A shaving brush is the second most important tool in your wet shaving kit. 

Unfortunately, it is often the one that is least thought about.  The best shaving brushes are made with pure badger hair (called badger hair knots).  A badger hair shaving brush, when correctly used, exfoliates the skin, opens up the pores, and stimulates the hair follicles so the hairs stand up straighter which gives a gentleman a closer and more comfortable shave.

Between shavings, badger hair brushes can be used with mild soap to clean beard and mustache hair as the bristles can reach below the hairline to the hair follicles and properly exfoliate and clean the skin.

One frequent problem for many individuals are ingrown hairs, otherwise known as shaving bumps. Ingrown hairs are hairs that have curled around and grown back into your skin instead of rising up from it. Anyone can have ingrown hairs, but they occur more often in African-Americans, and Latinos. People with thick or curly hair can develop a type of ingrown hair called pseudofolliculitis. This is where a badger hair brush can really come in handy, as the best treatment for pseudofolliculiti is prevention by keeping the area clean and hair follicle stimulation. As you use your brush regularly, you should have less ingrown hairs.

So What Type of Badger Hair Brush is Right for You?

That depends on your skin type:

• For dry or sensitive skin: choose Super Silvertip. This grade is very soft while still providing plenty of exfoliation. It is good for middle-aged and older clients who need exfoliation but have slightly more delicate skin. It is also our most luxurious shaving brush.

• For skin that’s right in the middle (not too oily, not too dry): choose Best grade. It offers less exfoliation than the AAA grade, but has nice soft tips. Great for young thirty somethings whose skin is no longer oily but still needs proper exfoliation without being too abrasive.

• For oily skin or skin prone to shaving bumps, choose AAA Pure grade. This type of hair is great for exfoliation - it opens the pores and cleans them really well, but can be abrasive on sensitive skin.

• We offer a Vegan Friendly Synthetic Knot that is as soft and luxurious as our Silvertip knots. Please let us know if that is your preference

Which type of razor is best for me?

We offer several razor options, including two types of cartridge razors, or double-edged safety razors, and straight razors if wet shaving is what you're after. If you have sensitive skin, or if you aren't sure which type to choose, our guide can help you choose a razor that is tailored to your needs.

Cartridge Razors

Cartridge razors offer a clean, quick shave with little thought or preparation. They typically have multiple blades, which means less passes over the same area for a quicker shave. These razors are suited well for people with sensitive skin, young men who may not be completely comfortable with a razor yet, and those who are looking for little more than a fast and clean shave.

Our unique design allows for the use of an interchangeable shaving head.  Typically, our razors only use one type of cartridge, but this feature allows you to use either a Gillette Mach3 or a Fusion cartridge. 

We also offer 3-in-1 heads which allow you to use both the Gillette Mach3 and Gillette Fusion cartridges, as well as a double edge blade.

Cartridges for either razor are easy to use and easy to replace as they are readily available at any local pharmacy or grocery store. Whichever type of shaving head you choose, a single cartridge will always be included in your purchase.

Cartridge razors work best when used with a badger hair brush, which exfoliates the skin, opens up the pores, and stimulates the hair follicles so they stand up straighter.

One of the critical requirements for a clean shave is a sharp cartridge.  When a cartridge becomes dull, simply throw it away and replace it.

Double-edged Safety Razors

Double-edged safety razors may offer you a cleaner, better shave than a cartridge type razor, and because there are hundreds of different brands of DE blades to choose from,  it allows you to pick the perfect shaving blade for your skin. If you’ve never used a double-edged safety razor before, there can be a slight learning curve - DE tips and tricks. Double-edged blades are also recyclable in some areas making it a more environmentally friendly product.

A DE razor has been the go-to shaving tool for thousands of men across the world. We also acknowledge that our customers prefer a choice in tools, and are not locked into their choices. This is why we offer our 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 razor that allows our customers the choice to have both a DE razor, Gillette Mach3, and Gillette Fusion

Double-edged safety razors work best when used with a badger hair brush, which exfoliates the skin, opens up the pores, and stimulates the hair follicles so they stand up straighter.

Straight Razors

Straight razors might feel a little intimidating, but they have an undeniable vintage charm. You may see them at your barber shop, recognize them from watching your older family members shave, or from popular media like Sweeney Todd. Aside from aesthetics, there are a number of reasons that one might choose a straight razor for their shaving kit.

Most importantly, straight razors are going to give you the best possible shave with minimal irritation. Multi-blade cartridges work the same area of the skin multiple times (with each blade) and thus cause significantly more irritation than a single bladed straight razor. With a little bit of practice with a straight razor, your shaves will not only be smoother, but it will lead to healthier skin and fewer ingrown hairs.

For our straight razors, we use a shavette style blade. Shavette blades are thin and therefore more flexible than a honed blade straight razor, contouring to the shape of your face more effectively. Shavette style straight razors offer a clean and effective shave with less irritation than cartridge razors. Replacement blades are cheap and easy to come by, so you can use a fresh, sharp blade every time you shave. With the shavette style, you never have to sharpen your blade! Just pop it out and put in a fresh one each time you shave. 

General Shaving Tips & Techniques

• For the best shaving results, moisten your skin before shaving with a hot wet compress made with a soft wash cloth. Allow the hot compress to sit on your skin for five minutes before shaving. Apply shaving cream with a badger hair brush in order to help with exfoliation. If possible, when shaving, shave in the same direction your hair is growing, and limit your across-the-grain (against hair growth direction) shaving strokes, as this can lead to skin irritation for some people.
  

