Badger hair itself, especially in its highest quality, the silver-tipped badger pluck, is already the best thing that can happen to you when shaving. Because only the fine tips of badger hair can produce a fine-pored, creamy lather for a shave that is gentle on the skin. The white badger hair silver tip is significantly finer, softer and more flexible than the gray badger tip. The tapered hair can absorb a lot of water and produce a particularly thick and creamy lather - provided you use a good soap.

Badger hair generally comes from Chinese breeding. For this shaving brush, however, Mühle only uses badger hair of German origin and also from certified hunting. This guarantees the European origin and, above all, that the animals have lived in the wild in a species-appropriate manner. After the population in Germany and Europe was severely decimated in the 20th century, the badger population has recovered. However, their protection and conservation are still of great importance because badgers play an important role in the ecosystem. For this reason, the animals may only be hunted if they pose a danger to humans, for example through their tunnels on dykes and railroad tracks, or if they cause too much damage to agriculture. And that is why the badger hair comes from certified hunts in Baden-Württemberg. A number of hunters there have joined forces and sell Mühle between 10 and 20 kilograms a year.

You can recognize the high quality of the fine silver tip by the typical three-coloured pattern: light in the lower area, dark, almost black in the middle and lightly contrasting at the tips. The clearer the pattern on the brush and the middle dark band in the course of the hair, the mirror, can be seen, the more carefully the hairs have been obtained (as the name suggests, they are plucked) and processed - both are done by hand - and the higher the quality. The hair is placed upside down in what is known as a bump box and shaken and bumped until the desired contour is achieved. To preserve the fine hair tips, the brush is not mechanically reworked. The brush maker only removes so-called ricochets, which the untrained eye barely recognizes.

With proper handling and care - gently lather the skin, wash the shaving soap out of the trim completely with warm water (even the smallest soap residue can attack the hair), leave the shaving brush hanging upside down to dry - a badger hair trim can remain in use for up to ten years. You can then simply replace the brush head, as it is made with a screw thread, and continue to use the handle made of porcelain, ironwood or precious resin. For more information, please contact our Customer Service.

While not every craft business succeeds in balancing tradition and modernity, the Mühle shaving brush manufactory does: The still family-run company has preserved the traditional knowledge of the craft while welcoming new materials, manufacturing methods and contemporary designs. The manufactory in the Ore Mountains produces articles, 90% handmade, for wet shaving. The heart of the company is up to the present day the manufacturing of the shaving brush. The brush makers need a sure touch, a steady hand and a good eye to work with the fine badger hair. In the first step, they carefully sort the hair, weigh the fibres out to the tenth of a gram and then tap them into shape in a box. Then they take the 20,000 or so hairs with great care out of the moulding box and, without a single hair slipping out of place, tie them firmly into a tassel called loft. When they have finished the form of the loft, they glue and mount it on the handle of the shaving brush. They manufacture all brushes with extreme care, whether made of badger hair or special synthetic fibres; we offer both hair and fibres in a range of different qualities. Mühle produces the shaving brushes and razors in full at the company’s headquarters in Hundshübel. Parts are sourced as far as possible from the region.