Is your shaving routine missing a shaving brush? This could be the reason you feel discontent and unsatisfied with the results of your current shaving sessions. Often, men believe that using their own hands to lather on some shaving cream or shaving soap is the best way to do it.
Truthfully though, a shaving brush can take your experience and satisfaction level several notches higher. If you have yet to use this wonderful shaving tool, then perhaps you should consider doing so. In this article, we will discuss all the reasons a shaving brush makes every shaving session a salon-like experience.
Shaving Brush- The Many Advantages
Apart from being a symbol of masculinity on your bathroom sink, a shaving brush is what you’re missing for a perfect shave. For starters, the perfect shave comes about when you manage to apply the foam or cream in a manner that lifts the hair while dispersing the product onto your skin.
In most cases, your fingertips can’t perform this essential task. While your fingertips may spread the lathering product well enough over the surface of your skin, it will not raise the hairs well enough for the blade to cut closely.
On the other hand, a shaving brush adds enough air and moisture to your soap, giving you a thicker lather. More importantly, the bristles of the brush will help elevate and raise each hair so that your blade can cut them clean.
The brush performs multiple actions here. First, it gives you a more luxurious lather as opposed to using your hands. Hence, your skin offers a smoother shaving surface. Secondly, it exfoliates gently, which is a vital step in clearing dead skin cells. You don’t get this benefit when you lather up with your own hands, at least not without a pumice stone.
You must also bear in mind that fingertips do nothing to raise your facial hair, which continues to lie flat as you work a lather with the foam. This does not result in the clean, close shave you aim for each time.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the unique elements of this shaving tool.
Shaving Brush- It’s Anatomy
The shaving brush is a small hand-held tool that helps you apply soap and create a nice lather before shaving your beard. The design features a wooden, metal, or horn handle and synthetic or natural hair bristles on the top.
Since we have explained how essential this particular shaving tool is for you, here are some parts you need to look at closely before your buy one. Every component of a shaving brush plays a vital role in determining its quality and durability. If you choose the right one and use it appropriately, a shaving brush can last you a lifetime.
Handle
When you’re out to buy one, you must first consider how snugly or how comfortably the brush handle fits into your hand. You must feel an adequate grip because it will affect the quality of lather you produce with it. So whether you’re looking at a shaving brush with aluminum, brass nickel, chrome, or synthetic handle, make sure it allows an easy application process.
Shape and Weight
The shape and heaviness play as much important an part in the quality of the brush as the handle does. If you want a perfect shave each time, then your brush must not be heavy enough to feel like a doorknob or light enough to feel flimsy.
The appropriate weight must be something that makes you feel in complete control and allows you to reach each of the hard hairs on your neck and face. You can test its weight by picking it up and determining how it feels in your grip.
In the end, the most vital component, though, is the bristles, and your shaving brush is only as good as the bristles on it.
With that said, let’s list down the types of shaving brushes you will find in the market and which one could be the best for you.
Horsehair
Shaving brushes with horsehair are making a comeback, and this is a good sign that men are investing in self-care. They do not retain as much water as a badger or synthetic hair brushes, but they’re adequate for giving a middle-road shave.
However, when you’re picking this one up, you may want to consider using a pet shampoo for the first few uses as it can carry a bit of smell. Secondly, with a horsehair brush, do remember to properly clean and store it when not in use so that you don’t lose the bristles prematurely.
Boar Hair
Shaving brushes of boar hair are of stronger bristles, and they do a better job at lifting the hairs on your neck and face. With the brush, you have a better chance of reaching the lather under each of your hair and experiencing a more satisfactory shave.
If you’re going to be a first–time user, this variety would be a good one to start with. It is also more cost-friendly than the other ones, softens better over time, and lifts hair more effectively.
Synthetic Fiber
You may hear of many experienced shaving brush users describing how synthetic fiber brushes can be comparatively stiff and perhaps even floppy. While this may have been true before, the development of new synthetics fibers means improved quality. Hence, high-end faux hair tools can do just as well as badger-haired ones.
So a synthetic fiber shaving brush would be a great choice, especially if you’re allergic to animal hair or are vegan. You can choose from a wider variety of synthetic brushes, and most options are cheaper than their badger hair counterparts as well.
Synthetic brushes can also last you considerably well, provided you take good care of them during and after use. Storing the brush properly will maximize its life and minimize premature bristle loss.
Why You Must Prioritize Quality
Many tend to underrate the importance of this shaving tool. In reality, though, the more attention you pay to the quality of your shaving brush, the faster and smoother shave you will get each time. They will not only penetrate your hair really well but also soften each simultaneously.
With a well-rounded brush in your shaving arsenal, you will do your skin a great service. From exfoliating the dead skin cells off you to giving you a closer shave, a good quality brush will do more than any salon can provide.
When you invest in a high-quality brush, you get to enjoy a rich lather each time. All it takes is a good shaving soap for it. When the brush gives you a beautiful lather, it also protects and lubricates your skin, ensuring that it is ready and protected for the blades to run through. You should try a few different ones from the best shaving soaps and decide which one works best for you.
When you use a shaving brush, the lather allows your blades to glide effortlessly and seamlessly over your skin. As a result, you experience little to no skin irritation and the supplest and smooth finish ever.
Final Thoughts
A shaving brush is an essential tool in a man’s grooming kit, but many have not realized its complete benefits. From giving you a rich lather to better protection, lubrication, and exfoliation for your skin, a good quality shaving brush can enhance your shaving experiences by a far measure.