Understanding the shave brush.
New wet shavers always have some questions about brushes. This will tell you some of what you need to know in order to make a decision that is right for yourself. As always, there is no substitute for actually trying each type of brush yourself. This is a very basic overview of shave brushes.
For hundreds of years, men and starting in the early 1900’s, women as well, used shave brushes to lather soap for shaving. Over the years, shave brushes have been made of various materials, both in the handles and the knot. The history of shave brushes makes for fascinating reading if research is your forte.
Size. Shave brushes are typically referred to by their knot (brush) size. The “Wee Scot” has a 14 mm. knot and brushes can be as big as 32 mm. This is measured by calipers at the knot base. While there are brushes both smaller and bigger than these sizes, most would regard those brushes as a novelty item. Loft refers to the height of the brush from the opening in the handle that the knot is set into, to the tip of the knot.
There are various terms wet shavers use to describe the physical properties of the knot. Scritchy, scratchy, floppy, stiff, prickly, backbone, etc. These terms are subjective and vary from one person to another. A brush one person finds “prickly,” another may find “soft.” "
Back to Basics: Brush Terminology," written by sodapopjones, the official "brushologist" of The Shave Den, is the best reference guide for someone trying to figure out brush slang on the shaving forums.
Shape. Brush knots come in a variety of shapes. The three most common are the Bulb, with a rounded top, the Fan, which generally has hairs all of the same length, and the Flattop, popular with face latherers, which has a flat top surface.
Materials. Brush handle material is traditionally made from horn, wood, or acrylic. Anything solid and water resistant can be used, so occasionally you will find handles made from aluminum, pewter, antler, bone, stone, glass or other materials. The brush knots are made from four materials, Badger bristles, Boar bristles, Horse hair or Synthetic fibers.
Manufacture. Brushes are either hand or machine made. There are benefits and drawbacks to both methods of manufacture. Machine made brush knots tend to be not as tightly packed as hand made knots, are more likely to shed hairs and are trimmed to shape by machines. Hand made knots are denser, hand formed to shape (no trimming is involved) hand tied and hand glued. Machine made brushes are cheap, which is the only benefit to owning a machine made brush.
Note: Synthetic brushes are not machine made brushes (or rather, not all synthetic brushes are machine made. Synthetic refers to materials used in the manufacture of the brush knot, not the method of manufacture).
Prices listed below are generalizations only, and reflect common prices. There are vendors who sell quality brushes for far cheaper prices than I have listed.
Badger. Badger bristles are one of the traditional fibers used in brushes. Badger hair has some unusual properties that make it ideal for use in a shave brush. Badger bristles are actually wider at the tips than they are at the base. This is part of what gives a badger brush it’s characteristic “bloom.” Like a flower opening up, badger brushes go through a similar process after they have been used a few times. Badger bristles trap water in between the bristles. This results in a brush that has excellent water retention properties. The tips of badger brushes are also typically softer than boar bristles and as such, badger brushes require less of a break-in time than boar brushes. There are several different grades of Badger brushes and this adds to the inexperienced shaver’s confusion. To compound this, different brush makers use their own grading system. Top manufacturers include Vulfix-Simpson and Rooney.
NOTE: New badger and boar brushes and older brushes that have been unused for a time have a pungent odor. This smell can be strong or faint when you first get the brush. Over time, as you use the brush the smell will go away. There are also cleaners manufactured specifically for cleaning cosmetic brushes. Using these cleaners is the recommended method of sanitizing, cleaning and "de-funking" a brush.
This is the general grade system:
Pure Bristle. Any brush that is labeled “pure badger” or “badger bristle” typically falls into this category. The bristles can come from any part of the badger and the knots are trimmed into shape. These brushes retail for about $10-$20. Unless you prefer a stiff, very scratchy brush, new users are better off using a better grade of badger brush.
Best. The British manufacturers call this "Pure Badger." Best Badger brushes fall into two categories, Some contain a mix of full length hairs and trimmed hairs or more commonly, full hairs only, but harvested from lower grades of hair. $30-$60
Two-band or Finest. Two-band brushes are so called because instead of the light, dark, light configuration of most badger brushes, they just have a dark to light bristle configuration. These brushes are made from the thickest badger hairs. They are both less dense and stiffer than most badger brushes. These are favorites of face latherers, though any user can enjoy a two-band badger brush. $60-$120
Super. High end British manufacturers call this grade, "Best." The grade just below or equal to Silvertip. These brushes are not quite as soft as Silvertip brushes and are otherwise nearly identical in softness and performance once broken in. Some retailers have started bleaching and treating the tips of Super brushes to give them silvertip like properties. $60-$120+
Three Band. Similar in concept to the Two Band, but made from what British manufacturers call "Best" badger and what the rest of the world calls "Silvertip" badger. These brushes are essentially an ultra-dense Silvertip brush with a good backbone, ideal for face latherers or those who like a stiff soft badger brush. Note: Many badger brushes have three bands of hair color, but that does not automatically make the brush a Three Band brush. Only densely packed Silvertip knots should be called a "Three Band Brush." $100+
Silvertip. The British manufacturers call this grade "Super," and consider it to be a step above a "normal" Silvertip brush. These are the nom plus ultra of the brush world. These brushes are made from the badger’s softest hairs, which are harvested from the muzzle and neck of the badger. These hairs have a distinctive gray hue at the tips and when viewed from above, look silver colored. Due to the limited supply and quality of Silvertip hair, these brushes command a premium. $80-$200+
Boar. Boar brushes are what most wet shavers start with. They are readily available in the shaving products section of supermarkets, pharmacies and department stores. Many boar brushes have a dark ring dyed into the outer layer of bristles to simulate the look of a badger brush. Boar brushes require a different approach to shaving. The bristles do not hold water like a badger, instead, they must soak up water into the bristles themselves. Most users soak the brush in a cup or bowl for at least a few minutes before starting to lather. Unlike badger brushes, boar brushes start off stiff and prickly and gradually become softer as the ends split over time with use. Boar bristles have more “backbone” than badger brushes. They are generally stiffer than badger brushes. Boar brushes also “bloom” similar to badger brushes. Because they dry out quicker than badger brushes, boar brushes are often used while travelling. Top manufacturers are Semogue and Omega.
