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Upside Down Hairs - Badger Brush

I just received my first high-end, 2-band badger brush (24mm) and I was surprised at how many hairs appear to be upside down. (Black, coarse hairs among the white tips)

Do you leave them? If not, is it best to attempt to pull them out or just cut them as close to the knot base as possible?
 
Every brush is unique, just leave everything as it is and please do NOT cut anything.. Just use the brush and let it be just like it is right now..
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
If you are not happy with the brush you could contact the place where you purchased it from and ask the question. A good supplier would be happy to talk with you if you have any concerns, as I am sure they would like to do business with you again in the future.
 
Unless you have some random scratch leave it alone. I had a brush that had one offending hair and I did cut it out, just the one single hair, and eliminated that scratch. As others have pointed out, there can be a lot of variance and be fine.
 
I have a very sensitive face and black hairs among a badger brush feel like a hypodermic needle sticking into my skin. If you pull them out or cut them off at the base, you will affect the lather producing and holding capability of the brush. What I do is examine the knot carefully. When I find one of these black hairs, I will trim off about 1/8" so the tip of the black hair will come just beneath the canopy of the knot. That significantly improves the face feel without impacting the performance of the brush. If you do not have a sensitive face, this surgery to the knot may not be necessary. I have even had to do this with some premium badger brushes.
 
Thank you all for your advice!

I left the brush as is for my first use and it felt amazing. I thought I got poked once, but I’ll use it a few more times to see if it was my imagination. Seems like the overall consensus is to leave it.

The brush is a Thater.
 
I'm being serious here, how can you even shave? Dragging the blade over your face must be extremely painful.

The difference is in pressure as measured in pounds per square inch (although I have no way of measuring pressure, except by feel). A tiny, stiff hair protruding from the top of a shaving brush exerts an extremely high pressure on your face, just like a tiny hypodermic needle might do.

I normally shave with a straight razor. Although the edge of the razor may only be a micron thick, the pressure is spread over a couple of inches width, so it is not painful as long as the edge is both keen and smooth. I do have a couple of vintage razors that have some pitting; I cannot shave with those razors without discomfort as they feel like I am dragging sandpaper across my face. After honing my straight razors up to the 15-16K grit level (about 1 micron), I polish the edges with 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125 micron CBN abrasive pasted strops to get the edge really smooth. I also strop 75 laps on linen and 100 laps on leather before every shave. Also using a high quality shave soap really helps, one that provides great slickness, cushion and post shave moisturizing and conditioning. Even with my tough, white beard, I can still get a close comfortable shave.
 
Maybe in your unique case, a partial beard might be in order?

I doubt that I am all that unique. Anyone with blue eyes and a ruddy complexion is going to have sensitive skin. When I was young, I had blond hair. As a young man, my beard was red. As you get older, your skin becomes thinner and baggy and your beard becomes tougher and turns white. It is one of the hazards of getting old. Unfortunately, my beard still grows as fast as it did when I was in my late teens. I do have a cousin who has a similar complexion who decided to grow a full beard, but for me a mustache is sufficient.
 
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