Where do they get the badger hairs used for badger hair shaving brushes from?

Question

I bought a badger hair shaving brush for my Dad's birthday (he asked for one) and I thought, "Where do they get these badger hairs from?".

Obviously from a badger. I haven't ever seen or heard of a badger farm or badger hunters and I wondered whether they might use road kill?!??!!!??!!? hmmmmmmm intriguing.

Answer 1

Why would someone want to shave a badger? (jk)

Answer 2

They will be able to use home grown when this government orders a badger cull and excepts the link between TB in badgers and cattle.

Answer 3

omg

Answer 4

When badgers were culled in the past, some of their hair was used for making shaving and paint brushes for artists.  Also in Scotland, the heads of culled badgers were used to decorate expensive sporrans - that's the purse you see worn at the front of a Scotsman's Kilt - usually full dress.

L&M Highland Outfitters - Military Badger Sporran (F16M)

Military Badger Sporran (F16M). Military Badger Sporran (F16M). Alternate Views.

SKU# MSF-1016M. The MSF-1016M Military Badger Head-On Sporran. Fur: Badger ...

http://www.landmhighland.com/default.asp... - Cached

L&M Highland Outfitters - Silver Fox Head On Sporran (F15-c)

The MSF-1015C Silver Fox Head-On Sporran. Fur: Silver Fox Pelt; Back: Red Grain

... Badger Head On Sporran (F15a) · Arctic Fox Head On Sporran (F-15b) ...

http://www.landmhighland.com/default.asp...

How to get that perfect shave - Today, Weekend Edition - MSNBC.com

But the biggest difference between wetshaving and the way most guys shave today

is the use of a shaving brush. A good badger-hair shaving brush is the ...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6886845/

The badger is a protected animal in England [not sure about rest of UK] sometimes a badger's set will be opened up and the badgers in it all killed.  This is sometimes done to stop the spread of TB in cattle.

In Ireland they no longer kill the badgers but instead inject their cattle against TB - result, no cattle TB in Eire.

Badger culling in England - result - lots of TB in cattle.  Farmers insist that the TB is coming from the badgers.

Answer 5

I live in Lincolnshire and badgers are quite prolific around these parts.  They are very active at night,  and quite often get run over, in fact my husband unfortunately run one over, late at night, he got out of the car and tried to help it , but it was dead, he pulled it to the side of the road , and the next day the body had dissapeared ,  so perhaps someone is going round the county collecting these poor creatures, just for the purpose of what you have suggested.

Answer 6

They get the hair from the badgers! I shoot em some fur buyer buys them from me and the brush makers buy them from him.

Answer 7

they come round mine every thursday night. its getting quite annoying.

Answer 8

"Most commercial badger hair comes from remote areas of China where badger populations are so vast that they endanger crops and livestock. The Chinese government controls badger culling by licensing tiny village cooperatives to conduct the hunts and process the hair. The sale of badger hair provides co-op members with an additional source of income to augment their meager earnings from the land."

Answer 9

I at first that this just might me a "term" or "phrase" in the shaving product industry, but nope.  The fur comes from badgers alright.

The link below goes into pretty good detail about the various hairs "culled" from the badger to make the four distinct types of brushes -- the ones made from badger hair are all on the upscale end of the product lines.

It seems most of the hair for these brushes is sent from Canada, the U.S. and now China.  For the most part, the final product is assembled in England or Scotland.