The London Lounge

Whilst shaving and letting my mind drift it occured to me that I quite enjoyed the ritual and the fact that I begin the day doing something properly (nearly - not using a cutthroat razor). Perhaps some would consider the brush old fashioned but that does not necessarily make it bad given the satisfaction it adds to the shave. I would judge myself by my actions and the mornings grooming would serve me as a daily reminder to strive to act correctly! (Despite the barrage of tawdry excess from mass media, lowering of standards, dumbing down etc).

Do any other members enjoy such self satisfaction in other trivial actions?

Badger hair brushes - classed as sustainable? Any worse than being a meat eater? I believe the badgers are culled in the name of pest control in China. (Apologies if this is a can of worms and not suitable for the forum, only my second posting, I am prepared for honest debate if you feel the urge; not seeking to agitate too much!)

sta wrote:Whilst shaving and letting my mind drift it occured to me that I quite enjoyed the ritual and the fact that I begin the day doing something properly (nearly - not using a cutthroat razor). Perhaps some would consider the brush old fashioned but that does not necessarily make it bad given the satisfaction it adds to the shave. I would judge myself by my actions and the mornings grooming would serve me as a daily reminder to strive to act correctly! (Despite the barrage of tawdry excess from mass media, lowering of standards, dumbing down etc).

Do any other members enjoy such self satisfaction in other trivial actions?

Badger hair brushes - classed as sustainable? Any worse than being a meat eater? I believe the badgers are culled in the name of pest control in China. (Apologies if this is a can of worms and not suitable for the forum, only my second posting, I am prepared for honest debate if you feel the urge; not seeking to agitate too much!)

There was a thread a time ago about bear skin hats and I seem to recall some debate about this. Humans do eat and otherwise make use of, animals: meat, shoes and so on and I seem to recall that sustainability was something of a consensus.
NJS

I use badger neck hair, the least sustainable sort. They carry bovine TB, and are huge nuisance to farmers in Wales (apparently), because we then cannot export to the EU, have to quarantine livestock when the setts move, and so on. The farmers are keen to get rid of as many as possible. Certainly, the shaving brush market is not such that badgers are killed just for this purpose, so we may as well make what use of the hair we can.

NCW wrote:I use badger neck hair, the least sustainable sort. They carry bovine TB, and are huge nuisance to farmers in Wales (apparently), because we then cannot export to the EU, have to quarantine livestock when the setts move, and so on. The farmers are keen to get rid of as many as possible. Certainly, the shaving brush market is not such that badgers are killed just for this purpose, so we may as well make what use of the hair we can.

Moreover, a good badger shaving brush can last at least as long as the badger itself can live.
Has anybody ever read any issue of the journal The Shaving Mirror? It is an interesting publication on the culture of shaving. I used to receive it after having purchased some shaving soaps at Mühle's. The magazine is available for download at:
http://www.muehle-shaving.com/shaving_c ... blications

But finding a good badger hair shaving brush is difficult. I have had two from Taylors of Old Bond St. and one from the Art of Shaving in NYC and all shed hairs badly. I am loathe to buy any more (at probably GBP 50 or so for even a small one) when it seems to me that this is a fault inherent to all badger hair brushes (even though I carefully rinse and hang said brushes upside down after use). I have nothing like the same hair shedding problem with a couple of cheaper synthetic travel brushes I also use.

The problem with the synthetic shaving brushes is that they do not hold water as much and as well as a decent-sized badgher brush, which makes it more difficult to obtain a lather of the right consistency.
Some brush manufacturers claim that their badger hair comes from controlled populations that are kept in balance and not from areas of the world where the species is endangered. So yes, sustainable.
My "Omega" brush sheds a hair or two every now and then, which I don't see as a problem. Here is a nice one (not the model I have):

Muhle also offers what they call a “Tailor-made Brush” which allows one to specify such features as colour, handle, cut of the brushes, and the brushes themselves.

http://www.muehle-shaving.com/shop/tail ... sh?lang=en

Badger shaving brushes vary in quality according to the regions of the skin from which the brushes are extracted. Do any one know of further makers of “bespoke” shaving brushes?

Surely this is taking a love of 'bespoke' too far? I have a Kent brush, which is good enough for the Princes, and while it is worth getting something which works and is comfortable, a custom-made brush can hardly work any better than a good ready made one.

Perhaps, if you have no special requirements, but you can still specify the handle of your preference (material, size, shape). Also you can opt for a thicker or thinner bunch of longer or shorter hairs, as you prefer. For instance, if you like (or need) to exfoliate old skin before shaving (tough skin, tough beard) you may opt for a thick brush with shorter hairs of pure badger (not the softer super or silver tip).

A good shaving brush is an indispensable tool, if one intends to turn one’s morning groom into a pleasant, elegant ritual. And if one happens to have a “bespoke” brush – “MTM” would have been more appropriate in my previous post –, so much the better. But I would not care so much for the shaving brush itself if the scenario for this ritual were a different one. I must admit, however, never having been to a barber shop of the sort depicted bellow. How many gentlemen in this forum do regularly entrust their throat and face to these professionals – possibly on the verge of extinction in most cities where they have earlier thrived?

Rarely, partly because of the expense in time and money, partly because, as you point out, Marcelo, the skill is disappearing.

Marcelo, I do my own shaving, but the drawing brought back a childhood memory that I am sure would otherwise have been lost in a few years: the wooden board where I used to sit for a haircut when I was very young. It is most strange how some early childhood memories that were never recalled in years suddenly come back so vividly when triggered by the odd stimulus. Might it be a sign that I am growing old(er)? Probably yes, if I think of my hairdresser's latest remark on the amount of white hairs about my temples...

Costi wrote:. . . . Might it be a sign that I am growing old(er)? . ...

Or that you've a book (or four) to write, Costi.

Dear RWS, that is a very flattering thought, and so much the more as the urge comes from you... One thing is certain: I would enjoy the process. But my good memories are not (yet) sufficient material for such an endeavour, so perhaps I should consider this tingling thought for a while, until I forget enough...

Costi wrote:...the drawing brought back a childhood memory that I am sure would otherwise have been lost in a few years: the wooden board where I used to sit for a haircut when I was very young.

Costi, you are not alone - I remember the board, too (and my first haircut)!

Today, my youngest nephew goes to a strip mall, sits in a normal chair, and asks for "a number two."

Times have changed, and not for the better...

garu