The Shaving Brush Guide

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Recently, I introduced our guide to shaving creams and shaving soaps, but there is another tool that is at least as important: the shaving brush.A few decades ago almost every man who shaved used one. Due to modernization, quick and easy disposable products like shaving foams gained in popularity while the shaving brush became somewhat obsolete. It is only with hindsight that men are finally beginning to realize the importance of shaving, of taking care of their skin, and thus of the brush. Once you use a shaving brush, you will never go back. It is much more efficient, employing a smaller amount of shaving cream for a rich and warm lather, and there are less waste and fewer cans making it a greener alternative. For those who want to use a shaving soap or cream, a brush is indispensable.

Brief History of Shaving Brushes

Before brushes, there were sea sponges: men used them to lather up soap to their faces. The shaving brushes with bristles as we know them today were invented by the French in the eighteenth century. Since then, different kinds of bristles have been used – both natural and synthetic.

Various Shaving Brushes
Various Shaving Brushes

Advantages of a Shaving Brush

The purpose of the brush is fourfold:

  1. Generates a rich and warm lather by whipping air into shaving cream or soap
  2. Softens and lifts the facial hair off the face
  3. Adds heat to the skin during the shaving process which helps open pores and lubricate the skin
  4. Gently exfoliates the surface of the skin to rid it of dead cells

By virtue of its numerous bristles, a shaving brush is the best way to generate a warm and unctuous lather. Rich lather is important because it protects and lubricates the skin. Also, the gentle friction of the bristles on your face as you lather up arms the shaving cream and your skin, softening the beard and opening pores. The brush helps guide the direction of your whiskers as they loosen up in their pores, preparing them for the blade. The shaving brush is also ideal for ensuring adequate moisture to the face when shaving: it captures and transports the moisture from the sink, through the bristles to your skin and beard. This is a far more efficient method of wetting your skin than cupping water in your hands and bringing it to your face when shaving, which is what you have to do without a brush. Finally, the brush provides gentle exfoliation and removes dead surface cells, something that fingers alone cannot do. For a fullset of video tutorials, check out our comprehensive shaving guide.

Shaving Brush in Action
Shaving Brush in Action

Types of Shaving Brushes

Shaving brushes are mostly made from the hair of badgers, boars, horses or synthetic fibers.

Boar Brushes

The bristle taken from boars are harder than badger hair and are at first very coarse, which is not so comfortable on the skin. The courser texture of the bristles makes it very useful for lathering soaps well because of its ability to agitate the surface of the soap very easily. Over time, the tips of the bristles will soften and feel a bit more broken in, but will never be as soft on the face as badger hair. Colors range from yellow to white, often with a black imitation band as decoration. The price of a boar brush is hard to beat. You can get a decent boar shaving brush for less than $ 10. Interestingly, boar bristle brushes are particularly favored by Italian barbers. The Italian Omega brand makes a good variety of shaving brushes and, in particular, excellent boar shaving brushes. If you can’t find the Omega brand, you can also purchase the Proraso shaving brush which is produced by Omega.

Vie Long Peleon Horse Hair Shaving Brush & badger brush with horn handle
Vie Long Peleon Horse Hair Shaving Brush & badger brush with horn handle

Horsehair Brushes

Horsehair is finer and softer than boar, but slightly stiffer than badger hair. Horsehair brushes come in as many colors as do horses. They seem to be favored particularly in Spain and are compared to badger modestly priced (price range: $ 20 to $ 40). The Spanish company Vie-Long is a good source for horsehair brushes.

Mühle Silvertip 2.0 Synthetic Shaving Brushes
Mühle Silvertip 2.0 Synthetic Shaving Brushes

Synthetic Brushes

Synthetic bristles have been significantly improved in recent years. The cheapest brushes still use relatively thick nylon bristles and are not particularly comfortable. But you can also find amazing products made from high-quality synthetic fibers analogously to the best natural badger hair. In particular, the synthetic Silvertip Fibre v2.0 brushes made by the German brand Mühle are top notch. The first version of these brushes wasn’t as good but these new fibers are astonishingly soft and extremely long-lasting. In fact, the tips are softer than any animal hair brush, while also being less sensitive in everyday as they dry faster than natural hair. This kind of synthetic bristle was designed and engineered specifically for shaving and some like them better than animal hair brushes. On top of that, these brushes are PETA-approved, vegan, and perfectly suited for men who are allergic to animal hair or badger hair. As if that wouldn’t be enough, you will also need about half of the amount of shaving cream or soap compared to an animal hair brush. The best synthetic bristle brushes retail between $ 40 and $ 140.

The Gentleman's Gazette Shaving Guide

Badger Brushes

Badger hair has been used for more than two centuries to make the shaving brushes. There are essentially four different grades of badger hair: pure, best, super and silver tip though the meaning and the names of the categories may vary by manufacturer.

Pure badger hair is the least expensive of the four 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 stable quality will perform well for wet shavers who like a massaging effect while preparing to shave. Pure graded brushes normally offer a good value in quality for the price (price range: $ 35 to $ 70). A pure badger lasts on average three years.

