need some help choosing brush for face lathering - new DE shaver

[evperry]

Hi,

Im trying to select a shaving brush. Im a new DE shaver and I was drawn to wet shaving with a DE because of a razor bump issue.

I want to face lather to with a good brush to help raise the hairs and prevent in growns. I need help with the brush and even with a good natural shave cream (no chemicals if possible).

Thanks in advance.

P.S. It would be nice if these products were available on Amazon.

 

[MondoJ]

I suggest going with a boar brush ie Omega, understanding that it won't make good lather until it breaks in. Kiss My Face unscented would be the soap I would try. I would also look toward other methods of ingrown prevention and treatment and not rely on a razor and blades as the only solution, instead use it as part of the solution.

 

[evperry]

Yeah the razor and cream are only a part of it. My ingrown hair issue is actually not a problem anymore, I'm just trying to keep it that way.

 

[DFSDAILY]

A good entry badger and one that I use all the time is the Edwin Jagger medium in Best. For boar it's hard to beat an Omega, just pick one that you like the looks of. I use both brands and I face lather exclusively.

 

[shaverjoe]

Depending on the money you want to spend, I would strongly encourage you to consider a Simpson Berkley in Best. You can get it at www.westcoastshaving.com for $45 if you use the discount code "BANDB" and if you don't like it, you can easily sell it on the BST. This is a great face lathering brush, doesn't hog lather, has good flow through, and has a nice face feel.

As far as natural creams, I would look here- www.queencharlottesoaps.com

 

[Loric]

If your looking to try something inexpensive I'd recommend the following.

Shave Factory XS (25x50mm) for face lathering or a taller loft Semogue for bowl lathering. The Shave Factory brush has IMO the best knot size loft ratio for face lathering of any inexpensive boar, and the Seomgues are IMO the best quality boar brushes overall. Omegas are fine, but IMO get a little to floppy when fully broken in.

An unorthodox choice is the EcoTools Bamboo kabuki brush. No brush at any price will beat this brush for efficient production of perfect lather. The dense thin hair really whips up lather that is just a notch above what most shave brushes can. Plus its as luxurious feeling on the face as anything else out there. The only trouble being that it barely holds lather for 3 passes, and being a four pass guy myself, I generally have to go back to the puck and load/lather again. Even with the short coming, and a stable of other fantastic high end brushes, this one gets a lot of use.

After that, I'd look at a TGN Finest from one of the brush makers on the board. Rudy Vey, Bob Farvore, and even Derutem all make fantastic and beautiful shaving brushes that can be tuned to your preference.

Honestly, there are some great name brand brushes out there too, but few are better than a TGN custom, and if your not exactly sure what your perfect brush is yet, I'd start out with some of the lower cost options first. However there are some awesome ones out there to be sure, just learn your preferences in brushes before you race out to spend the big bucks.

 

[shaverjoe]

After that, I'd look at a TGN Finest from one of the brush makers on the board. Rudy Vey, Bob Farvore, and even Derutem all make fantastic and beautiful shaving brushes that can be tuned to your preference.

Honestly, there are some great name brand brushes out there too, but few are better than a TGN custom, and if your not exactly sure what your perfect brush is yet, I'd start out with some of the lower cost options first. However there are some awesome ones out there to be sure, just learn your preferences in brushes before you race out to spend the big bucks.

I agree completely with Loric here- For me, I'm not sure you can beat a TGN Finest or Grade A Silvertip knot for the money. A custom brush is really the way to go, IMO. However, the reason I don't recommend that up front is because it may not be as easy to sell if you decide you don't like it, plus, it will be hard to find a custom brush significantly cheaper than the Simpson Berkley.

 

[Loric]

Its true the Simpson Berkley is a quality lower cost brush, however if you want the backbone of two band or the soft tips of silvertip (grade A) you cant do that at the same price point with a Simpson. Plus for me, Simpson best is to much of a crap shoot for what you get. Sure it could be great, but it could also be a half step away from the face feel of pure YMMV.

While it might be slightly easier to sell a Simpson on BST, I have hardly ever had any real trouble selling customs there. Usually, at the standard 80~85% of what I paid for them.

 

[shaverjoe]

Its true the Simpson Berkley is a quality lower cost brush, however if you want the backbone of two band or the soft tips of silvertip (grade A) you cant do that at the same price point with a Simpson. Plus for me, Simpson best is to much of a crap shoot for what you get. Sure it could be great, but it could also be a half step away from the face feel of pure YMMV.

While it might be slightly easier to sell a Simpson on BST, I have hardly ever had any real trouble selling customs there. Usually, at the standard 80~85% of what I paid for them.

All of what you said about the variance in Simpson Best is true. My particular Berkley mimics my TGN Finest knots very closely and as far as face feel, the other Simpson brushes I have in Best feel very similar with the exception of my Duke 3 which actually feels a little softer. I cannot comment about selling a used custom brush on the BST because I have never done that.

