Thread: Horse hair brush

I'm a newbie, experimenting with different kinds of brushes. I used a horse hair brush for the first time today. It worked great, I'm very pleased. My horse hair brush is a little bit stiffer with a smaller knot to boot. It also cost less than either my Badger or Boar. It stinks when its wet but I can live with the smell. Now I have three brushes in rotation.

I always wash new brushes with shampoo and if you have a good quality hair conditioner that will help too. Some come with a bit of smell but it should wash away with a time or two.

Historically, horse was the brush for the masses until the Anthrax scares in the early 20th century. Then they shifted to boar but horse is making a comeback.

Horse makes a great brush. I have Vie Long's 12601. A small, brown horse hair knot. It is a great little brush. Well worth having, IMO.

SRNewb,
I have the same model Vie Long. BTW here's how I hang a brush to dry. This is called a "Jug Knot", look it up on You Tube.

I've been thinking about a horse. Never tried one to date.

Does the smell come out of the brush once you wash it once or twice?

Wolfman,
I've used my horse hair brush about a dozen times now and the smell is gone.

I also have a Vie long horse hair I picked up in Asheville, NC while on vacation a few years ago. I really love it on hard tallow soaps.

I enjoy mine too. It works up a lather really well. I like the backbone just right.