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The Insider Pick:
Shaving brushes make it easy to work up a good lather for shaving, The Edwin Jagger pure badger brush is our top recommendation for any man who's looking to add a bit of luxury to his wet shaving routine.
More and more men are discovering the simple, masculine joy of traditional wet shaving, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably one of them. You may have already completed the first part of your wet shave journey — selecting a good blade — but after you’ve already upgraded your routine with a double-edged safety razor, your next step is to hunt down a high-quality shave brush.
A good brush is an essential part of your shaving ritual. When used with a good soap or cream (one that, unlike canned foam, is made for wet shaving) a nice bristle brush is the key to getting a rich, creamy lather that lubricates your face well for a smoother shave. Your brush is used both to generate a proper lather and to apply it to your skin, and the bristles of the brush, arranged into what’s called a “knot,” also help to soften and stand your whiskers up before your razor does its thing.
Ideally, bristles should be soft enough at the ends to not feel scratchy or prickly on the skin, yet feature good rigidity or “backbone” so that they’re not too floppy to work up a lather. The purpose of a brush is also to transfer heat and water to your face, and the different kinds of bristles each have distinct properties that help or hinder this. Shaving brushes are thus categorized by their bristles, which come in four main types:
- Badger: Badger hair is the generally the softest bristle material used in shaving brushes and is further broken down into four grades (in ascending order of quality): pure, best, super, and silvertip. “Pure” badger bristles come from the belly, “best” bristles are the finer and softer hairs from other parts of the badger’s body, and “super” bristles are softer still. “Silvertip” bristles are the rarest badger hairs that are naturally white at the ends, are extremely soft, and have excellent water retention and lathering capabilities.
- Boar: Boar is less favored by wet shavers, at least in the United States and England, but nonetheless remains the second-most popular brush material in use today. Boar brushes aren’t graded by bristle quality like badger hair and are considerably less expensive. Boar bristles are also noticeably stiffer than badger hair — something favored by many shavers and ideal for hard soaps — but boar is unique in that the bristles split at the ends over time to result in a soft brush once properly broken-in.
- Horsehair: Horsehair is the least common animal material used in brush knots and is somewhere in between boar and badger bristles when it comes to softness and pliability. Horsehair brushes are very popular in Spain, and high-quality examples typically hail from that country. Horsehair is a great “Goldilocks” option on the rigidity spectrum for shavers who find boar bristles too stiff and badger too soft.
- Synthetic: Shaving brushes made with synthetic bristles are growing in popularity and have gotten much better in recent years, with modern examples boasting impressive softness and flexibility (although never as good as animal fibers when it comes to water retention). Synthetic bristles are the best option for anyone looking for an animal-free brush as well as those who are allergic to animal hair.
Although the bristles are by far the most important component of a shaving brush, there are other quality considerations. Good handle construction and a solid handle-to-knot connection are important for comfort and longevity. Poor construction here may result in the handle separating from the knot due to the moisture eroding the glue that’s holding the bristles. A poor-quality knot will also shed bristles excessively. However, almost all animal hair brushes, especially badger, exhibits minor shedding at first which is normal.
All of our recommendations are, of course, well-made with high-quality bristles and nicely-designed handles. With all brushes, no matter the materials used, you still want to invest in a good drip stand that orients the bristles upside-down after use so moisture evaporates properly and doesn’t soak down into the base of the knot. Spending a little extra to ensure you get a quality brush and a solid drip stand will greatly extend the life of your bristles for years of regular use.
SEE ALSO: The best shaving cream for men
The best badger bristle shaving brush
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Why you'll love it: Edwin Jagger's mid-sized shaving brush has an excellent build, a timeless design, and soft badger bristles that produce a rich lather and feel great on your skin.
Badger bristle brushes remain the favorite choice among wet shavers, so it’s only fitting that our top pick should fall into this category. It’s easy to see why the fur of these little animals is so popular: Prized for its softness and water absorption, badger hair seems purpose-built for shaving brushes owing to its great feel and ability to quickly work soaps and creams into a velvety lather without a lot of effort.
Not all badger hair is created equal, however: Like the term “genuine leather,”“pure badger bristle” means very little, denoting only the lowest grade of the animal’s fur. If you’re going to go cheap, go with a boar or maybe a horsehair brush. If you want the softness of badger bristles and don’t want to pay out the nose for super or silvertip, then stick with “best badger.” This grade of bristles hits the sweet spot between quality and price, and our pick from English company Edwin Jagger exemplifies this perfectly.
The Edwin Jagger best badger shaving brush has a medium-sized handle and loft (referring to the height of the knot) and its bristles cleave towards the middle range of softness and rigidity. This results in a brush that lathers extremely well with creams and softer solid soaps, but it’s perfectly suitable for harder soap pucks as well without requiring too much extra wrist work. Badger brushes like this one are also the best choice for shavers who like to make a lather directly on their face rather than in a mug or bowl.
Nothing’s perfect, and the Edwin Jagger best badger brush does have a few minor quirks: First, the bristles shed a bit at first, but this is normal and temporary. Second, as an animal product, the brush has an aroma to it when you use it the first handful of times. Think of a “wet dog” sort of smell. This eventually fades and is not quite as pungent as that of a boar brush (something I can personally attest to).
