How to choose a shaving brush

A shaving brush helps to form a dense foam from cream, soap. This accessory has a massaging and warming effect.

What is a shaving brush?

Shaving brushes are an essential accessory for any man. By using this device, the likelihood of irritation on the face is minimized. Providing a massaging effect, the shaving brush helps to exfoliate dead cells of the epidermis. This allows for a more comfortable shave.

The accessory brush consists of bristles and a handle. The main elements of bristles are:

• knot located in the handle;
• dome;
• base.

The dome is the distance from the widest part of the bristle to the ends of the bristles. Soft domed brushes are good at retaining moisture. Products with a hard dome can lift stubble and remove dead skin.

Types

There are a variety of shaving brushes available. Badger wool is actively used for the production of brushes. These shaving accessories fall into different categories:

• Silvertip;
• Super badger;
• Best badger, Pure badger.

The popular company MUEHLE uses both the highest category Silvertip and wax of the Fine category in the manufacture of shaving accessories.

Many men use shaving brushes with a stiff boar bristle brush. Such products have certain advantages:

• low price;
• pronounced exfoliating properties. Products with a boar bristle brush can replace a scrub.

Boar bristle shaving accessories are not recommended for men with sensitive skin. Coarse hairs on the hand can injure the face, resulting in discomfort.

Boar bristled brushes prevent ingrown hairs. They prevent the onset of inflammation.

In the early days of using tools made from boar bristles, a slightly unpleasant odor may be emitted from the product. To get rid of it, wash the new shaving accessory with soap.

Criteria of choice

How to choose a quality product? When purchasing a product, pay attention to the material from which its handle is made. If this part is made of plastic, the shaving brush will last a long time. The wooden handle looks more elegant, but it is regularly oiled with linseed oil to increase its lifespan. The material for the handle is also a natural buffalo horn, ivory.

When choosing a shaving brush, pay attention to the size of the product. The optimal length of the brush (from the base to the tips) is about 10 cm. Products with large dimensions are quite difficult to use: they are difficult to apply foam to small areas of the face.

Note! It is recommended to purchase products that give off foam well. These shaving accessories include shaving brushes made from synthetic bristles.

An important criterion is the knot density. Tightly knotted brushes have a massaging and exfoliating effect. The knot density is understood as the amount of pile used in the manufacture of the brush.

How to shave using a shaving brush?

It is worth explaining how to use the shaving brush correctly. The man needs to prepare the following accessories:

• straight razor (or T-bar);
• shaving brush;
• a special bowl for obtaining foam;
• soap.

For men who prefer a «royal» shave, it is necessary to prepare a towel in advance. It will be required for steaming the face.

Wet shaving consists of the following steps:

• preliminary preparation;
• making foam;
• applying foam;
• face massage;
• directly the shave itself.

First, prepare a bowl for whipping the soap. The dishes are pre-rinsed with boiling water. You need to put a little soap in the bowl, which is quickly whipped with a pre-moistened shaving brush until foam is obtained. If necessary, you can add a small amount of water.

The best option is to use the Tettauer mug. This device is equipped with a special container into which you need to pour hot water. This ensures that the temperature of the whipped foam stays at a comfortable temperature throughout the shaving process. The liquid is heated from below using special holes.

After that, you need to apply the foam to the shaving brush. It is spread over the face in a dense layer. In this case, you need to move in the direction from the chin to the cheeks. The skin is massaged with gentle but firm movements. After that, you need to return to the chin again, from which they smoothly pass to the other cheek. Then you can pick up a straight razor or razor.

After removing unwanted facial hair, you can apply homemade eucalyptus oil lotion to your skin. Aromatic oil has cooling properties. You can also add a little cedar wood oil to the product. This aromatic oil has a pleasant pine aroma. Cedar nut oil has antifungal, antiseptic effect.

At home, they prepare a lotion based on eucalyptus and menthol. The product is intended for cleansing combination skin. The lotion contains the following components:

• 100 ml of vodka;
• 50 ml of a broth made on the basis of hazel;
• 10 grams of glycerin;
• a small amount of alum;
• 3 drops of peppermint aromatic oil
• 4 drops of eucalyptus oil.

Fans of harsh aromas can use a product that contains bay leaf and rum. This lotion has a pronounced woody scent.

How to care for a shaving brush?

It is quite easy to make a brush soft. It is recommended to keep the brush in warm water before use. In this case, the hairs of the product soften and easily peel off from adjacent hairs.

Note! It is recommended to purchase shaving brushes with a badger hairbrush. Such products rarely stick together.

After thoroughly rinsing the product, rinse the brush in cool water. Then the shaving accessory must be placed on a special stand with the pile down: you need to let the water drain.

Note! It is warm water that is used to soften the brush of the shaving accessory. When immersed in hot liquid, the brush becomes stiff. Using this water can cause the lint to fall out of the brush.

If heavily soiled, the product can be rinsed with regular hair shampoo. According to the recommendations of some manufacturers, the shaving brush is periodically rinsed with a borax solution. This prevents the formation of mold in the area where the pile is attached. It is worth remembering that the shaving brush cannot be dried with the brush-up. Otherwise, the service life of the product will be significantly reduced.

Can I make my own shaving brush at home?

It is quite difficult to make a shaving brush with your own hands. For this you will need:

• scissors;
• lever;
• pile;
• belief;
• glue.

The shaving brush handle is made independently of wood, bone or plastic. If desired, you can additionally make an image of the shaving accessory on the printer.

As a pile for making a shaving brush at home, boar bristles are usually used. The rope you need to make a shaving accessory can be purchased at a hardware store.

First, the man needs to align and comb the pile. Then the threads of the brush are tied with a rope, the edges of which are carefully cut off. The threads located along the edges of the non-working side must be greased with glue. This eliminates their subsequent loss when using a shaving brush.

At the next stage, the glue must be poured into the handle, into which the brush is subsequently placed. After the glue is dry, the shaving brush is reshaped.

Take note! Information regarding the manufacture of a shaving brush will also be needed when repairing the product. You can also do this yourself.

In conclusion, it should be noted that a shaving brush is also used when using a spray instead of a foam. The shaving accessory helps to distribute the foam evenly over the face.