So what is the difference between shaving brushes?

In a day and age of shaving gel and disposable razors, the discovery of traditional wet shaving can be liberating. But you soon learn, when it comes to shaving brushes there is a choice to be made. It can be confusing so here's our simple guide to the difference in the grades of shaving brushes and our thoughts on which grade to choose.

Wet shaving brush grades explained -

 - these adorn the shelves of supermarkets. They are cheap and lots of people do use them. However, they are cheap for a reason. The bristles are synthetic which can feel hard and they have a tendency to irritate the skin. If you plan on wet shaving regularly, invest in something better. It will last longer and your face will thank you.

If you have an objection to using badger hair shaving brushes you can buy some high-quality synthetic bristle brushes. Look for a traditional specialist shaving brush manufacturer, they will have superior synthetic brushes to those made by the mass market razor manufacturers.

Badger Hair Shaving Brushes - for centuries badger hair has been used to make the best shaving brushes. Refined through times before disposable shaving equipment, these brushes are far superior to synthetic fibre brushes.

Badger hair naturally absorbs water. So when you use a badger hair shaving brush with hot water and traditional shaving cream or soap, all the elements for producing a rich, luxurious, lather exist.  This is exactly what you need to produce a lather that cleanses the skin, lifts the beard hairs for a close shave, and lubricates the stroke of the razor.

Badger hair comes in different grades based on softness of the hairs. The softest, silver tip badger hair, is the most expensive and is used in only the finest shaving brushes available.

Grades of Badger Hair Shaving Brushes

Best Badger - made of good quality pure badger hair. This is the starting benchmark for traditional shaving brush manufacturers. Bristles are generally dark in colour with variations from grey and brown to black. Best badger brushes produce a lather far superior to that of a mass produced bristle brush.

Super Badger - constructed of longer and softer hairs than best badger. Hair is finer, so brushes contain more hairs within the brush. The high quality hair is generally hand graded and tied. Hair is dark at the base and very light at the tips.

Silver Tip Badger - this is the very best, the highest quality of all badger hair. The softest, rarest, and most expensive badger hair, brushes come with natural untrimmed silver tips at the end of each hair. The hair for each brush is finely graded, is ultra-soft, and is highly flexible. Whilst expensive a silver tip badger shaving brush will provide years of luxurious shaving.

So which shaving brush should you choose?

Here's our thoughts...

Mass produced synthetic bristle brush - avoid, but if you don't want a badger hair brush, then go for a high quality synthetic shaving brush, not one you find in a supermarket.

Best Badger - if you are on a budget, this is the one to choose. Not as soft as the others, but still gives you a lush a lather and should be long lasting.

Super Badger - if you can, go for this one. Its softness will make shaving much more of a daily experience and pleasure.

Silver Tip Badger - ready to push the boat out, or can put it on your present list, then don't hold back. They are pure luxury and something you'll look forward to picking up every time you wet shave.

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