I was talking to a friend about shaving and badger hair recently, when he asked me, 'What is a badger hair shaving brush anyway?" Up until that point it hadn't occurred to me that something clear and obvious to me is still a mystery to others. But then, I've loved everything to do with straight razor shaving for a longtime. I forget others still think the determining factor for a quality shave is how many Mach their razor blade is.

To answer the question, a badger hair brush is what "real men" use to first get a great lather out of their shaving soap or cream, and then get a smooth application of that lather onto their face. In other words, it's the difference between "just slapping it on" and "shaving properly". Men with sensitive skin will get additional benefits from using a badger hair brush.

Why Badgers?

While some might use boar hair, badger hair is by far the most popular among shaving enthusiasts, simply because it absorbs water, is soft, durable, and looks stylish as part of a shaving set.

Like anything in the world now though, there is a variety of quality in badger hair, depending largely on whether the brush was machine or hand made, and whereabouts on its body the badger surrendered the hair from.

The silver tipped or light, "tapered" brushes are the best in quality, using softer, lighter hair and are usually hand-made. For a more affordable but equally good quality brush, check out the gray or standard hair brushes, and finally, the most affordable are the dark or pure brushes. These are usually a little coarser but will still provide a decent lather and shave.

When combined with good shaving soap or cream (not something that comes from a canister), you will definitely notice the difference. To many, the brush and soap are just as important as the blade itself, and using a straight razor without using a quality brush and soap combination is deemed pointless. It is often down to personal opinion, but I've never met someone who didn't agree that the brush vastly heightens their shaving experience.

Us men don't have a lot of ways to pamper ourselves and still maintain respect and dignity, but what we do have is certainly "a cut above the rest".

I think most people are still a little unaware of the comfort and pleasure involved with a good straight razor shave now that it is not something that occurs often in modern culture. Luckily the Internet exists to provide quality information on almost anything, including shaving guides and more.