the fact they’re large and can soak up extra water.
Smaller knots around 20mm are regarded to be stiffer and won’t hold onto so much lather which will assist you to be extra precise with your application.
The 22mm knot that Latherwhip offers will also provide a nice balance of stiffness and softness. So that you can help exfoliate your pores and skin.
Latherwhip admits this brush will no longer feel as others. Which might be made with silvertip badger hair however they intentionally desired a little stiffness because of this.
The more firmness helps you create a richer lather quicker than different softer brushes with the intention to prevent time within the morning.
They also placed time and effort in developing their resin handle which they claim will withstand bumps and scrapes. This is right to know due to the fact a few other brushes have been known to have the knot fall off the handle when it is dropped. This brush could have a touch extra durability.
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