The Body Shop is a household name and their simple synthetic shaving brush is inexpensive, well-liked, and widely available. Made with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, Community Trade Russian birch wood, and cruelty-free synthetic fiber, The Body Shop Shaving Brush is a good little brush for whipping up a lather, especially if you’re a beginner wet shaver.
The Body Shop Shaving Brush
Highlights: Best suited for those with finer or lighter hair and/or those with sensitive skin. Good for whipping up a lather, especially if you’re a beginner wet shaver. Inexpensive and widely available.
The Body Shop Shaving Brush at a glance:
| Country of Origin: | UK |
| Materials: | FSC certified wood, synthetic fibers |
| Certifications: | FSC certified wood |
Overview
As with many of these synthetic fiber brushes, there’s no information on the type of fibers used, nor the diameter of the knot. Reviews tend to note that this brush is, like most synthetics, pretty soft, so best suited for those with finer or lighter hair and/or those with sensitive skin that is easily irritated by stiffer, coarser, animal hair bristles. If you have coarser hair yourself, this one probably isn’t for you.
This brush also looks like the handle was treated with some kind of stain or varnish, which The Body Shop don’t detail in their description. I’ve reached out to them for clarification and am awaiting a response.
This shaving brush is available in The Body Shop Men’s Shave Away Gift Set, which also includes the Maca Root & Aloe Softening Shaving Cream and a pocket square (View Price on Amazon).
The Body Shop vs. Mühle vs. RazoRock
I’ve bumped The Body Shop’s brush up to a 3 Leaf Score because they at least use FSC certified wood for their handle, which is better than Wild Sage & Co., Mutiny, and EcoTools. Still, this brush likely contains toxic chemicals in the handle and, like the others just mentioned, the knot is made with synthetic plastic fibers of unknown quality and provenance. As such, there’s no telling how long these brushes will last and if it is a once in a lifetime type of purchase or destined for landfill in a few years.
For those with a thicker beard, coarser hair, and a rougher approach to shaving, these softer brushes likely won’t cut it. The softness of the bristles means the brush won’t exfoliate or lift thicker, coarser hair, which makes it harder to shave. For that, you’d probably want a Synth-Firm type of synthetic fiber brush, such as the Mimik Badger ‘Turnback’ Shaving Brush. Or, go for a Mühle synthetic brush that has a much higher quality knot.
If the wooden handle is calling to you, the Mühle Black Fibre Thermo Wood might be just the thing. This wood is heat treated to make it durable and able to resist water even without a chemical coating. Your better option, though, is to get any of the metal handle brushes with a quality knot, such as those from RazoRock or Mühle.