Spruce Shave Club Sheesham Wood Shaving Brush For Men with Ultra Absorbant Imitation Badger Hair Bristles | Cruelty Free Shaving Brush

I was in search of a cruelty free shaving brush. With the pandemic I did not want to scour the stores in Abu Dhabi and as done for the last one year turned to the web. Amazon has many listed but good brands are sold at very high price than other countries, affordable ones seem to be of shady quality. Then I saw this brush listed. Searched for some reviews and Amazon India has a lot of good to say about this brush while there are also some bad reviews. I thought the bad ones may be one off issues and ordered one here.Was delivered as scheduled Prime One Day, Got credit card discount too. Got the item in a standard Amazon Bubble Mailer envelope. Eagerly opened it and was shocked to see the brush in a crushed, thin cardboard box - it is just a card box. Lucky the brush was not damaged.Took out the brush and admired the polished wooden handle and the faux badger hair. Soft on face, yet seemed stiff enough to whip up a decent lather. Satisfied I did not get a brush where an animal was harmed. One bristle was jutting out and loose. This is one big issue reported on Amazon India about this brush - loss of bristles. Found on the web that after setting the knot of shaving brushes in their handles, usually the loose hairs are combed out. If some are left out they come out while in use. I pacified myself that I did not get a dud and loose hairs maybe due to this issue.One first use, the conscious of the brush being wooden handled, dipped only half way through the bristles in water and whipped up a lather. Copious lather. Brush was very soft on my face. Finished the shave and washed carefully only the bristles, shook off excess water, dried rubbing lightly on a towel and lo another two bristles came out. Left it to dry but I noticed the handle had turned rough. IT LOST THE POLISH IN ONE USE. C'MON SHAVING BRUSHES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE USED IN BATHROOMS AND WITH WET HANDS!! They should not lose the polish in one use. Are these brush handles just touched up with some water soluble glossy finish?? Shame on Spruce Shaving Club.In the second shave, used it as carefully as possible, no hair lost but handle became even more rough. Lost the shine completely and looked like an old scrap wood that lay in rain and sun for weeks. Third shave and 3 more hairs lost.Wrote to Spruce Shaving Club customer service. No response.Having bought the brush and lost the polish, I only have to protect the handle from water or it will absorb water, expand and split. So coated it with 3 layers of clear nail polish. Hope no more bristles will be lost and the brush will not become thin and useless soon.

It's diffiicult to find cruelty free products that are delicate on the skin yet create a very thick layer of silky foam. This one does, no matter which soap you use.

Does the job

Very good