Hairbrushes For Your Crowning Glory! (Mason Pearson Hairbrush)

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	Mason Pearson Hairbrush
Date:	05/03/09 (321 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Glide through hair and last a lifetime.

Disadvantages: Expensive initial purchase but only once.

When I was a teenager I had a very good friend who I used to go out with to various societies, and she would often stay at mine, and we would get ready for a night out. I always admired her lovely long hair, and she had a brush which caught my eye at the time. This brush was a Mason Pearson which was given to her at birth by her grandmother, and I was amazed to see it looking just like new over 18 years later. I had short hair at the time, but over the years grew it and always thought one day I would treat myself to one of these lovely brushes.

Time passed and my two daughters were born, and I decided to investigate these brushes to see if I could buy them one each as a present when they were toddlers. I was delighted then to see that the brushes were indeed still made, and bought them both one which I am delighted to say are still in the family. More about that in a minute.

Mason Pearson are a family company and they have been in existence since 1860 when their founder Mason Pearson, who was an engineer and an inventor, went from Yorkshire to London. There he went to work at The British Steam Brush Works which was situated in the East End. This was a business which was later known as Raper Pearson and Gill, and it was a small general brush making company. Made by hand these brushes were of the highest quality, and over the next few years his expertise enabled him to improve the production process. He also invented a rubber cushion hairbrush, and this was to be the fundamental design of the brush they still make today. I adore the fact that this family business has survived two wars, and still make quality brushes which become family heirlooms; there are very few companies left that can claim so much success over so many years.

The design of the rubber cushion pad which is the hallmark of these brushes means that they are really wonderful to use. Myself and both girls have thick long hair and the brush massages the scalp and glides through the hair leaving it tangle free. They are an absolute pleasure to use. They have a plastic handle which is polished by hand and this makes it so comfortable to hold. I have found a wonderful benefit in using these as when I have a headache brushing my hair with these brushes actually eases it.

The choice of models is excellent, and they even make one especially for people who have thinning or fine hair, and this is very sensitive and gentle on the scalp. The range includes pure bristle brushes which are suitable for fine to normal hair and for fine long hair, and these have child models too. They also have bristle and nylon brushes which are suitable for normal and short thick hair, and for very long thick hair the nylon brushes are the recommended choice.

I bought the mixed nylon and bristle brushes which are perfect for long flowing hair, and as ours are all thick mops the brushes work beautifully, and we have not needed to buy the nylon only version, which you may need if your hair is very thick indeed.

I started off by buying the large popular version for the girls which are shaped like a paddle, and these have 8 rings of tufts in them and are 9 inches in length. As they were so good I also purchased two of the smaller pocket size versions which are perfect to use in your handbag, and these are 6 3/4" in length and have 5 rings of tufts. The paddle size is perfect to use each morning and looks lovely on the dressing table. Both sizes we bought are dark ruby which is a very attractive deep brown/mahogany shade, and they are also available in Ivory/white; Pink; Blue; and Lightwood. I was so impressed with these brushes that I also purchased the handbag size for myself.

Caring for the brushes is easy and it is worth it because they will last a lifetime. You must not leave them on a sunny windowsill as heat will distort the handle, and the sun's rays will perish the rubber, but this is only the same as what would happen if you left an old vinyl record in a sunny place, it would soon become a curly dinner plate and nothing else. Cleaning it from time to time is important, and the larger brushes come with a special brush for this, and you can also purchase one from them for the smaller versions. If you haven't got this you can use a toothbrush, and remove loose hairs regularly, and treat it to a soapy warm wash in a mild detergent from time to time. I use Ecover as this is gentle, but Pears Shampoo is a good alternative or baby shampoo. These are not recommended, but I find they are gentle and work well. Don't soak the brush and keep the handle out of the water. Then rinse and leave to dry with the handle uppermost.

One thing I would say that over the years times change and my girls have developed into individuals. One of my daughters became a vegan at the age of 15, and as a result does not feel it is appropriate to use this brush anymore due to the bristle content and she has donated it to myself. My other daughter continues to use hers daily. She is a vegetarian like myself, but does not worry too much about using items which are not causing the death of any living creature to create them. I emailed Mason and Pearson to clarify how the bristles were sourced, and I was so impressed to receive a reply within the hour, which I must convey to you because I feel it highlights their commitment to animal welfare and to customer care too.

My email was answered by a person called M J Pearson and I quote

"Thank you for your enquiry. To our knowledge the bristles we use are harvested in two forms:

1) The bristles are a by-product of the food chain.

In India, china etc. the little black-haired pigs running around in the villages, as we would have chickens, geese and goats in Europe, are wild boar, as a breed, that are being reared for food. So, there is a stream of semi-domestic animals available each year where bristle is a by-product. It would not be economic for a village to feed such animals for bristle alone, unless the hair is removed each year, and we do not know whether this is practical. Given that these animals are quite capable of looking after themselves in a fight; it would be hazardous to expect one to remove bristle while they are alive. How they are slaughtered and so on we do not know, but they are treated in the village as part of its way of life and not as animals hunted down specifically for their hair.

2) The shed bristles are gathered by locals as a supplementary income.

We also understand that there is another, wilder breed. These are the ones which moult and the hair is collected."

I feel this is testament to the good standing of this company in the way they contacted me straight away and were as helpful and as honest as possible.

For my vegan daughter this is not something she would use, but I do not mind too much if the animal is not slaughtered for the purpose of making these, and is making use of something which would otherwise be wasted. At least I was given the clear picture.

These brushes are a wonderful present for a new baby and last a lifetime. The cost of the large brush is £49.50 on Amazon and the handbag size is about £25. All the sizes and colours are stocked and you can also buy them in many department and online shopping stores.


www.masonpearson.com

Summary: The best hairbrushes in the world.