Wonderful read all the way from page one, gives a lot of insight into the character of the different creams and soaps as well for me the beginner, thank you very much!
Brush Chronicles #1: The Body Shop Synthetic Brush
- Thread starter beginish
- Start date
Well, I have a Body Shop Synthetic Brush... and this thread proves to me that:
1) Beginish is highly skilled at making lather
2) That the Sara Bonnyman Lather Bowl is a tool well understood by Beginish
3) That the brush can be made to work with time, effort and skill.
There are better tools out there though... so I understand why Beginish won't be putting this brush in his rotation.
1) Beginish is highly skilled at making lather
2) That the Sara Bonnyman Lather Bowl is a tool well understood by Beginish
3) That the brush can be made to work with time, effort and skill.
There are better tools out there though... so I understand why Beginish won't be putting this brush in his rotation.
I recently bought myself one of TBS's synthetic brushes hoping that I could find something that would work well and have less guilt associated with it than one made from badger hair ( while I love my badger brush, it doesn't quite sit well with my buddhist beliefs, no matter how hard I try to convince myself)
After using it for a couple of weeks I can fully appreciate the difficulties beginish was having with making lather in a bowl! The brush will do it ok but you really do need to put in that extra effort due to the stiffness of the bristles. I would estimate that at the moment it takes me twice as long to create a lather with this brush than it does with my Pure Badger. I'm hoping that the bristles will soften a bit over time with use.
In the meantime I will continue my search for a good synthetic brush.
Thanks to beginish for this terrific thread. Great job!
I'm looking forward to reading future chronicles.
After using it for a couple of weeks I can fully appreciate the difficulties beginish was having with making lather in a bowl! The brush will do it ok but you really do need to put in that extra effort due to the stiffness of the bristles. I would estimate that at the moment it takes me twice as long to create a lather with this brush than it does with my Pure Badger. I'm hoping that the bristles will soften a bit over time with use.
In the meantime I will continue my search for a good synthetic brush.
Thanks to beginish for this terrific thread. Great job!
I'm looking forward to reading future chronicles.
I've been using The Body Shop's synthetic brush exclusively for at least over a year now. It's actually the only brush I have now as I sold my badger brush a while ago. I too like the idea of using a synthetic over a badger hair brush.
Although I don't have many brushes to compare to, I have absolutely no issues with this brush. I use it with TBS's Maca Root Shave Cream too and I love it. It lathers up well for me and is really soft on my face, what more could I ask for? I don't really care for trying out a lot of different creams and brushes; this combo works for me and I'll stick with it.
Although I don't have many brushes to compare to, I have absolutely no issues with this brush. I use it with TBS's Maca Root Shave Cream too and I love it. It lathers up well for me and is really soft on my face, what more could I ask for? I don't really care for trying out a lot of different creams and brushes; this combo works for me and I'll stick with it.
I have a cheap VDH boar brush and I want to know how this brush would compare?
Well gave it a shot along with the cream the body shop carries. The brush itself works great. It is nice and soft yet firm enough for a good lather. Since it is synthetic, I needed more water but I was expecting that. I'll be using it with my VDH tomorrow and report back on the results. Overall this is a good brush for your rotation but I will use it as my travel brush since it dries quicker. Also since it is synthetic, it helps with issues of animal hair whether ethical or allergy related.
Reading this thread has been a true pleasure. I can honestly say that, "I just got my learn on."
Thanks for an awesome review. No doubt there'll be many questions to follow. Your review has been in depth and enlightening.
Thanks very much for this, Bob!
Previously I have only used a cheap boar bristle brush. Which doesn't do all that badly for building lather as it has softened up over the last 2 or 3 years. It actually makes a nice, soft, rich lather in the bowl, but then, through all that soft foam comes the needle-like bristles of this poorly made brush. Not pleasant.