Mixed Bristle: These brushes are made with a mix of badger or boar bristles and share properties of both. Dedicated badger users generally do not care for these brushes, though many boar users are perfectly fine with them. These brushes were more common in the past (when everybody wet shaved) than they are now, but an online search will turn up a few manufacturers. The price of these depends largely upon the reputation and quality of the manufacturer, though they are generally priced the same as an equivalent boar or badger bristle brush. Horse and badger mixed brushes are also available.
Horse. Horse hair brushes have been used for hundreds of years, but are a recent introduction to American shavers. Made from the hairs of the mane and tail, horse hair brushes are popular in Turkey and other Muslim countries. Horse hair brushes have a small but devoted following. Horse hair holds the water on the outside of the brush unlike badger or boar brushes. Most horse hair brushes have a hollow center. That is to say, the bristles are arranged on the outer rim of the brush. Horse hair brushes are soft like badger brushes but have a stiffness similar to boar brushes. One of the drawbacks to a horsehair brush is that if you decide not to purchase one that is made in the traditional manner (with a hollow center) be careful, if the knot is not packed tightly or densely enough, the hair has a tendency to tangle and knot up in the center. This is easy enough to watch out for and correct. The knots can be untangled by thrusting an ice pick through the base of the knot and carefully working it up towards the tip several times.
Edgerunner, from Badger & Blade had this to say about horse brushes and their tendency to tangle in the centers:
"Horse hair is used for making painting brushes. By nature, the hair is brittle, not very resilient and doesn't tolerate circular motion and mashing. Actually, when mashed, they feel prickly. I call it threshold of prickliness. If you start feeling your horse brush too scritchy, it's a sign you push it too much. Usually, the knots are made with higher lofts to prevent bristles from breaking and to bend better. They release lather very easily by slapping, painting, and [
by using a] wiping motion. That's what these brushes are made for. The biggest fault of the manufacturer is they don't provide a warning note or something about this 'property' of the brush."
If you want to face lather with a horse hair brush, buy one with a loft between 45-47mm. These do not have the tangling issues that the higher lofted brushes have. The only manufacturers of horse hair brushes that I know of that sell their brushes in the United States are Vie-Long and Frank’s. $20-$60
Synthetic.Regarded with scorn by shavers for many years, it is only recently that synthetic brushes have achieved parity with badger brushes. If you choose to go with a synthetic brush, you should research them carefully as some are definitely better than others. As a curious side note, synthetic brushes larger than 28 mm. cannot be made as of this writing because the brush will no longer have a “bloom” but will instead form a tube shape. Modern synthetic brushes can have the stiffness of a boar, the softness of a silvertip, and the water retention properties of a badger. Synthetics have been regarded as a poor choice for face lathering because of the flexibility of the fibers. Recent innovations in material design have largely overcome this shortcoming. All synthetics are quick drying. Top manufacturers include Muhle and FM Brush Company $20-$60
Travel. When traveling, shavers have a variety of options to choose from. Small badger brushes are sold that come with cases in various configurations. Many shavers opt to take a regular brush and make their own travel containers out of various materials. The most common DIY travel container is a large pill bottle with several holes drilled into the container and/or the cap. Boar and synthetic brushes are the best choices for the traveler who cannot let his or her brush dry out for an extended period of time.
Care. I could go into a lot of detail here on the proper care of a shaving brush, but I'm not going to. I will only say that the most important thing you can do for your brush is to make sure that you rinse all of the soap out of the brush. Raag has recently uploaded a brief video on proper care and use of a shaving brush:
Here is the thread:
http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/a-little-video-about-shaving-brushes.30455/
Restoration. At some point in one's shaving career, you are bound to come across vintage shave brushes. Some can be used as they are, but most will need to be restored. Manufacturers like Rooney and Vulfix/Simpson will be happy to restore your old Roony or Simpson brush...for a price. Brush restoration does not need to cost an arm and a leg though. Brush restoration can be done with simple tools and can be a fun DIY project. Gary (GDCarrington) helpfully provided the following information:
"Here are some restoration threads.
Where there is a will, there is a way - Synthetic Redux (Picture Heavy)
Win Some, Lose Some - Restoration Story
Let's Go With The Winner - A Restoration Story Continued
Rubberset Redux (Green/Butterscotch with Black Swirl)
Some methods use drills, Dremel tool and sandpaper, others steam. Be sure not to steam older plastics, but use the manual drilling technique."
Video!
Another Reknot for Shawna by Stingraysrock
Gary has graciously showed us the gamut of brush restorations, ranging from epic failures to successes. For those wanting to start doing brush restoration,
www.thegoldennib.com is the primary source for affordable quality knots. This is a link directly to their
brush knot page.
Making/Assembling your own brushes. Handles are churned out by the bucket load by wood turning, wet shaving enthusiasts (who turn both wood and acrylic handles) and vintage handles (sometimes with a sorry looking vintage knot pre-installed) are available on auction sites, often for low prices. If you buy knots from The Golden Nib (see above), it can be easy to make yourself a brush the equal of any Silvertip for $50 or less.
I hope you have found this post useful and informative. There is enough information out there on various types of brushes to fill a book, so I don’t want you to think that this covers all aspects of brushes. There are exceptions to every rule, so that is why I have tried to use broad generalizations where possible.
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