I have a couple of antique brushes that have very short bristles, I mean short. About 1.5 inches on one and on the other only about an inch of bristle. I have used both and am finding that I really like them for lathering directly on the face with creams or for lathering in a mug with hard soaps. Of course I'm not getting an explosion of lather but I am able to control the application very well. They also provide a better massage than larger and/or floppier brushes. I don't know if these brushes were manufactured this way or if the original owners modified them to their own preference. Whatever, I do enjoy using them in the rotation.
I have a vintage brush of maybe 1.25 inches hair length which I love to use the same way! It really soaks up the lather during the building up process, so multiple passes without needing to apply more lather to my face is no problem. And it is super soft, for days when I need that super soft feeling before a harsh world draws me in. ::lam
I think you might like this brush or maybe this one: In all seriousness, I think they used to make brushes with much shorter lofts. Modern day brushes are much bigger and have larger loft-sizes.
The second brush would be PERFECT for my nostril hair razor adventures! Bigger loft ain't always better.
