I have a Semogue "Owners Club'' boar hair that I *love* and highly recommend. I use hard soaps, and face lather, and this does the trick. The wood handle looks nice and is varnished to last. I soak it for 20 min every morning in the mug with my soap, and have dropped it many times, with no ill effects to the wood's finish. It's also big and has a lot of backbone, which is great for me. I have a decent badger brush that I never use but is good for bowl lathering (which I never really do). Boar is definitely worth trying for face lathering especially if you're loading from a hard soap; it isn't as floppy as badger.
If you want to exfoliate, try an exfoliating face wash before shaving. I don't think a shaving brush will do much along these lines...
If you want to exfoliate, try an exfoliating face wash before shaving. I don't think a shaving brush will do much along these lines...