most of the synthetics I have tried so far haven't face-lathered well

I have tried about 5 different synthetics over the years. Only one worked OK at face lathering, the Omega Syntex, and maybe also by an Ebay seller named theemporium33 (it's black, lower density knot, and more fan shaped- a good brush for only 12 dollars). The others just seem too stiff, when I try to lather on my face using circular motions, it just flings lather everywhere. I've been doing more bowl lathering but recently my face has really been needing some exfoliation to keep away the occasional zit or ingrown hair. My brushes that don't make the cut now days get sterilized and end up on eBay, surprisingly enough people buy them and it comes out as a win-win. I'm just tired of going through synthetic brushes trying to find one that works. The Men-U I bought years ago was particularly disappointing, no better than the Body Shop's brush, which is a really low-end synthetic, only lower is the old nylon style bristles like Omega or Made Rite (both are scratchy as hell).

Boar hairs hasn't worked for me. I have only tried a few brands (Herban Cowboy, VDH), and one I ordered from China, and they were all too scratchy and irritated my face. The VDH never seemed to break in into being a softer brush, neither did the Herban Cowboy. I have only tried a badger hair once but I gave it to my dad and got him into wet shaving- as I recall it worked fine. I have thought about buying another one again just because I feel desperate to get a good face lathering brush as I'm considering getting into shave sticks in place of shave soaps (I figure shave sticks will probably lather easier). But honestly I am not a fan of the mystery around just how badger hair is harvested. With pigs I know that the animals are kept and slaughtered according to western laws, but I don't know anything about how Chinese treat animals. With horse hair, it is my understanding that the animal is not harmed during the harvesting of hairs.

I've got two horse hair brushes, both very cheap, but only tried them a few times. My impressions of them so far aren't clear enough. the hairs certainly don't look all that fluffy, but the tips do feel a bit softer than boar.

I'd like to have at least one decent brush that just works, for less than 50 dollars. So, I'm willing to listen to some input. Is horse hair an acceptable substitute for badger? I have thought about investing in a Vie-Long horse hair but I'd like to know how it compares to Pure Badger brushes.

Semogue 610 is an excellent face lathering boar. I have not tried a horse hair brush yet.

Sounds like you need to try the Plisson synthetic and a good Semogue or Omega boar. Also, the Vie-Long horse hair brushes are very nice.
If you are really concerned about the harvesting of badger and feel guilty about acquiring/buying a new brush, you can always get a good, used one on the BST.
Good luck.

Maggards sells two versions of the Boker synthetic, which is made by Muhle, and uses their new knot. Both can be had for under $50. I own the black, which I bought to be a travel brush, but like it so much, I rotate it at home with all the others. Plenty of backbone to load soaps, ultra smooth, and even dry as a bone will splay flat on your face.

The Vie-Longs are my favorites. Beautiful, inexpensive brushes, that are what people say: right in the middle of a boar and a badger. To me, they are the best of both worlds.

From left to right: Boker 20mm, and my Vie Longs - 14030,14080 and 12705.

About a year ago, I bought a Muhler Silvertip Fibre. It is a wonderful all around brush and is great for face lathering. Would strongly recommend trying it. YMMV

I'm thinking Arko would face-lather with any brush period. It's incredibly easy to use and I get a lather in under a minute easily with boar or badger brush.

The Muhle and Plisson synthetics work great. Any Semogue or Omega boar will be a significant step up from what you have.

ShaverGN said:

About a year ago, I bought a Muhler Silvertip Fibre. It is a wonderful all around brush and is great for face lathering. Would strongly recommend trying it. YMMV

Click to expand...

+1. I agree. The Muhle does a great job.

As for boar brushes I like the B&B Essential Boar and SOC boar. Both work great with face and bowl lathering.

I might want to look into the Boker, but mild backbone would be OK as I'm planning to use creams and shave sticks (I think I will keep around one boar on the rare occasions I use soap).

What do you think of the Omega S Brush?

I am changing a lot in my routine lately, I have gone to using Atra cartridges and Aveeno gel and I noticed reduced irritation but I want to keep using a shaving brush because the exfoliation really does seem to help keep the skin smoother and it improves the shave (less irritation, particularly on the neck and other areas that are not flat). The shave brush, I realize, has become the single most important tool I use in the shave that impacts it the most, not the razors, not even really the cream. It does so many different things that its hard to quantify, and so far I have just been scratching the surface of trying what is out there in tems of brushes.

I don't want to wait around for a boar brush to break in. Maybe buying a gently used brush is the way to go. I'd also be willing to trade for one.

A used badger in my collection might also be a good idea. But I've heard vintage brushes can just fall to pieces.

I've never used my horse hairs yet because frankly I am re-finishing the handle. The finish used wasn't particularly watertight, so I'm using some non-toxic wood turner's finish that is water based. But I give it 12 hours in between coats to cure. I want to build up the finish well and sand it smoother. The knot used looks nice and the tips feel softer than boar, but the one time I used it the handle's finish didn't hold up (I was soaking it a bit and the wood absorbed water and raised the grain.

I have the Omega S-Brush and lathers just fine.
The boars I have are only Omega and they are all lathering machines.
In your pants I will be not scared about the "break in" time. Be a man!

Most of times it takes just a copule of shaves. But in any case if you want to expedite this "incredibly long" process you can have two latherings, let's says two dry runs, and it's okay.




Well, I can lather with almost any brushes I have from boars to badgers to synthetic so... YMMV

Personal experience: Wide and short lofts are what to look out for in face lathering.
Hang in there, there's a brush for every face!

I second the Plisson. The Whipped Dog synthetic is great too. I face lather also, synthetic is all I use..

Try L'Occitane Plisson synthetic or Semogue 620 for boar. Both work great for me.

Cash_Stronomer said:

Personal experience: Wide and short lofts are what to look out for in face lathering.
Hang in there, there's a brush for every face!

Click to expand...

I agree, in my experience the "light bulb" shape is not best for face lathering.

I just tried out one of my cheap Chinese synthetics- it arrived a week ago and I never bothered trying it out. It worked OK, better than the Men-U I tried years ago. It has a Pur-Tech knot and a springy feel to it that an animal bristle wouldn't have but it wasn't nearly as bad as Men-U's brush for face lathering. The tips are soft however the resistance of the knot makes them feel stiffer and sharper than they otherwise would be. The synthetic aspect is nice, I just used a tiny amount of KMF Bamboo and a little water and got plenty of shave cream to do a two pass shave with my Atra.

I think I will try an Omega S Brush, since those have gotten decent reviews here.

Do synthetics have some kind of break in involved? My old Men-U never seemed to break in, and with the Syntex, it just gradually wore out, the performance did not really improve with age.

Eamrein said:

I second the Plisson. The Whipped Dog synthetic is great too. I face lather also, synthetic is all I use..

View attachment 563274

Click to expand...

I certainly agree on the Plisson. And I face lathered some Ogallala Bay Rum stick with my brand new Whipped Dog synthetic this morning.
Mountains of rich lather and more scrubbiness than the Plisson, although it takes a little more effort to splay.

Either the Plisson or the WD should give you great results.