This shaving brush comes from the shaving brush specialist Mühle and is available with either a synthetic bristle head or a genuine badger hair head. This model is significantly more affordable than those with genuine badger hair and a silver tip, making it particularly suitable for anyone who is just starting out with wet shaving and isn’t yet sure if they’ll stick with it. The bulbous handle fits comfortably in the hand, and thanks to its curved base, the brush hangs securely in its holder. The Mühle shaving stand, for example, provides a perfect upside-down hold—ensuring the brush dries properly and lasts a long time.

Genuine badger hair is the gold standard for shaving brushes. A distinction is made between “Dachsstock” (the gray or black undercoat) and “feines Dachszupf,” the decorative hair that is naturally tri-colored: light at the base, dark—almost black—in the middle, and light again at the tips. The more clearly this pattern is visible on the brush, the higher the quality of the shaving brush, as it indicates that the hairs were harvested and processed with greater care—both of which are done by hand. The hairs are placed upside down in a shaping box and shaped until the desired contour is achieved. To preserve the fine hair tips—since only with them can the lather be whipped to a fine consistency and applied well—the brush is not mechanically finished.
The synthetic bristles are sturdier and more durable than natural hair, yet they are largely similar to badger hair in terms of softness and performance. The synthetic fibers are even slightly softer at the tips, allowing them to whip up a fine, creamy shaving lather as well. Although it is very labor-intensive to craft synthetic fibers to be just as fine and pointed, the synthetic bristles are an excellent alternative to animal hair. We recommend storing them hanging up, just like shaving brushes made with real hair.

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.