The SS-GB. A very special prototype
"concept" brush in grained ivory resin & stainless steel. See this being made
SHAVING BRUSHES
Almost all of the finest badger hair comes from
China. Badger is a protected species in most of Europe. In rural Northern
China, badgers multiply to the point of becoming a crop nuisance, and
village cooperatives are licensed by the national government to hunt
badgers and sell the hair to processors.
Each shaving brush has an individual
serial number, and comes with a certificate signed by Rodney Neep.
I make the handles in a range of different
materials. Wood of various types, real natural stone, or polyester
acrylics, including a superb ivory substitute with grain like real
ivory..
Badger hair comes in many different grades, although I only
usually use the top grades (See individual brush descriptions for
type).
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Pure Badger
Coarser hair from the underbelly. The hair varies in softness, pliability and colour. Usually,
the ends are trimmed to shape, resulting in rough stiff
ends.
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Best Badger
Finer and more pliable hairs. More densely filled with
hair.
-
Super Badger
An excellent hair. More expensive than the
lower grades. Better graded hairs and not as prickly. Fitted to the knot so
that the ends do not have to be trimmed to
shape.
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Black Badger
A good quality hair that is quite
stiff and a bit scratchy on the face. Good for face lathering.
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Silvertip Badger
Superb quality. After the first use it flares out and becomes very fluffy. Holds a considerable
amount of water, and makes a much better rich, creamier
lather.
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Super Silvertip Badger
Similar to Silvertip,
but a little softer.
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High Mountain Badger
From the mountain areas of
Northern China. Very soft hairs.
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Extra Silvertip
Badger
Simply the ultimate. Very
rare to obtain. I use knots of extra silvertip when they are
available in 22mm, 24mm and 26mm. The 26mm brush holds an incredible
amount of water, The brush which I use regularly holds 34 grams of
water! That's 34cc or 2 cubic inches! One loading of the brush is enough
for three latherings on the face with plenty left over at the end. Back in Stock!
-
Horse Hair
Very soft. Produces a good creamy
lather very easily. Inexpensive compared with badger.
-
Boar Bristle
Very hard and somewhat scratchy. Good if
you like to give your skin a work out. Good at lathering. Needs to be
soaked in warm water for a minute before use, as the hairs absorb
water.
.
- More about
shaving brush knots, with comparisons and illustrations
The brushes I make at the moment generally have either Silvertip
Badger or Super Silvertip Badger Hair (see individual
descriptions).
The more water
a brush holds, the more moist and rich a lather will
be. This results in less razor skipping and dragging.
The greatest benefit from shaving brush use is the
tendency to soften and lift facial hair before a shave. Applying shaving
cream by hand mats hair or raises it unevenly. Aerosol foams don't soften
and lift facial hair as much as real shaving soap foam applied with a
brush, instead the aerosol foam is relatively dry with lots of large air
bubbles. Real shaving soap produces a creamy
lather.
Shaving brush use requires agitation of the soap
or cream (usually in a cup or the wooden shaving soap holder) to form a
lather suitable for a shave. Apply the lather to the face in a gentle
circular motion, and leave for about a minute before shaving for the best
results. With a good foamy cream produced by a brush a razor does not
need to be pressed to the skin in order to provide a close shave.
CARING FOR YOUR
BRUSH
After use it is essential to run the tap into the end of the
brush to make sure that it is totally cleaned of soap. Sniff your
brush when it is dry (now there's a novelty to add to your morning
ritual) before you have your next shave. It should not smell of
soap. Do not wring out excess water. Just give the brush a gentle squeeze,
a few light flicks, and then strop it lightly on a dry towel.
Stand the brush either on its base or hang it on a brush stand. There
is a lot written about which is best, but I am not convinced that one is
better than another. The important thing is to NOT store it in a
closed cabinet. Leave it out in the open to dry naturally.
It is perfectly normal for a new brush to shed a few hairs for up to a
week of use, and the odd one thereafter.
Dried soap at the base of the bristles is the most common cause of hair
failure. The soap hardens around the bristle, the bristle becomes very
fragile, and it breaks loose. I have seen one month old brushes fail for
this reason! Moral: make sure the brush is thoroughly washed out after
every use.
In areas of very hard water, calcium deposits may form on the hairs.
That can also make the hairs very brittle and stiff, and they may shed as
a result. Soaking the hairs (not the handle) in a mixture of white venegar
and water for a couple of hours once a month can solve problems.
General maintenance to keep your brush in first class condition:
- warm bath
- wash with soap
- warm rinse
- soak in water/vinegar mixture if you are in a
hard water area.
- warm rinse and another soap wash
- rinse
- conditioner - use normal hair conditioner. It
works a treat.
- rinse
- A gentle squeeze, few light flicks, and strop
it gently on a towel.