Silvertip Hair
Silvertip Hair

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. Best graded brushes are priced between $ 50 to $100 and last on average six years.

The super badger grade is even softer on the face and has little to no scratchiness on the skin. The hair has a color pattern with a black banded midsection and whiter tips than the other quality hair types. The density and water holding capacity of super badger brushes offer a noticeable difference in performance. Super badger is significantly more expensive than best badger (price range: $ 75 to $ 150) and can last up to ten years.

Silver tip is the best and the most expensive grade of hair. Like super badger hair, the silver tip has a very distinct color banding, but usually a more defined contrast in color between the black and white-silver color bands. Silver tip hair is gentle and luxurious, like a soft sponge that massages the lather on to the face. The price range for the silver tip category usually starts at $150. An average silver tip badger brush will last ten years or more.

MÜHLE ROTGOLD Brush & DE Razor
MÜHLE ROTGOLD Brush & DE Razor

Knot & Loft Height

Now, all of these shaving qualities come in different knot sizes (the diameter of the knot base – usually measured in mm) and the loft height, which is the height from the base to the top. As you can imagine, longer hairs will feel softer, but it also depends on the thickness of the hair. Some people prefer a big loft while others prefer a small one. At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference, though the big diameter knot brushes with a high loft are generally softer and more expensive than the smaller brushes.

Shedding

A new brush will always shed in the beginning, but after 10 – 15 shaves, a good brush will stop to shed. To accelerate the shedding process, some people wash their brush with shampoo or comb it. In my experience, you’ll be fine if you just use it until it stops. Brushes of lower quality will never stop shedding, and you will have hair even 6 months down the line. So, if you have a brush that sheds even after many uses, return it.

Handmade English Shaving Brushes from Simpsons & Edwin Jagger
Handmade English Shaving Brushes from Simpsons & Edwin Jagger

Handles

The handles of shaving brushes are meant to be balanced, to fit comfortably in your hand, and have a solid grip. Brush manufacturers usually offer different sizes and weights, depending on the size of your hand.

A wide variety of materials is used for handles. The most common are metal, wood, horn and synthetic.

Metal handles are often made of brass and are subsequently plated with chrome or nickel to increase their durability. Chrome shines brightly while nickel appears somewhat darker and warmer. Aluminum, on the other hand, is anodized to harden the surface and to increase its resistance to water and scratching.

The wooden handles can be made of all kind of wood types such as pine, sycamore, ash, beech and olive wood. Sometimes you can even find more exotic wood types like the bog oak. This wood is taken from tree trunks that have lain embedded in bogs and can be millennia old. African Blackwood handles are highly water resistant by nature. The Thuja wood handle surface is sealed in a unique process and therefore thoroughly water resistant. The briar burl also used frequently for pipe manufacturing, which is distinguished by its beautiful reddish-brown color and a vivid grain.

A good option for a horn handle is buffalo horn, which is distinguished by its beautiful structure and excellent durability.

Handles made from synthetic materials are highly durable, but not always possess a compelling haptic experience.

Omega Shaving Brush
Omega Shaving Brush

The Gentleman's Gazette Shaving Guide

Manufacturers

The best brushes are those that are handcrafted, as they tend to keep their bristles, and thus last longer than machine-made ones. My favorite manufacturers of shaving brushes are Edwin Jagger, Omega, and Mühle.

Edwin Jagger is an English Company established 1988 in the Sheffield region, famous for its traditional crafts and legendary metal. The art of processing metals and materials to an excellent level can be seen in particular throughout the Edwin Jagger brush collection. For nearly 20 years, the brand has been pursuing a policy of meeting the highest quality standards and to produce outstanding badger hair brushes in all different grade qualities.

The aforementioned Omega brand is Italy‘s leading brush maker since 1946. The brand marks a complete range of quality shaving brushes, in boar bristle, pure badger or synthetic fibers. Omega brushes are produced in Bologna and diffused all over the World, even in those countries in which a well-established and qualified domestic production still exists. Particularly their boar brushes can be recommended.

Mühle Edition No. 1 in Carbon with gigantic gift box $680
Mühle Edition No. 1 in Carbon with gigantic gift box $680

Mühle (often spelled Muhle or Muehle) is a German company and probably one of the leaders in high-quality shaving brushes during the last decades. The traditional craftsmanship is often combined by pioneering design, for example by using carbon ($680) or Asian lacquer($612)  for the handles. Although, they offer great synthetic brushers, the silver tip badger hair brush crafted by hand is regarded as their classic product (between $100-$200).

Video Portrait of the Mühle company:

What Shaving Brush Should You Buy?

Now you might wonder which one to buy and sadly there is not a single best brush out there because it depends on what you like. Some men prefer coarser bristles over harder ones or vice versa. Others will never use synthetic while a vegan may swear by them. For example, Sven Raphael Schneider currently uses a more exotic brush from Sam & Son, which is made in Australia, I use Mühle, Edwin Jagger, and Omega…

Sam & Son 28mm diameter silver tip brush in teak wood
Sam & Son 28mm diameter silver tip brush in teak wood

In order to break down the selection of several hundred brushes, we thought it might be helpful to show you some brushes we like. This is by no means a rating or the best brushes but a good starting point for your research. For an even more comprehensive list of shaving brushes and recommendations, check out our Shaving Guide.

