You don’t need to be a beauty expert to know that a new haircut, colour or styling trend comes along roughly every two seconds these day. In our social media-led worlds, anything goes, and so far this year, we’ve tried kicked bobs, femme fatale waves and all sorts of bangs. Happily, the trend bringing 2024 to a close is the easiest one to date.
The humble hair brush is having a moment, with many celebrities – from Pamela Anderson to Kaia Gerber – sporting hair that has been thoroughly and visibly brushed, and subsequently has an ever so slightly fluffy finish. When I recently spoke to celebrity colourist, Jenna Perry, I asked her the secret to her shiny, healthy lengths. Her answer? “I just brush my hair a lot, to be honest.”
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While the ritual of brushing your hair for 100 strokes each night has petered out since its ’90s heyday – I’ll never forget dutifully counting the number of times I ran my Mason Pearson (still much-loved to this day) through my hair – in recent years we’ve adopted a much more low-effort approach to our locks. Tousled waves and lived-in texture came to the fore, and our hairbrushes got relegated to the back of the beauty shelf, deployed only after a shower.
It’s safe to say they’re now back: the hairbrush market is predicted to grow by 4.68 per cent between now and 2031. Meanwhile, there are a wealth of really great brushes on the market. One of the coolest around – and a brand favoured by Perry – is La Bonne Brosse, whose colourful, twirly brushes are stocked in Selfridges, Harrods and Liberty and feature keratin-rich boar bristles that spread natural oils throughout the hair. They’re soft and a delight to use, plus, they look great on your dressing table.
Mason Pearson’s Hairbrushes are iconic for a reason – they really last. I still have mine in excellent condition and full working order, some 30 years on. Other great options include Oribe’s Italian Resin Flat Brush and Hershesons’ Everyday Essentials Brush. An easy habit to add to your routine, expect hair that shines with health in no time.
