There’s a big, wide world of shaving supplies out there, and most men don’t even know it exists. I’m going to delve into that world a little bit on this blog, starting with shaving brushes. There are a lot of options available, which tends to make people panic. Don’t panic. Just sit back, read along, and learn a little bit about shaving brushes. And don’t forget to bring a towel.
Let’s establish what a brush ought to do for you: Create a really nice lather. Generally speaking, a brush with more absorbent hair will produce a thicker, more consistent lather. However, the nicer the brush hair, the more it will cost you. For many men, the cheaper, stiffer brushes work well enough.
The following types of brushes are listed in order of, well, “niceness” (low to high): synthetic, boar bristle, horse hair, pure badger, best badger, super badger, and silver tip badger.
Synthetic brushes are usually made with nylon bristles. They provide a medium stiffness, and are much cheaper than any other type of brush. Use a synthetic bristle brush if you have a fondness for little critters, or are allergic to said little critters. I actually do not have any synthetic brushes in the shop right now, so I have no picture.
Col. Ichabod Conk boar bristle brush, $16.95
Boar bristle brushes are a step up from synthetic. Boar will be slightly pricier than synthetic, but not much. They are stiffer than badger, and won’t hold as much water. This isn’t always a bad thing — Some men prefer using a stiffer bristle.
Col. Conk pure badger brush, $27.95
Now we are entering the land of badgers. I hope you brought proper weaponry.
Pure badger brushes are the most common (and cheapest) variety. Here’s why: The hair used in pure badger brushes covers quite a bit of the badger’s body, so it’s not hard to come by. Also, the tip of the bristle is trimmed, causing it to be a bit more prickly than higher grades of badger.
Pure badger brush, Col. Conk, $82.95
Notice how the two pure badger brushes I have pictured look nothing alike, and are priced very differently? Pure badger bristle ranges in color from dark tan to black, and is sometimes bleached. So don’t assume you can always identify a badger brush by looks alone. This second brush is much more expensive because the handle is marble.
Col. Conk best badger brush, $52.95
Best badger is a step up from pure badger in price, softness, and water retention. However, it’s not the “best,” which leads me to believe it was named thusly by a sad little badger with a badger complex. He probably thought he was an otter. Moving on…
Super Badger! This badger had more psychological issues than our old buddy Best Badger. Right. Super badger is, unsurprisingly, even nicer than best badger. The hairs are smaller, making them less scratchy and stiff. Adding to the softness is the fact that super badger hairs are not trimmed, allowing the tips to taper down naturally. You can expect to see a dark band through the middle, with a white tip. If you have sensitive skin, you might need to use a super badger brush (or better.) There are no super badgers in stock at the moment, so no fancy picture. Instead, use your imagination to envision your idea of what a super badger ought to look like.
Merkur silvertip badger brush, $124.95
Ready for the nicest of the nice? Say hello to the silver tip badger brush. Hair for these brushes is found only in the neck area of a badger. It is never dyed. Each hair is sorted for softness and coloring. Each hair, people! That’s why you can expect to pay well over $100 for one of these.
You will not find a softer, more absorbent hair than silver tip badger. It’s up to you whether or not it’s worth the price.
I saved the best for last: Horse hair. Why is horse hair the best? Because it has a fun and exciting back story. Before I get to the exciting part, let’s deal with the boring stuff. Horse hair is humane because you don’t have to kill the horse to cut off a bit of its mane or tail. But don’t rule that option out. I don’t like horses.
As far as quality is concerned, horse hair falls between boar bristle and pure badger. It’s fairly stiff, costs around $20-$30, and has decent water retention for a nice lather. Good stuff.
Vie-Long horse hair, $19.95
The Tale of the Horse’s Tail of Horrors:
During WWI, troops were supplied with shaving kits. Due to some rather loosey-goosey health codes in the brush factories, quite a few horse hair brushes were sent out containing strains of Anthrax. So imagine what happens when you lather Anthrax all over your face, and then take a blade to it. Bad things happen. Such as death.
As you can probably guess, the aftermath of this was heightened health standards for manufacturers, and a drastic decline in horse hair sales. One thing I find odd, though, is that it’s still really hard to find a horse hair brush. Are people still freaked out by it? Is there still some lingering stigma?
Here’s another thought: Maybe the horses were trying to kill us.