- It is OK to use a hair drier, but on low heat only.
A forum to discuss traditional wet shaving
|
African Stone
Real Kenyan Soapstone handles with fascinating and beautiful
natural colours and grain. A high quality brush with extra silvertip
badger or silvertip badger.
I first started to use this wonderful
material for my top-of-the-line fountain pens, and now I have a batch
of the same stone from Kenya for shaving brush handles.
From £60
Custom made brushes to order
 .
More colours and patterns of stone now
added
African Stone
Brushes
The fabulous
Lion Head shaving brushes . |
One off shapes in wood
Various shapes and sizes of handles in a wide variety of woods.
No two are the same.
From £37.50
Wood handled
brushes
And to special order, brushes with cigar
bands. You send me your favourite cigar band and I will make a brush
like these with the band sealed under the acrylic finish, and using
the highest quality silvertip badger knots.
Cigar Band Brushes
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Various Resin Handled Brushes
A wide variety of shaving brushes in
different sizes and shapes, and with different hair types from the
very finest quality badger to the less expensive, plus some of horse
hair. Prices from £27 upwards.
 .
Resin handled
brushes
Customer comment on the standard 24mm
Silvertip Badger:
Wow !!!! I am indeed very
impressed. I have just given it a test lather and wow (again).
Just a small amount of soap produced masses of thick
creamy lather.
|
Burl Wood & Swirl Acrylic Resin
A stunning
handle material made from natural burl wood bonded to
a high qaulity iridescent resin to form fascinating patterns.
This expensive
material is specially made for me, but in very small
quanitities. Brushes are selling as fast as I make them! Priced
from £80.00 depending on shape. I have a very limited
supply of
this material available now:
-
Kingfisher Burl
-
Amber Fire Burl
-
Forest Green Acorns
Burl Wood
& Resin Brushes
Custom Made Handles Only
I am prepared to make handles only, for you to fit your own
knot.
See: Custom Handles
The New SS-GE
Available in various materials with stainless
steel.
The SS-GE
Brushes
.
|
EXTRA SILVERTIP BADGER
KNOTS
AVAILABLE AGAIN!
Simply the
ultimate. Very rare to obtain.
I have
been unable to obtain these knots for over six months, so
get one now while you can!
On the
left, one of the superb Extra Silvertip Badger brush knots. On the
right, a standard Silvertip Badger brush knot. You can easily see
how dense the Extra Silvertip is!
I use knots of Extra Silvertip when they are available in 24mm
and 26mm and 28mm. The 26mm brush which I use
myself holds an incredible amount of water. 34 grams of
water! That's 34cc or 2 cubic inches! One loading of the brush is
enough for three latherings on the face with plenty left over at the
end. It doesn't matter whether you make lather in a bowl or direct
on your face, soft or hard soaps, these knots cope with it all
superbly!
Orders for custom brushes with these knots are invited.
|
Stag Antler Brushes
Rustic and very different.
From £47.50
Stag Handled
Brushes
 
|
Guinness Effect Brushes
Just like a scaled down pint glass of freshly poured Guinness!
24mm Silvertip Badger knot.
£40.00
Guinness effect shaving
brushes |
The Ivory Range
Well, not real ivory, but a polyester ivory substitute. Various
shapes and sizes, usually with a 22mm silvertip knot.
Prices from £43
Ivory Brush
Range
. |
Liquid Gold Brushes
A really stunning resin which really does look like flowing
liquid. It has a wonderful glittery iridescence, and with a
holographic appearance. I am using this material to make
brushes with different shaped handles, so each one is
individual.
From £43.00
Liquid Gold Brushes |
Coffee Bean Handles
Real coffee beans set in either cream or clear resin.
Coffee Bean Brushes
.
Customer comment on the standard 24mm
Silvertip Badger:
Wow !!!! I am indeed very
impressed. I have just given it a test lather and wow (again).
Just a small amount of soap produced masses of thick
creamy lather.
|
Boar Brushes
Mega Boar (a large handle, and a huge 27mm knot with a 63mm loft)
and Mini Boar and sizes in between. Very best boar bristle. 27mm,
24mm and 22mm. Various handle materials.
Prices from £18 to £35
Boar Bristle
Brushes |
The Cone
Various materials and sizes, and offered
with different types of knot. A simple but extremely effective
truncated cone shaped handle.
Priced from £30 to £75 depending on the
material & knot.
Cone Handle
Brushes
| |
The Dreadnought
A large heavy brush with a sumptuous 26mm "extra silvertip" badger knot. The holy grail of
knots!
Dreadnought
Shaving Brushes |
The Verderer Elite
A vase shaped handle and with either a 22mm or 24mm "extra
silvertip" badger knot.
Verderer Elite Shaving
Brushes
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