" Why does my new badger brush smell bad? "

Paul
Stillwater, OK

First it's important to remember that badger brushes are made from the hair of an animal. We eat hamburgers without thinking of how the beef was processed; similarly we often enjoy shaving without considering the origin of the badger brush. Shaving brush manufacturers sterilize the hair before they knot it into a handle, but sometimes this process fails to completely remove the animal odor from the hair. Usually, you can simply just lather and rinse the brush a few times using your regular shaving soap or cream, and that will wash out most of the smell. If the brush has a strong odor that will not go away, you can soak it in a cup of warm water with a teaspoon of either Borax soap or vinegar. Allow the brush to soak in the solution for a minute or two, rinse thoroughly, and then allow it to dry. The next time you use your new shaving brush, it should have a noticeably less offensive odor.