Hot on the Highstreet Week 197

Having my hair brushed as a very little girl was a nightmare. I have very thin hair but lots of it… easily tangled and painful to brush, a £2.99 plastic implement from the local pharmacy would just not do. Mason Pearson was a great option when my mum discovered this luxury brush brand, with thick but flexible bristles that are perfect for troublesome locks. Soon my younger sister and I both had one, an essential part of our morning routines. The Mason Pearson brushes are classic and traditional, and with no way to differentiate between brushes sibling squabbles soon became the norm too.

Let me introduce you to Rock & Ruddle, the lovely little company producing hairbrushes which solve all your hair problems. I met with the R&R ladies last week for chocolate and chatting at Rococo. Jackie and Alexandra met in their twenties when they were both working at L’Oreal. Years later they combined their knowledge of beauty and started Rock & Ruddle aiming to fill a noticeable gap in the market for a hairbrush that was both great quality and great design. The company began a couple of years ago after extensive research, and continues to thrive with stockists throughout the UK, though the main shop is online.

Visually they are very jolly with colourful and comical patterns and illustrations. Clare Mackie’s ‘Cats and Dogs’ design is particularly sweet. The pictures are printed into the plastic rather than on the surface ensuring the pretty pattern lasts forever. The hairbrushes are made in a traditional style with tufts of boar bristle. The natural bristle distributes the hair’s oil down each strand giving the hair extra gloss and shine. I really appreciated the additional nylon strand included in each tuft which gently separates the hair and detangles knots. The brushes are available in two sizes: Small (£20) and Large (£30). More reasonable than similar brands, but with loads more personality, Rock & Ruddle tick every box.

A thoughtful present for a friend, or a gift for mother’s day, the Rock & Ruddle products are a high quality and fun alternative to the boring brushes currently available on the British highstreet.

I have got a ‘thoroughly modern’ bright pink brush which I love. Buy a beautiful brush here.