Thread: brush smells

I went to an art of shaving store nearby to see what they have to offer and for the heck of it I bought their sampler pack of oil/cream/aftershave with a tiny badger brush (worthless), to try shaving with creams. Good lord that brush smells when you wet it, is that normal? Also I'm trying to buy a good brush, but even the lavender smell could not mask that smell from the brush. I know badger brushes are suppose to hold more water, but are there any other advantages to it and are all there advantages all that good. Is boar hair also smelly, and is synthetic an appropriate substitute, because if that smell persists I'm going to have to go with the synthetic.

That is the oil from the badger. Wash the brush with detergent and let it soak for a couple of hours in soapy water. Smell should disappear.

The smell will go away quick, no need to compromise with a crappy synthetic.

Thanks, I'm online shopping now. I think I want a long handle badger brush so that when I lather I'm not cleaning my hands as much. Any affordable suggestions?

Look at travel brushes. My Muhle from Classic Shaving assembles into a long-handled brush, then breaks down into a nicely packable cylinder with the knot well protected. Other makers have similar models, and might have nicer knots. The Muhle knot is entry-level badger, not as soft as my home brush but it still works just fine. I got the aluminum tube but wish I'd gotten the heavier (and shinier!) nickel-plated brass tube.

You can also shampoo a new brush. Every couple of months I shampoo and condition my daily brush, just to get all the inevitable soapy buildup out of it.

I've been reading throught SRP and so far I'm seeing that to get a good lather with a badger brush is had, apparently because its soft compaired to a boar brush. Any truth to that?

Originally Posted by roughkype

Look at travel brushes. My Muhle from Classic Shaving assembles into a long-handled brush, then breaks down into a nicely packable cylinder with the knot well protected. Other makers have similar models, and might have nicer knots.

I like that idea of having a long handle, a travel ready brush, and I'm guessing here but with replacable knots. I'd be nice to have that handle and screw on a big badger knot one day and a small boars boar knot the next..... Do you know of the other suppliers? The knot one the Muhle traverler looks a little small.

If you like big handles, the omega "professional" (10048 is model #, iirc) is spot on. It is bowar hair but the ends are already split and it's super soft (for a boar brush). I got mine locally for 17 but they can be had online for 12-15 dollars. They seem to be in a "marvy" branded box and with a sticker on them of late.
I know a few people that aren't fans of boar brushes who enjoy that one.

For scale, that's the large size bigelow creme with it and a 4oz tub of al's bomb.