Thread: ethical badger brush

hello,
im a newbie and have been lurking for a while. i have tried the straight razor shaving but have had poor although improving results.anyway maybe later we can discuss that.i've looked in past forums but couldnt find an answer to my question.what i was really wondering is whether there is an ethical from the point of cruelty badger brush. i was watching a sky news report here in ireland about the disgusting dog and cat fur trade in china . have a look at the peta website.some of those animals are stolen pets!
they skin some of them alive.as most if not all of the badger hair comes china i'm sure although i have no guarantee that there treated the same if not worse. when i bought my badger brush i would have liked the option of a brush without the cruelty. mine is cyril s salter brush.some websites suggest that they are sheared but mr moss refutes this.i certainly dont wish to provoke an argument and am not a fanatic but just wished to hear your thoughts.
thanks guys,
nev

This is info from The Gentleman's Shop:

"Every so often we receive phone calls or
emails from concerned customers
regarding the sourcing of Badger hair that
is used to fill shaving brushes.
We can confirm that English Badger Hair
is not used in the badger Hair brushes we
supply. All of the badger hair used by our
suppliers is sourced in the People's
Republic of China and originates in remote
regions, where the badger is regarded as
vermin and may potentially breed out of
hand if not controlled by culling.
The badger is not an endangered or
protected species in China. Peasants kill
the animals under a controlled
environment in order to protect livestock
such as chickens - a main food source in
itself. The hair is collected by a cooperative
in order to realise a group
revenue whenever the badger population
is in danger of overrunning the natural
animal balance and causing severe crop
damage."


Hope this puts your mind to rest

have fun,
Nenad

Thanks superfly,
i still wonder how their killed, the whole point of the fur industry is to not damage the fur and as a result barbaric methods are used to kill the animals in china.you would also wonder about commercial standards. in countries which respect animal welfare there are standards for killing animals.this video showed and i think seems to be widely accepted that standards in china are not up to scratch,ie bear bile collecting etc.you have to be suspicious what comes out of china in terms of press reports ,no free press etc.whos definition they are vermin for instance.technically stray dogs could be vermin but we dont skin them alive.i'm not suggesting their not vermin but i would prefer their was independent inspectors there to check it out.i'm not against badger brushes and the killing of animals just good standards i suppose and if the hair could be utilised without killing,could they be sheared?, thanks anyway superfly.

Nev,

If you're concerned, you could always use a synthetic bristle brush? They certainly exist, presumably at least in part for people who have the same objection you do.

I haven't used one, though, so I can't really comment on how good a shave they give. Omega makes one, I think, and IIRC, the Trafalgar Shop has them. But their site seems to be down as I write this.

Good luck!

Keith

Good post Nev.

Originally Posted by nev

Thanks superfly,
i still wonder how their killed, the whole point of the fur industry is to not damage the fur and as a result barbaric methods are used to kill the animals in china.you would also wonder about commercial standards. in countries which respect animal welfare there are standards for killing animals.this video showed and i think seems to be widely accepted that standards in china are not up to scratch,ie bear bile collecting etc.you have to be suspicious what comes out of china in terms of press reports ,no free press etc.whos definition they are vermin for instance.technically stray dogs could be vermin but we dont skin them alive.i'm not suggesting their not vermin but i would prefer their was independent inspectors there to check it out.i'm not against badger brushes and the killing of animals just good standards i suppose and if the hair could be utilised without killing,could they be sheared?, thanks anyway superfly.

Nev,
Let me start by saying I have no first hand knowledge of how badger hair is collected in China. In truth, I use a synthetic brush (Men-u company, it works for me--at least for now). However, you are correct to be leary of what is reported...not only from China, but also by PETA. I too do not wish to enter an argument, but at least some members of that organization border on eco-terrorists. They have a definite adgenda so unless you can find objective corroborating information elsewhere, take what you find on their website with a grain of salt. This advice applies to much of what is distributed over the web (present site excluded...of course ).
Ed

Originally Posted by ForestryProf

... PETA. I too do not wish to enter an argument, but at least some members of that organization border on eco-terrorists.

And what's wrong with eco-terrorists !?!??!
(heh, jus' kiddin' again)

Not wanting to start an arguement, but IMO there are much worse things I worry about then where the hair on my badger brush comes from. Taxes, terroism, war, child abuse, spousel abuse, etc. Just my .02.

Yeah I use a Men-u synthetic brush as its what I brought when I first started (a couple of months ago). I get pretty good results and the slight deficiency I put down to my still improving technique rather than the brush. They won some grooming award over here in the uk so I guess if you dont mind a slight performance drop they make a reasonable alternative (although I cant personally compare to a proper badger brush having never owned one).

Although Truefitt and Hill say that you can use their shave creams with your hands thus saving the whole argument.

Originally Posted by max_incognito

Although Truefitt and Hill say that you can use their shave creams with your hands thus saving the whole argument.

The problem with that is, that even if you could get a satisfactory lather (and I'm not sure you could) you lose the exfoliating benefits of using a shaving brush in the first place. More than any part of my kit, the brush and a good cream make the most difference in how good a shave feels, and how close it is.

And, of course, if you do that, then all those badgers died for nothing! Do you want that on your conscience?! *ahem* But, seriously, folks...

I don't have any knowlege of how badgers are slaughtered in China either. However, I think a synthetic brush would be a reasonable alternative. I'm not aware of any "eco-friendly" brush companies out there - As classicshaving mentions, the badgers who give their hair to make brushes will never grow another coat.

Nev, you could always just write away to one of the suppliers and see if they give you a satisfactory answer, though I'm not sure what you get wouldn't be propaganda of one kind or another.

Good luck, though!

-Keith