What is a shaving brush?

The shaving brush is a tool that allows you to apply the cream or soap used to shave . It also helps massage the skin , so to soften and straighten the hair to prepare and facilitate shaving . If it was previously used mainly by the barbers , we are witnessing at the moment its great return in the bathrooms.

What are the criteria for choosing your shaving brush?

To buy a quality shaving brush, some points need to be carefully checked:

1) We prefer a badger mounted by hand.

When the elements of the shaving brush are mounted mechanically together, the glue often ends up sliding into the bristles , deforming them and breaking them. To keep the badger longer, it is better to use a hand-held tool. To verify that it is well, the tufts of hair are pressed several times with the thumb at the level of the handle to be sure that no point of glue is encountered.

2) The quality of the hair is checked.

There are many varieties of hair with different characteristics and effectiveness. Quality level, it is best to choose a badger shaving brush. Unlike those made with boar hair (too hard for the face) or pigskin (they do not straighten the beard hair), badger hair is hydrophobic : it repels water when shaving and allow the moisturizers present in shaving products to do their job well.

The most common badger hair on the market is gray European hair. It is very resistant and much less expensive than the white hair of high mountain , the top of the top quality level, but that is not accessible to all since it costs on average between 400 and 800 €.

Be careful, if a shaving brush loses a lot of hair during the first use, it can be a sign of a brittle or poor quality hair.

3) Choose it the right size.

There are a wide range of badger sizes (measured from the hair to the tips), ranging from size 6 (diameter 17 mm) to size 20 (diameter 28 mm). The medium size, size 12, is the most widespread.
- Small badgers make it possible to obtain a more precise shave, ideal for a particular area difficult to access for example.
- The biggest badgers offer a real comfort in the shaving. Because long hairs encompass large areas of skin, they are mostly used for whole shaving. They are also useful also for shaving a part of the body .

4) The badger is adapted to his skin type.

If the choice of the shaving brush depends primarily on his tastes and his wallet, you must still take into account his skin type .
- For problems of ingrown hairs and thicker beards, it is better to choose a black-haired badger that offers a more toned skin massage that will prevent ingrown hairs.
- The badger is an ideal utensil for skins with problems acne type because it allows to clean the pores in depth. A gray haired badger will do the trick, it is the one that beginners usually use. Its price remains reasonable compared to other models, about 50 €.

How to maintain a shaving brush?

A shaving badger, it talks if we want to keep it long. First, to take care of it (and of its skin at the same time), one pays attention to the shaving products that one uses. We prefer a moisturizing product suitable for traditional and moist shaving. After each use, the badger is rinsed with lukewarm water (hot water is avoided, which can break the adhesive and thus remove the hair), shaking it vigorously to remove any residue of product. It is allowed to dry in the open air, with the head downwards only for water and the last waste flows and does not clog the tool. It is not rubbed especially in a towel at the risk of damaging it.

And to clean it thoroughly, once a year, soak a few seconds (especially no more) the shaving brush in a clear water mixture a few drops of white vinegar . It is rinsed with clean water. This makes it possible in particular to dissolve the limestone present in the bristles.

Thanks to Stéphanie Carré-Chlous, development manager of Maison Plisson.