Our Best Shaving Content

Shaving is a ritual that involves products, tools, technique and knowledge to create a smooth, closely shaven face. Each man has different needs, and even though we love a deep dive into one part of shaving, we know that the Big Picture is just as important. To answer the many shaving questions and concerns that we receive from men every day, we put together the most comprehensive Shaving Guide out there. Take look at the video below!

Want to learn more about Shaving and Grooming?

Reader Comments

  1. I love a well broken-in boar brush. They’re every bit as soft as a decent badger and half the price. Beware of shelling out for a badger and winding up with a sad floppy mess. Boars have backbone and badgers have bloom. Find your favorite shaving web-forum and ask for recommendations. Omega brushes are my favorites, made for professionals and enthusiasts and always bang for the buck. They also make entry level badgers that are soft but not floppy and break in nicely. I’ve spent money on higher end brushes and have been disappointed, but my Omegas never fail.

    1. Interesting. I like the Omega boar bristle brushes, though I have to disagree with you in terms of softness compared to beaver. I definitely prefer my silver tip 28mm Knot but each to his own. The problem with fora is often that 1 brush gets 10 opinions and it takes a while to learn who really knows his stuff, and who doesn’t.
      It will take you at least 10h to learn what is going on in my experience and you have to decide if that is worth your time or not. Trying them for yourself is really the best way to go and with the selection we provided here, there is something for everybody.

      1. A shaving web-forum can indeed be a huge time suck. There are opinions abound in them, but you’ll start to see the same brand names popping up again and again. The forum I visit (less frequently now than in the past) is always friendly, gentlemanly, and informative.
        I’m a chef in my everyday life, and I always note to myself the kitchen tools designed for professional use versus home use. Of course, the professional items usually trump the consumer stuff, but I even see it again and again in simple things like knives, can openers, whisks and spatulas – that the good ‘ole commercial tools trump even the high-end “new and improved” home tools. I’ve come to appreciate simplicity and I seek it out in my home goods.
        I shave with a double edge and a brush. I cook in cast iron. I brew coffee on the stove. I write with a fountain pen. I bathe with soap, not bodywash – even my hair. I use hair cream or pomade, not spray or gel. I’m not old fashioned, I’ve just learned that new isn’t always “improved”. I look for tools that are made for professionals whenever I begin a search for something new. That’s why Omega Brushes caught my eye. Of course there are many fine brushes out there and we all have our favorites. In wet shaving there are bargains abound, but it is also a hobby where you can step into luxury items and not break the bank. To pick up the Rolls Royce of shaving brushes might set you back a pretty penny, but it won’t set you back anything like a Rolls Royce of automobiles.

        1. Well said Trinity. In my experience, professional equipment may be better than home equipment, but most of the time it lacks beauty and aesthetics. Think about stoves. Preofessional grade stoves with poerwulf burners are all stainless steel big and chunky – I much prefer my GE induction cooktop. It looks exquisite, boils much faster than any gas stove I have ever used and it is easy to clean. You have to look at the whole package…

  2. Greetings,
    truly enjoyed this article along with all the comments I have recently decided to try wet shaving as opposed to using shaving foam from a can.

    So I have embarked on a mission to gain as much knowledge about wet shaving as possible (e.g. using safety razors, straight razors, shaving creams, shaving soaps, etc.) and I must say the articles you have shared in this arena has really boosted my confidence to certainly move forward with my decision to switch.

    I recall as a young boy watching my father and grandfather use the wet shave method so this venture will also be a bit nostalgic for former days gone by.

    Keep up the excellent work and I look forward to more interesting topic!

    1. Thank you very much for your kind remarks. I am convinced you will enjoy wet shaving as we do. But be careful, once you get started trying out creams, soaps and brushes it can get addictive.

  3. I am surprised you do not mention Taylor of Old Bond Street. I have a super badger from them that I bought some 22 years ago, and it is as good, even better, than it was when I bought it.

    1. David, as mentioned in the article we all have our favorites. The three of us don’t care for Taylor of Old Bond Street but your’s may be fantastic. Each to his own…

      1. … a rather ungentlemanly reply, don’t You think?

        ‘Each to his own’ or is it ‘to each his own’?

  4. Great article! But I’m also surprised that you did not mentioned the historical milanese G.Lorenzi. By the way I knew the son Mauro at the last Pitti show and they create fantastic products but under the name Cedes Milano, take a look at their razors and shaving brushes just to see something unique:

    1. Luc, G. Lorenzi seems to be a fantastic store, but we can’t praise something we have not tested extensively…I hope you understand. Unfortunately, it seems like they are closing, so I won’t have a chance to visit the store and our readers won’t be able to buy their goods for much longer…

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