I wouldn't have even known that TBS sold shaving brushes were it not for this thread, but after reading it, I went out and got myself one, and I'm very happy with it! It lathers my Williams shaving soap wonderfully in the bowl (with dips in hot water) and it isn't even fully broken in yet. It is a very good budget brush for the new-ish wet shaver like me.
Thanks very much
Previously I have only used a cheap boar bristle brush. Which doesn't do all that badly for building lather as it has softened up over the last 2 or 3 years. It actually makes a nice, soft, rich lather in the bowl, but then, through all that soft foam comes the needle-like bristles of this poorly made brush. Not pleasant.
I wouldn't have even known that TBS sold shaving brushes were it not for this thread, but after reading it, I went out and got myself one, and I'm very happy with it! It lathers my Williams shaving soap wonderfully in the bowl (with dips in hot water) and it isn't even fully broken in yet. It is a very good budget brush for the new-ish wet shaver like me.
Thanks very much
Oops, forgot the point of that whole message which is this: maintenance of the brush.
Hang upside-down?
Leave on the bathroom counter bristles up?
Put it straight in the drawer since it dries so quickly?
Hang upside-down?
Leave on the bathroom counter bristles up?
Put it straight in the drawer since it dries so quickly?
- Thread starter
- #51
Thanks for the comments, everyone, and please keep them coming. The more perspectives and insights all of us can bring to the brush, the better.
Steve, I would just sit the brush out on the counter with the tips up to let it dry out completely. A few good shakes will get you almost all the way there, and nature can take care of the rest pretty quickly.
Steve, I would just sit the brush out on the counter with the tips up to let it dry out completely. A few good shakes will get you almost all the way there, and nature can take care of the rest pretty quickly.
Thanks for taking the time, Bob!
awesome stuff! so much good info!!!
did you test the TBS synthetic brush on a puck soap? how do you think it would fair lathering up from a puck? thanks again!
did you test the TBS synthetic brush on a puck soap? how do you think it would fair lathering up from a puck? thanks again!
- Thread starter
- #54
I did, and it loaded just fine. I found it worked better when face lathering the soap than bowl lathering. All of the caveats I describe for bowl lathering apply.
I have one of these. I'd concur with the observation that it's slow to generate lather, especially in a bowl. It does do well with soaps, though, probably because of its tree trunk-like backbone. (Seriously, this thing is a tank.)
I use it as a travel brush for two reasons: (1) it dries extremely quickly; (2) considering the price, I'm not too concerned about the possibility of its getting lost or damaged in transit.
That is one heck of a review for such a modest brush, by the way. I tip my hat to you, sir.
I use it as a travel brush for two reasons: (1) it dries extremely quickly; (2) considering the price, I'm not too concerned about the possibility of its getting lost or damaged in transit.
That is one heck of a review for such a modest brush, by the way. I tip my hat to you, sir.
I have 12 months of experience and just Recently got the hang of how to face lather with TOBS synthetic. Apparently I was trying to face lather with too much water in the brush and after a couple more shakes got rid of the excess water
This has been just about the finest "bias neutral" review of a use of a product correctly identified at the outset as "subjective" that I have ever seen (so far....as I am a newbie and just getting started mining all the fantastic information for the new wet shaver that seems to be available on this forum). Absolutely wonderful job, Beginish. A man would have to be a fool to dismiss your evaluation here. And, to top it off, it was a fascinating read! Thanks so much.
I'm a true newbie, two shaves in with a Merkur 38C, a puck soap my wife found on Etsy, and the TBS brush. Reading this thread tonight has taught me so much about how I can improve my lathering. I can't thank the OP enough.
Sorry to bump an old thread...I read this thread, went out and bought one of these brushes...
My experience was quite poor. It lathers OK, but the first one I had shed bristles like mad...the second one lost like 15-20 in 2 days...needless to say, it went back.
My experience was quite poor. It lathers OK, but the first one I had shed bristles like mad...the second one lost like 15-20 in 2 days...needless to say, it went back.
- Thread starter
- #60
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.
