I have tried about 5 different synthetics over the years. Only one worked OK at face lathering, the Omega Syntex, and maybe also by an Ebay seller named theemporium33 (it's black, lower density knot, and more fan shaped- a good brush for only 12 dollars). The others just seem too stiff, when I try to lather on my face using circular motions, it just flings lather everywhere. I've been doing more bowl lathering but recently my face has really been needing some exfoliation to keep away the occasional zit or ingrown hair. My brushes that don't make the cut now days get sterilized and end up on eBay, surprisingly enough people buy them and it comes out as a win-win. I'm just tired of going through synthetic brushes trying to find one that works. The Men-U I bought years ago was particularly disappointing, no better than the Body Shop's brush, which is a really low-end synthetic, only lower is the old nylon style bristles like Omega or Made Rite (both are scratchy as hell).
Boar hairs hasn't worked for me. I have only tried a few brands (Herban Cowboy, VDH), and one I ordered from China, and they were all too scratchy and irritated my face. The VDH never seemed to break in into being a softer brush, neither did the Herban Cowboy. I have only tried a badger hair once but I gave it to my dad and got him into wet shaving- as I recall it worked fine. I have thought about buying another one again just because I feel desperate to get a good face lathering brush as I'm considering getting into shave sticks in place of shave soaps (I figure shave sticks will probably lather easier). But honestly I am not a fan of the mystery around just how badger hair is harvested. With pigs I know that the animals are kept and slaughtered according to western laws, but I don't know anything about how Chinese treat animals. With horse hair, it is my understanding that the animal is not harmed during the harvesting of hairs.
I've got two horse hair brushes, both very cheap, but only tried them a few times. My impressions of them so far aren't clear enough. the hairs certainly don't look all that fluffy, but the tips do feel a bit softer than boar.
I'd like to have at least one decent brush that just works, for less than 50 dollars. So, I'm willing to listen to some input. Is horse hair an acceptable substitute for badger? I have thought about investing in a Vie-Long horse hair but I'd like to know how it compares to Pure Badger brushes.
Boar hairs hasn't worked for me. I have only tried a few brands (Herban Cowboy, VDH), and one I ordered from China, and they were all too scratchy and irritated my face. The VDH never seemed to break in into being a softer brush, neither did the Herban Cowboy. I have only tried a badger hair once but I gave it to my dad and got him into wet shaving- as I recall it worked fine. I have thought about buying another one again just because I feel desperate to get a good face lathering brush as I'm considering getting into shave sticks in place of shave soaps (I figure shave sticks will probably lather easier). But honestly I am not a fan of the mystery around just how badger hair is harvested. With pigs I know that the animals are kept and slaughtered according to western laws, but I don't know anything about how Chinese treat animals. With horse hair, it is my understanding that the animal is not harmed during the harvesting of hairs.
I've got two horse hair brushes, both very cheap, but only tried them a few times. My impressions of them so far aren't clear enough. the hairs certainly don't look all that fluffy, but the tips do feel a bit softer than boar.
I'd like to have at least one decent brush that just works, for less than 50 dollars. So, I'm willing to listen to some input. Is horse hair an acceptable substitute for badger? I have thought about investing in a Vie-Long horse hair but I'd like to know how it compares to Pure Badger brushes.