A shave brush serves the primary purpose of building and applying a lather, traditionally from a shave cream or soap. But the brush also helps to lift the bristles and exfoliate the skin, preparing your face for the shave.
Synthetic & Boar
Modern brushes are often constructed from synthetic bristles (primarily nylon) or from boar hair, or from a mix of the two. Basic boar hair or synthetic shave brushes are typically constructed from stiffer bristles which have a high water retention capacity allowing for a good lather. However,such brushes vary dramatically in quality from one to another. The men-u premier shaving brush manages to combine the water retention capacity of a synthetic brush with a very soft feeling bristle much akin to a badger hair brush.
Badger hair brushes
The badger hair brush is the favoured bristle for the majority of traditional wet shavers, and there are many benefits to be found in using such a brush. These brushes also have a high water retention capacity, and the bristles last for a very long time, meaning the brush maintains its quality for years and years.
These qualities, as well as the softness of the bristle, vary depending on the grading of the badger hair. There are four common gradings used by retailers and manufacturers to describe their brushes:
- Pure badger - this is the hair type which is most abundant on the badger's body, and is usually dark in colour, stiff in feel and cheapest in price
- Best badger - these brushes have more hair, which is longer and finer, producing a superior lather to the pure badger
- Super badger - this is composed usually of pure bristles which have been treated to exceed the performance of the best badger
- Silvertip badger - the rarest and hence most pricey type of hair, tips of the bristles appear white in colour, holds lots of water and can create a lather more quickly than other brushes
This last picture is from a brilliant article from badger and blade. Here is the link :
