THE BRUSH MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE

Shaving foam from a can is gross. Canned foam is largely made up of air bubbles and therefore has a very hard time lubricating and protecting skin. Foam also tends to soak into skin, leaving an itch-causing residue when you rinse. A shaving brush, on the other hand, will leave you with smooth, irritant free skin.

A shaving brush creates a thick, skin protecting lather and distributes it evenly so that your razor does not shave exposed skin. The bristles of the brush exfoliate your skin, effectively removing dead skin cells right before you shave, ensuring your razor has the clearest path possible. A shaving brush also lifts each individual hair (by running it against the direction of hair growth after you lather) so that the razor slices through them rather than over them. Another bonus of the shaving brush is that by combining its exfoliation and distribution of soap it can greatly improve skin affected by acne.

By trading in your canned chemical goo for a shaving brush and luxurious soap you can go from a mediocre, irritating shave to a “feel how smooth!” spa-like experience. Who knew such a little brush could do so much!

Shaving Brush Experts

In the beginning of The Copper Hat, Brad made all of the shaving brushes we sold by hand on a wood lathe.  Each brush was one-of-a-kind and made without patterns.  For the most part, Brad uses reclaimed materials, like upcycled denim, styrofoam and windfallen trees, to make the shaving brush handles. He has also had years of experience refurbishing old shaving brushes.

As The Copper Hat became busier, Brad didn’t have time to keep up with making brushes by hand, so we began to design our own production shaving brush. Creating this brush was a wild adventure, so we thought it only fitting to name it after the Journey to get here!  “The Journey” is our very own Canadian-manufactured shaving brush and we’re confident you’ll love it!

This shaving brush features a heavy-duty anodized aluminum handle with a modern, easy to hold shape.  We’ve designed this brush to easily whip up a thick lather in both shaving creams and soaps.  Each brush handle is manufactured, anodized, and engraved at small, Canadian shops. Then Brad sets the handles with the highest quality bristles.

Shaving Brush Bristle Types

Many wet shavers will tell you that you must go with a badger hair shaving brush, and for many years, we kind of agreed.  That being said, after 10 years of manufacturing and setting people up with shaving brushes, we’ve learned that Synthetic bristles outlast natural bristles and are easier to care for.  They are lovely and soft, making them excellent for those with sensitive skin.  Synthetic bristles are also vegan.  

Badger hair is harvested from badgers and is typically sourced from China where badgers are considered invasive species.  While harvesting badgers/badger hair may be considered sustainable, it’s definitely not cruelty-free.  So, after many years of selling badger hair brushes and weighing other options, we’ve chosen to no longer use it in our brushes.  

Over the past 10 years, high quality synthetic bristles have come a long way and are now softer than any natural fiber.  They age really well and look pristine, even after many years.  A good quality synthetic bristle will not shed and is easy to keep clean.  They also have great back bone, meaning that while they are soft on the skin, they aren’t floppy!

We believe in the quality of our synthetic bristled, solid aluminum Journey shaving brushes so much, that we guarantee them with a 5 year warranty.  That is unheard of for a shaving brush, but we stand behind our brushes 100%.

We also offer shaving brushes set with Boar hair.  Boar hair is coarser than badger hair and synthetic bristles.  It is excellent for leg and body shaving, but most face shavers find it a bit too rough.  Boar hair exfoliates very well, so is great for covering large surface areas quickly.  

If you have any questions about shaving brush bristles, please let us know!

A Quick How To

If you are using a shave puck (a hard bar-type soap), put the puck in your lathering bowl/mug and fill it with warm water for a few minutes.

Soak the shaving brush bristles with warm water either in the stream from the tap or in another bowl/mug. The brush only needs to be soaked for 10 seconds or so. Before lathering, shake most of the water off of the brush and empty the water from the bowl containing the puck.

Next, swirl the brush around the puck of soap quickly until lather appears (if you are using a cream from a tub or tube, put a quarter-sized amount into your bowl to lather). A good lather should take about 30 seconds to build. If it seems like not much is happening after a few seconds, add a few drops of water.

If the lather is very bubbly, there is too much water in the mixture and you should shake the brush out a bit more. The optimal lather will look just like whipped cream – fluffy, thick and white, but few bubbles. Make sure your skin is damp, then swirl lather onto your skin moving your brush in a circular motion. Once you have distributed a thick, even layer over your skin (you may choose to go over the same spot with your brush more than once), pull your brush over your skin against the grain of your hair growth (this lifts the hair so that it is easier to cut). Now you`re ready to shave!