Horsehair Shaving Brushes: The European Alternative

The wet shaving aficionado knows the fine qualities of the badger hair shaving brush. Badger hair absorbs water, much like human hair. The more water a brush can hold and the more fine hairs that the brush has, the smoother and creamier the lather it makes. The springiness of the hairs helps apply the lather right underneath the beard stubble, and lifts any ingrown hair from the face. With proper care, they can stay soft and pliable, even after years of repeated use. Even so, the badger hair shaving brush, especially the high quality ones, can become very expensive.

Is there any way to cut back on the price without sacrificing the shaving experience?
Vie-Long in Spain presents horse hair as an alternative to the brush dilemma. Horsehair is easy to get, and since cutting bits of horsehair from the mane and tail of a horse won't hurt it, animal rights groups give it the green light. It is soft enough to use as textile fiber, yet stiff enough to work itself through facial stubble. It also has an advantage over boar bristle in Muslim countries, where all products made from pigs are not allowed. What's more, horse hair shaving brushes were actually popular up until the 1920s, when unsanitary conditions led to the decline of their use. Now that public health practices have greatly improved, this type of shaving brushes are trending up again.

Vie-Long specializes in making brushes for make-up as well as for shaving since its establishment in 1940. Although their product line includes pure badger hair brushes as well as different combinations of horsehair, badger hair and bristle, their pure horsehair brushes have quite a following because of their smoothness and denseness. These carefully handcrafted products come in a selection of beautiful handles that best fit your grip, from metal, to faux ivory, to finely carved wood.

Whether you choose horsehair for ethical reasons or economical, the Vie-Long brush that you bring home with you will be the best choice. The soft, cleansing touch it has on the face leaves you with the sense that you are right in having it. That is the perfect shaving experience.