Why use a shaving brush?
I think my grandpa used a shaving brush, why would anyone want to use a shaving brush?
Today’s modern shaving is meant to be as quick as possible. Shaving is seen as a chore that should be over with quickly, so that you can get out the door and off to work or school as quickly as possible. Today’s style also doesn’t lend itself to a clean shave. These days, the slightly scruffy look is in. In times past a man with a five o’clock shadow were seen as unkempt and lazy. These days the look is seen as a sign of ruggedness, and masculinity.
I confess, often fall into this thinking myself. Most days I can barely wake up early enough to roll out of bed, into the shower and out the door to work. Giving myself a great shave every day can be a bit taxing. However I do make time for myself at least once a week to give myself a great shave. Often that is Sunday mornings, after sleeping in late and having a nice breakfast, I’ll get into the shower, and then treat myself to a really great shave, the kind I should be doing the rest of the week, but don’t.
So why does a really great shave require a shaving brush? First, using a shaving brush is like using a really great tool. If you want to a job right, you need to use the right tools, and solid shaving brush in your hand just feels right, like you’re about to do something important, and you’re going to do it right. Using your hands to apply shaving cream from a can obviously works, but if you had a choice between driving down the street in a Pinto or a Porsche, wouldn’t you want the Porsche? Using a shaving brush simply is the better way to go.
More than that though, there are definite benefits to using a shaving brush. First, a shaving brush allows you to create the best lather with either shaving soaps or creams. Shaving brushes hold warm water in the bristles which creates a nice rich and warm lather than helps to keep the beard nice and soft, your face moist, and the pores of your skin open. Second, the bristles of the brush help to exfoliate your skin, lifting off dead skin cells to be washed away, or taken off with the razor. Finally, the bristles of the brush aide in lifting your beard straight up so that it is easier for the razor to slice off the hair as close to the skin as possible with a minimum of irritation.
So there you have it; Using a shaving brush is not simply a throw back to an older time, there are definite reasons to use one, and it is also an excellent way to express your individuality, and shaving brushes also make an awesome gift.
One final note about using badger hair or boar hair for shaving brushes: Some people are understandably upset with using animal fur simply to shave your face. For these people, there are synthetic shaving brushes out there that don’t require any animal fur, but to be honest those brushes just don’t work that well. They do the job, but aren’t as good for your face, and don’t create as good a shaving experience.
As for the use of badgers and boars, virtually all badger hair these days comes from badgers that make their territory in the mountains of