Again, to the OP, I agree with Loric on the point about the TGN knots, particularly in Finest and Grade A Silvertip. I have made several brushes for myself and there seems to be very little variance between what I have received from TGN. I have used Finest knots primarily and they have all been very similar in quality, density, face feel, etc. I would expect you would hear the same from many of the forum members here about TGN knots- for the money, they cannot be beat!

 

[evperry]

Lots of info here. Thanks.

I dont know nearly enough about this to order a custom as of yet. So a Simpson, Jagger or Omega is what I would start with.

What state does queencharlettesoaps ship out of? I couldnt find it anywhere on their site.

Has anyone tried any creams from Pacific Shaving Company? They claim they are all natural.

 

[shaverjoe]

Lots of info here. Thanks.

I dont know nearly enough about this to order a custom as of yet. So a Simpson, Jagger or Omega is what I would start with.

What state does queencharlettesoaps ship out of? I couldnt find it anywhere on their site.

Has anyone tried any creams from Pacific Shaving Company? They claim they are all natural.

QCS ships out of North Carolina. They have great customer service. I have never tried Pacific Shaving Company.

 

[StuMcB]

Yeah the razor and cream are only a part of it. My ingrown hair issue is actually not a problem anymore, I'm just trying to keep it that way.

After a shave I found that application of a pre / post shave balm like Vitos or Proraso works very well. I even apply befor bed. As for face lathering the venerable Semogue 620 boar is for my money is a top face latherer with loads of backbone and scritcheyness. It'll take an age to break in but is well worth it. Also FS finest with the bigger knots are very good. The current chubby handle range he has are very good in my book. They are 26/56. and can be had for around £27 deliverd.

 

[SteveWY]

Much said on the brush recommendation, all good advice. Most or all of the artisan shaving soap makers offer paraben and other chemical-free products. As far as creams: look at the ingredients of Kiss My Face and La Toja creams. Those and others are formulated for sensitive skin.

 

[ImTheGluestick]

Lots of info here. Thanks.

I dont know nearly enough about this to order a custom as of yet. So a Simpson, Jagger or Omega is what I would start with.

What state does queencharlettesoaps ship out of? I couldnt find it anywhere on their site.

Has anyone tried any creams from Pacific Shaving Company? They claim they are all natural.

I have a Pacific Shaving Company cream. It's not a bad cream, but it's not good enough for me to recommend it. Kiss my face is significantly better, in my opinion.

 

[cb91710]

As always, YMMV.

Some prefer softer brushes for face lathering. They may have tender skin or sensitivity issues, or may simply prefer the feel of a softer brush.
I prefer harder brushes for most everything, including my toothbrush (I use the Kent natural bristle XH), and I'll "go to town" on my face with a Buf-Puf to the point that I actually sand the fuzz from the top of my nose.
Somewhere between BBQ Grill brush and "floppy" is where you will find a brush that you like.

As recommended above, the Simpson 46 is a good one to start with. The Simpson "best" are a bit too floppy for my taste, but they were perfectly adequate until I tried a 2-band Super.

 

[evperry]

I actually ordered the Pacific cream and I'm gonna check it out. For some reason I think my wife might have some of the kiss my face around the house. Is the kiss my face a lathering cream or a gel? On Amazon it is not clear.

I actually have the buf puff and my goal is to eliminate that and just use the brush. I skipped it the last shave and guess what I got an ingrown today..... Preparation is key I suppose, can't skip steps.

 

[ImTheGluestick]

I actually ordered the Pacific cream and I'm gonna check it out. For some reason I think my wife might have some of the kiss my face around the house. Is the kiss my face a lathering cream or a gel? On Amazon it is not clear.

I actually have the buf puff and my goal is to eliminate that and just use the brush. I skipped it the last shave and guess what I got an ingrown today..... Preparation is key I suppose, can't skip steps.

It's a cream that lathers well or can be used latherless.

 

[celestino]

Depending on the money you want to spend, I would strongly encourage you to consider a Simpson Berkley in Best. You can get it at www.westcoastshaving.com for $45 if you use the discount code "BANDB" and if you don't like it, you can easily sell it on the BST. This is a great face lathering brush, doesn't hog lather, has good flow through, and has a nice face feel.

As far as natural creams, I would look here- www.queencharlottesoaps.com

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* Great recommendation here! If you want a boar, i would go with the Semogue 830 for face-lathering!

 

[jazzguy]

How much would you like to spend on a brush? You will get better recommendations if you give us some idea. "Natural" is a big can of worms, but really the term doesn't mean too much in the world of shaving products. I look for things with a short ingredient list or where I can recognize what all of the ingredients are without the use of Google. Mike's Natural Soaps are good example and they are not expensive.

Hi,

Im trying to select a shaving brush. Im a new DE shaver and I was drawn to wet shaving with a DE because of a razor bump issue.

I want to face lather to with a good brush to help raise the hairs and prevent in growns. I need help with the brush and even with a good natural shave cream (no chemicals if possible).

Thanks in advance.

P.S. It would be nice if these products were available on Amazon.