In picking the best shaving brush for you, it can be difficult, can’t it? The war between these brushes in the shaving industry has predominantly lasted for eons and getting to name which one wins from all the others hasn’t been an easy feat for many.
Two categories stand out from all the other brushes in the market now. These are the best badger hair brush and the synthetic shaving brushes. Both categories have their own unique qualities that come with them and are very much favorites by their various bases of consumerism.
In this article, well look at what defines each one of them and what composes these two grooming tools, and otherwise help you make a clear decision of which brush to choose between the two.
Brush Knots
A traditional shave brush made with badger hair. Different parts of the animal used to make the badger shaving brushes. For example, the hair from the badger’s torso used to make the pure badger brushes while silvertip hair brushes made of hair from the rare parts of the badger that are scarce. That said, it’s important to note that they are a protected species in North America and Europe. With few countries that don’t worry for them.
China treats badgers as pests, the reason being they grow in population and cause problems to its citizens. The country allows people to hunt badgers down and sell their hair in cooperatives set up in several villages across the country. China is the major exporter of badger hair in most shaving companies in the world.
In comparison, the best synthetic shave brush had bristles made from elements such as plastic, nylon, and urethane. These are reliable, their properties enable them to have a longer life span compared to the badger hair. As much as that is, they have not adopted this technology, many people still choose the traditional badger or the infamous boar hair brushes. But, it’s received nods from men worldwide as the numbers increase. It owes their ability to resist damage and to this development.
Shaving Brush Handles
Before we dive into this category, let’s understand the shaving brushes. We characterize shaving brushes by three main features namely the loft, knot, and height. All the measurements are done in millimetres. In definition, the loft is basically the length from the base of the brush handle up to the tallest strand, or bristle, on the brush.
The knot is the amount of hair that has packed in the brush in two distinctive shapes namely the bulb and the fan. On average, most brushes have their lofts at 50mm and the knot at 20mm. Finally, we have the height practically the entire size of the entire brush.
With the knowledge of the composition of the shaving brush, we will look at one piece not described yet; the handle. The handle makes a shaving brush. In olden times, they commonly used the handle to measure the affluence of a person and to this day, the same description applies. They make bodies of distinct materials such as wood, tortoiseshell, plastic, and other firm elements.
There is a huge amount of choice to choose from. However, when selecting the handle of the shaving brushes, check it fits your hand because you do not want an ugly aftershave when you’re done. An easy measurement from the base of your thumb to the tip of the handle should do the trick. Both the badger hair shave brushes and the synthetic shaving brush use the same parts for their body so it’s you who’s working on which one serves you best.
Quality Brushes
The quality of shaving brushes can’t really be compared as they have their own uniqueness. With the badger hair, you’re able to have a sensation of smoothness and tranquillity that comes with the smoothness of the badger hair. The downside is that the condition of the hair deteriorates with time, but the upside is that it isn’t difficult to determine the quality of the shaving brushes. Just check the colour of the hair. A good brush will have a silver colour on the crown that’s easily noticeable from its creamy ooze, while a low-quality one will have a much darker look and its hair will have a thick/coarse texture.
In comparison, the synthetic hair has superior properties because of the things it’s made with. Not only do they make the brush last longer, but have an equal sensation as a badger shaving brush would.
4. Efficiency
The badger hair is quite more efficient in comparison to its rival. This is because of the natural ability of the real hair to keep warmth and moisture on the brush for a long period making your grooming process rather sensational. In addition, it can froth well and keeps longer than most brushes. This makes it serve the purpose of the word wet shave.
Synthesized shaving brushes cool faster and might not have the same smooth sensation as the badger hair, but that doesn’t mean it’s far off. More so, it lathers much faster than other shaving brushes. This has been possible through research and enhancements done to the synthesized brush.
5. Reputation
The synthesized brush hasn’t been given as many names to it as much as the badger brush has. The latter has several tags to it that are popular, such as pure, super, fine, silvertip and the synthetic hair knot just to name a few. Yet, this is not a sign that there is a standard point at which all the best shaving brushes should meet.
The names are just made up by the shaving companies to market their distinctive range of shaving brushes they produce. Each word, though, describes the type of brush. So buying a particular brush, e.g. the pure, would mean you’re purchasing a particular quality, which with the pure would be low. The badger hair is much more popular than the synthetic brush to many people because they’ve been longer in the market than the latter.
There’s a number of shaving creams, soaps, and gels to choose from and people have their own preferences for all. What you forget is that they can cause reactions on your skin if one is not keen on the ingredients. The reactions occur when the chemical ingredients of the cream, gel or wet soap react with natural badger hair, of the brush.
This is risky for an individual’s health, and the cause-effect could cause permanent damage to the hair follicles. Therefore, remember to read on the ingredients and research the effects on certain brushes. Anyhow, if this is a buzzkill for you, use synthetic bristles instead.
Synthetic Badger Cost
Synthetic brushes are actually cheaper than a badger shaving brush. Be as it may, the economical pricing of the synthesized brush doesn’t mean it is inferior. The badger hair shaving brushes differ in their pricing because they have distinctive criteria for their production. Therefore, considering buying either the badger hair or the synthesized shaving brush should coincide with the quality of the brush you want.
Conclusion Based on these facts, I’m sure we now simplify your decision for you. Picking the ideal shaving brush is essential as it gives it the meaning of the purpose you want it to serve. With that said, we have two brushes in our catalogue starting with the badger hair going for only £60.00 and the synthetic shaving brushes retailing at £59.99. The brushes are all handmade with an exceptional look that comes from their distinguishable wooden body and shapes.
Have you used the traditional brushes, any thoughts and experience? Please leave your comments below.
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