What Hair Are Shaving Brushes Made From?
When it comes to buying a shaving brush, you are really presented with 4 clear choices. Those are:
- Badger hair - this is the best choice and is used in the more expensive brushes
- Boar hair - this is the most common used in cheaper brushes
- Horse hair - this hair is taken from the horse's tail or mane, and is starting to be used once again, having fallen out of favour for a time
- Synthetic - a good choice if you don't want to use any type of animal hair, but still want to own a shaving brush
There are different grades of all of the above, but your chosen brush will contain one of those four hair types.
We always like to point out really important information, so as our readers are as fully informed as possible. To get both badger and boar hair for a brush, those animals have to die. That is not allowed in many European countries. Although there may be culls, theses animals are not allowed to be killed simply for their hair.
That is a step too far for some people, and we understand that. We would recommend if you find that as being too cruel, that you can still get a very good synthetic shaving brush. Those are created from man made fibres, and they are also very good quality.
Sometimes these are referred to as "natural" hair brushes. Not that long ago the "go to" synthetic material was nylon. That made the brushes stiff and could stick into the skin, and many people found them uncomfortable to use. Manufacturers have changed that and now used specialised synthetic materials. It is actually quite difficult to tell the difference between a badger hair brush and a synthetic, if you buy the right ones.
Handle Types in Detail
We mentioned in our buying tips a little about handle types. Here we explain those in a lot more detail. The manufacturer decides what materials they are going to use to make their handles. Here at the Emporium, the different writers at our website all have different preferences.
The handle is important as it greatly impacts on the overall appearance of the brush. The two things worth noting though are the actual size and the weight of the handle. The number one thing to consider though is that the size of your hand should be a key factor in your decision making process.
Metal Handles
These are usually made from brass which is a heavy metal. They are then plated with nickel or chrome and sometimes both. That makes them look better and brass would also discolour if left bare. There are a few made from aluminium and these will be lighter. Metal handles last a long time and the plating prevents any risk of rusting.
Wooden Handles
This is the traditional look and wooden handles are usually made from ash, sycamore, rosewood, olive wood, juniper or pine. There are some imitation wooden handles that are actually made with synthetic materials used to make them look like wood.
If you like tradition or simply prefer wood, then these will be a great choice for you. Some people object to these because they say they are not hygienic, similar in a way to wooden chopping boards. This is just not the case. If a brush with a wooden handle is washed out and hung to dry, it does not in itself carry any more bacteria than any other type of handle.
This notion came from when a shaving brush was used for preoperative shaving in hospitals. That was researched and yes those brushes showed contamination, according to a scientific study by Science Direct. However that was not related to the wooden handle, but to the actual state of the brush conditions, and the lack of cleaning.
The one drawback of wood is that the handle will degrade quicker than other materials, simply because the wood is in a lot of contact with water. That said, you can get at least 6-10 years from a wooden handle without any worries at all.
Synthetic Handles
Some shaving brushes use synthetic materials. Synthetic simply means man-made. Back in the day ivory was used but that is now never used to make handles. Manufacturers have however made imitation ivory which looks very similar. Some people like that very classical barber shop appearance.
However the most popular synthetic handles are made from either acrylic glass or from resin. This opens up quite a wide range of interesting coloured handles. Some buyers will prefer this type of handle and many of them do look really well.
Shaving Brush Sizes
We mentioned in our buying tips a little about the size of hair brushes. Here we explain those in a lot more detail. There are three clearly defined measurements when it comes to understand the size of brushes. We have listed those just below:
- Overall Height - This is the easiest one to understand and is the length of the handle plus the length of the loft (hair length)
- The Loft - This is the hair length from the top of the handle to the uttermost tip of the hair. if you look very closely at the way these hairs are shaped, you will notice that most are a bulb shape, but others are a fan shape. Again this is down to personal preference. Wet shavers often discuss which style is better, but for us it is simply down to personal choice.
- The Knot - This is an interesting measurement. It refers to the diameter of the amount of hair that is packed into the handle. Is it really significant? Again if you ever closely examine shaving brushes, you will see that some are packed very tightly and some are rather loose.
Our take on this is really simple. Larger brushes create more lather and cover the face faster. If you like to be more precise then opt for a smaller head. The fan style also covers the face faster, whereas the bulb style gives you more precise control of the lather, and where it goes (or doesn't go)
In terms of brush length (often referred to as height) measure the distance from the palm of your hand to the pad on your thumb. That would be the overall ideal length that you should buy. It is a good rule of thumb, if you will pardon the pun.
Shaving Brush Price Points
We mentioned in our buying tips a little about the various price points. Here we explain those in a lot more detail. You can quite literally pick these up for around £2-3 at the lower end.
Many beginners will buy these just to see if they like the idea of using a brush for wet shaving. In our opinion there is nothing wrong with that at all. Why spend more money than you have to, if you are simply giving something new a try.
There is no doubt though that the hairs will fall out of any cheaply made brush. That is why most men are prepared to spend a bit more and get a better quality brush.
For around £8-10 you get a good quality brush that will last you for years. if you want something even better, then by spending around £20, you can get a great looking high quality brush that will last you a lifetime.
Shaving Brush Shedding
We mentioned above about hairs falling out of a brush.That is called shedding. The hairs on a shaving brush are glued into the handle. Quite literally thousands of hairs are compressed and then glued inside the handle.
Over time, the hot water may start to break down that glue, and hairs may start to fall out. More expensive brushes go through a stricter process of gluing and as such are less likely to shed hairs.
Shaving Brush Brands
For many years certain brands were known for their wet shaving products and included brands like:
- Simpsons
- Progress Vulfix
- Wilkinson Sword
- Taylor of Old Bond Street
Those are still excellent brands, but they are not a cheap purchase. Other brands entered the market such as:
- Edwin Jagger
- Proraso
- Benny's of London
These are also very good brushes, but they are usually at lower prices. If you have been wet shaving for a while, you do tend to start to like one brand, and may stick with them. You will not buy tens of shaving brushes in your lifetime. We would advise buying something like a Progress Vulfix as they are established and we love their brushes.
Shaving Brush Accessories
There are a few small accessories that you can get for a shaving brush. The most popular is a stand. That is really useful as it gives you a place to properly dry your brush out. These are usually made with a place to hold your DE razor.
You can also buy a variety of shaving bowls, mugs and scuttles where the brush is used to create the lather with a good shaving soap.
How to Care for Your Shaving Brush
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