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Brush Chronicles #1: The Body Shop Synthetic Brush

Sorry to hear that The Body Shop's quality control has gone downhill, as the one I purchased about 3 years ago hasn't dropped a bristle. If cost is an issue, you may want to try a Semogue or Omega boar instead.

I have an Omega 6128 badger, and a C&E/EJ Best Badger...This was a backup brush (or intended to be one)...
 
I've been meaning to comment here. I hadn't used my Body Shop synthetic brush for quite some time, preferring to go with a Semogue SoC boar brush.

But a couple of weeks ago, I saw the BS brush sitting forlorn on the shelf and decided to give it a whirl in some Mike's Natural. I did not presoak the brush, but just ran hot water on it. I gave it one gentle shake and set to lathering right in the tin of lime. Holy cow... the lather exploded! Thick, rich, and creamy. I had more than enough for 2-3 passes.
 
I've only been wet shaving for about 2 weeks and this is my first post here. One of my first purchases was this brush along with the Body Shop shave cream. I stared at the brush for days while I waited for my Merkur HD and a blade assortment to arrive in the mail. I loved the brush until this morning. I picked up the handle and the knot fell into the sink, completely falling out. I was very surprised since I thought the quality of the brush seemd good overall. I'm going to try to get to the Body Shop after work this evening to see if they're exchange it. I will keep everyone posted if you're interested. I'm just curious if anyone else has had any issues like this.
 
Welcome to B&B, and I'm sorry that you had that problem with the brush. I've had two, and never had a problem with either. I would be surprised if they don't just replace it.
 
Ok. I'm done with this brush. I took the first one back and they happily gave me a new one. I used the new one for a week and this morning the handle fell out again. I can't believe no one else has had any problems. Whipped dog here I come.
 
Ok. I'm done with this brush. I took the first one back and they happily gave me a new one. I used the new one for a week and this morning the handle fell out again. I can't believe no one else has had any problems. Whipped dog here I come.

Sorry to hear this. I saw another member had a similar problem within the last week. It looks like their quality control is really going downhill.
 
I just bought one and I'm anxious to try it. I should have lathered using their Maca Root the first time around with that cream but instead chose an Omega Hi-Brush that I'd just gotten. Next use of this cream will be with the BS brush.
 
After a few uses I like this brush. It's not my favorite synthetic but for the price I'm impressed. I bought it during one of their (frequent) 40% off sales so it came to $7.20.
 
I picked up this brush a couple of days ago. I love the Body Shop Maca Root shave cream and this brush was only $12, so what the heck. I also do not have a wood brush in my collection. After using it this morning with a mix of Taconic Eucalyptis/Menthol soap combined with TOBS Lemon Lime Cream...I am fairly impressed. It is 22mm synthetic with about a 50mm loft, and has great backbone for a small synthetic brush. I look forward to using it with hard triple milled soaps and older soaps that have hardened. It is scritchy and not as comfortable as the newer soft synthetics, but actually lathers and feels exactly like badger. It cleans well and drys quickly like most synthetics. If you are looking for a smaller synthetic brush that mimics badger, I recommend it.
 

linty1

My wallet cries.
I re-read that original post that was written in 2010 and it gave me joy :)

@Captainjonny How is that maca soap working? I've seen it a few times and have been tempted to give it a go
 
The Maca soap is fantastic and has a great skin feel. I use it mostly as a performance booster with soaps that do not perform well. Those are soaps that I keep, because of their scent profiles. The Maca has a light neutral scent and does not interfere with other soap/cream scent profiles, but dramatically improves slickness and skin softening performance of lesser soap/creams. I add dollop of Maca to the bowl, then load my brush with the other soap, or place a dollop of the other cream in the bowl. Maca always improves the lather and kicks the other soap/cream up a notch. It is also great by itself, but does not have a strong scent. If you have a super soap like Ethos, you do not have to improve the performance with Maca.
 
I re-read that original post that was written in 2010 and it gave me joy :)

@Captainjonny How is that maca soap working? I've seen it a few times and have been tempted to give it a go

It’s been a long 11 years since we did this, and the brush still gets the job done. In a year in which I only used synthetics in 2020, I used the Body Shop brush for a month straight. It pales in comparison to current synthetics, but still generated good lather. I preferred to use it bowl lathering, because man, it has some backbone.
 
It’s been a long 11 years since we did this, and the brush still gets the job done. In a year in which I only used synthetics in 2020, I used the Body Shop brush for a month straight. It pales in comparison to current synthetics, but still generated good lather. I preferred to use it bowl lathering, because man, it has some backbone.
Out of curiosity @beginish, what is your top-pick synthetic brush these days?
 
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