Thread: please recommend a scritchy brush... on a budget

Cut the hairs of a brush to half their length, makes the brush more stubbly if you like.

Originally Posted by Kees

Cut the hairs of a brush to half their length, makes the brush more stubbly if you like.

+1 on that idea, but I want to take it a little further.

Purchase a synthetic brush and cut off the tips. Synthetics usually have a lot of backbone as the synthetic bristles are thicker at the base and then narrow to fine tips. In this case, you do not need a premium quality brush, a cheap synthetic will suffice. If you remove the tips, you will have a brush that is stiff and scritchy and should remain that way. Start by removing only the very tips of the bristles and then test it. If you want it to be more scritchy, trim a little more until you get it the way you want it.

While a boar brush starts out scritchy, as it breaks in, the tips will split and become soft. So if you use a boar, it might be what you are looking for new, but after a few months of use, it will lose the scritch you desire.