• One frequent problem for some individuals is ingrown hairs also known as shaving bumps. Ingrown hairs are hairs that have curled around and grown back into your skin instead of rising up from it. Anyone can have ingrown hairs, but they occur more often in Black and Latino men. People with thick or curly hair can develop a type of ingrown hair called pseudofolliculitis. The best treatment for pseudofolliculiti is prevention by keeping the area clean and to use hair follicle stimulation. To do this, we recommend the use of a badger hair brush during shaving, and as a part of your daily skincare regime. We also offer vegan friendly knots if that is your preference for battling pseudofolliculiti.
  

• We highly recommend that customers use their shaving brush as apart of their daily face washing routine. Using a mild soap with a badger brush can help clean beard and mustache hair as the bristles can reach below the hairline to the hair follicles and properly exfoliate and clean the skin. This will greatly reduce ingrown hairs and should leave skin feeling softer and more comfortable.
  

• After shaving use a light antiseptic (witch hazel or diluted 1:1 hydrogen peroxide to water) to clean any problem areas and then lightly moisturize the skin with your favorite lotion or aftershave.

Double Edge Safety Razor Tips & Techniques

• To load your razor safely, flip the razor upside-down and hold the side of the razor head between two fingers. Unscrew the head, remove the blade and place a new blade inside the head. Then screw the razor head back on.

• Rinse your razor frequently while shaving with HOT water to clear hair and debris that accumulates and causes the shave to be less smooth.

• Use as little pressure as possible. Let the weight of the razor rest on your face – do not press into your skin. The razor blade will do all the work if you let it glide across your skin. The biggest mistake made by beginners is applying too much pressure.  Pushing too hard can irritate or cut your skin.

• It's better to make several short strokes over the same area rather than one long stroke

• Depending on your style of shaving, your beard type, the type of water you use (hard, soft, bottled, etc.), and the type of shaving cream used (spray can, soap lather, etc.) you will need to change your razor blades regularly for optimal performance. Some men switch after three or four shaves while others wait until six, seven, or more shaves.  In any case, don't try to squeeze shaves out of dull blades.  DE blades are inexpensive and it is not worth cutting your face to save a few pennies.

• Double edge razor blades are sharper than multi-blade cartridges, but there is nothing to be afraid of.  Just be careful when loading and removing them (they may be dull for shaving, but they are still very sharp), do not press down as hard when shaving as you would with a multi-blade cartridge, and do not use a sideways motion when shaving.

• Take your time and be patient. Don't use a double edge razor for the first time before an important meeting or if you are in a rush. Pick a leisurely Saturday morning for your first DE shave when you have plenty of time. After a few days or a week of practice, you'll quickly get the hang of it, and join the thousands of men who use DE razors daily with no trouble. For those days that you are in a rush, and need a quick clean shave, you can swap out your DE blade for a Mach3 using our interchangeable head.

Straight Razor Tips & Techniques

• Follow our general shaving tips when preparing for your straight razor shave. Preparing properly using a hot compress and a shaving brush are equally if not more important when using a straight razor as they are for cartridges and double edge blades.
   
• Pull your skin tight as you begin to shave, and always shave with the grain of growth. You may go against the grain for a closer shave, but be sure to reapply shaving oil and or cream as needed to prevent razor burn. Three passes is a good rule of thumb to ensure a smooth shave. 
   
• Don’t use more pressure than needed. Everybody is unique and you will have to practice a little bit to find your “sweet spot.” Start easy, and ramp up the pressure from there. After a couple of shave you will know exactly how much pressure to use to get your closest shave with minimal irritation. 
   
• As with any razor, don’t forget to moisturize! Even a low-irritation shave with a straight razor can dry and age your skin and a little bit of your favorite moisturizer will fix that right up.

Beard Care Tips & Grooming Techniques

How to maintain and manage a healthy beard

For people with full beards that never find themselves using a razor, badger or boar hair brushes can still be a useful tool. When using a shaving brush prior to a shave, the brush exfoliates the skin, opens up the pores, softens, and stimulates the hair. The greatest benefit of using a shaving brush to clean facial hair is the prevention and treatment of beard itch. Beard itch is the all-but-unavoidable itch that bearded men get. You might find this happening when first growing your beard, or after a trim. Maybe you feel it after a change in weather or after a long day. Shaving brushes will penetrate layers of hair to clean and exfoliate at the base, soothing irritated skin in the process.

If your primary purpose for your brush is cleaning your beard, we recommend some of the coarser grades of hair that we offer. AAA or “pure” grade badger hair is thicker and stiffer than best grade or silvertip, and will have an easier time getting through layers of hair and cleansing the skin underneath. Boar’s hair is perhaps the best option for beard cleaning, and is the toughest, strongest hair you will find in a shaving brush.

To clean your beard with a shaving brush, wet your brush and beard with hot water. Use your brush to work you favorite mild soap or facial cleanser into a rich lather. Apply the soap on your face and beard using your brush like you would shaving cream. Rinse with hot water and pat dry with a warm towel. Follow up with your favorite beard oil or balm.

We offer a Vegan Friendly Synthetic Knot that is as soft and luxurious as our Silvertip knots. Please let us know if that is your preference.

Boar Hair Shaving Brushes

The benefits of boar hair vs. badger hair

Boar hair knots are another variety that we offer as an alternative to badger hair brushes. Boar hair is stronger and thicker than badger hair, providing great exfoliation and cleansing, and generally cost less than their silvertip badger counterparts. For this reason, many men prefer to have one of each, as badger and boar hair are both quality products that simply serve a different function. Boar hair brushes also get better over time. With repeated use, boar hairs will start to split, resulting in two or three separate tips with the same strong shaft. This creates a softer and most luxurious brush, while still maintaining the strength of boar hair. Boar hair brushes are a great alternative to badger hair for men with oily skin who need significant exfoliation, but aren’t concerned about skin sensitivity and irritation. It is also a great option for bearded men looking for a brush to clean their facial hair rather than prepare for a shave.