But those quibbles notwithstanding, the Edwin Jagger best badger brush is an excellent choice for any wet shaver looking to upgrade his routine. It’s made in Sheffield, England, just like Jagger razors, and includes a must-have drip stand. This makes the price tag of $41 very attractive (a brush stand usually sets you back around 10 bucks by itself) given the quality of the brush’s bristles, its excellent construction, and its “just right” mid-range size and softness.
Pros: Best badger bristles hit the sweet spot between rigidity and softness, made in England, great water retention, the mid-sized loft and handle are ideal for most users, and it includes a stand to properly dry and extend the life of your brush
Cons: Badger bristles shed more at first than other animal fibers
The best boar bristle shaving brush
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Why you'll love it: Italian design, quality materials, and an unbeatable price make the Omega Professional boar brush the best choice for budget-conscious buyers.
Although badger hair is typically the most highly regarded material for shave brushes, boar bristles can still claim the silver medal and have some distinct advantages. In fact, boar bristle brushes are still heavily favored by many men in Italy, a country where old-school barber-style wet shaving never really went out of style. The stiff bristles are great for solid soaps and are especially ideal for whipping up a rich lather in a mug or shaving bowl.
If you’ve already dipped your feet in the world of wet shaving, then you may have noticed a couple Italian brands that stand out. Proraso is one such Italian company that makes a wide lineup of highly-regarded shaving soaps, creams, balms, and aftershaves (I personally use and recommend Proraso’s menthol shaving soap and cream), but the biggest Italian shave brush manufacturer is Omega.
The company today offers boar, badger, and even synthetic shaving brushes, but being the most popular choice among Italian wet shavers, boar bristles remain Omega’s bread and butter.
I’ve been using the Omega Professional boar bristle brush myself for a couple years now, having replaced my old badger brush. I opted for boar as I like the ability of the rigid bristles to build a great lather with solid soaps which I typically favor. The low price point didn’t hurt, either. At $13, this Italian-made brush is an incredible value.
I especially love the way the boar bristles have broken-in over time while remaining rigid. This didn’t take long: After just a few shaves, I was already noticing the bristles splitting at the ends. My well-used brush is now surprisingly plush at the tips without becoming a fluffed-out mess that’s too delicate to use with hard soaps. It’s a big brush, too, at over five inches tall, so it feels great in the hand and the knot holds a lot of lather.
One final note regarding boar brushes: Wild hogs tend to cultivate a certain musk. I’m sure pigs find it alluring, but humans do not. I never found the Omega Professional brush to be offensive but a mild aroma was noticeable for awhile before eventually dissipating altogether. Now, my brush just smells like my soap.
If you find the initial odor bothersome, however, then wash the brush out with shampoo a few times or lather it up with shaving soap and let it sit overnight before washing it out.
Pros: Rigid bristles break in nicely with regular use, great for hard soaps and for making a lather in a bowl or mug, sheds less than a badger bristle brush, made in Italy, a large and comfortable handle, and it’s an unbeatable value
Cons: Not all shavers will prefer the stiffer boar bristles, and the brush can initially give off an unpleasant odor
The best horsehair shaving brush
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Why you'll love it: Hailing from Spain, the Vie-Long 12705 horsehair shaving brush is a fantastic and 100% humane “middle option” for those seeking something in between badger and boar bristles.
Horsehair is something of a niche choice in the world of shaving brushes yet retains a vocal crowd of dedicated fans. You’ll find quite a lot of them in Spain, in fact, where horsehair brushes are still favored and manufactured today. Horsehair represents a nice middle ground between boar and badger bristles, featuring some added rigidity over badger while being a bit softer and easier to break in than boar.
Given the suitability of horsehair for shaving brushes, you almost wonder why it isn’t more prevalent. It also offers one big advantage over other animal materials in that it’s entirely humane: Boar and badger bristle generally come from dead animals, while horsehair is taken from the tails and manes of living horses. This makes horsehair a prime option for buyers who may have ethical concerns regarding boar and badger bristles but don’t want to use a synthetic brush.
The top maker of horsehair brushes today is Vie-Long, based in — you guessed it — Spain. The unique color of the horsehair and the different handle materials of Vie-Long products create a distinct style that sets these brushes well apart from those of pretty much all other brands. Vie-Long manufactures its excellent shaving brushes in Valencia, and the striking 12705 is a prime example of Spanish flair with its mid-brown bristles and rust-colored acrylic grip.
Horsehair is known for its durability and springiness, featuring impressive backbone relative to badger bristles while feeling noticeably softer on the ends than boar brushes. This blend of rigidity and flexibility makes the Vie-Long 12705 a great alternative to other natural brush materials if you want something more pliable than boar bristles yet more suitable for hard soaps and mug-lathering than a plushier badger brush.
Being cheaper than most high-quality badger brushes, the Vie-Long 12705 hits another sweet spot – price – at around $28. Note that the handle on the Vie-Long 12705 is a bit small, but this won’t be a problem for most users as its squarish shape helps considerably with grip.
Expect an initial odor and shedding period with horsehair, roughly on par with those of a good badger brush, both of which should cease to be a problem after a handful of shaves.
Pros: The horsehair inhabits a nice middle ground between boar and badger bristles, it’s crafted in Spain of quality materials, the hair comes from living animals, a very attractive bristle and handle color, and it’s cheaper than most badger brushes
Cons: The handle is somewhat small
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