La Bonne Brosse
There was a time when a hairbrush was simply something you owned because, well, everyone needs one. It lived in a bathroom drawer, did its job without drawing too much attention and was replaced only when enough of its bristles had disappeared for it to be of use at all.
Somewhere along the way, that changed.
The hairbrush has quietly joined beauty’s increasingly luxurious lineup of elevated everyday objects. They now arrive in glossy tortoiseshells and powder pinks, are hand-finished in Europe, engraved with initials, and in some cases, cost considerably more than the products we put through our hair with them.
The most famous example is, of course, the classic Mason Pearson. Its instantly recognisable dark ruby has long occupied one of two lists for beauty fans: either you have it (and swear by it) or you want it (and swear you’ll buy it one day).
But it has company now. French brand La Bonne Brosse makes curved, pastel brushes pretty enough to leave permanently on a vanity. Crown Affair has made traditional boar-and-nylon brushing feel distinctly modern. And even brushes under the $100 mark are being designed to look less like bathroom essentials and more like considered beauty keepsakes.
Suddenly, a really good hairbrush seems to be one of those things everyone either has or wants. We notice them on dressing tables, recognise the distinctive shapes and colours, and know the brands behind them. In other words, the once entirely unremarkable hairbrush has become something of a beauty status symbol.
So how exactly did we get here? What makes them so expensive and are they worth it?
Unlike a serum, perfume or lipstick, a hairbrush has no ‘product’ inside that you’ll use up. Buy a good one, look after it properly and there’s no reason to repurchase in the near (or even distant) future. That longevity is a major part of the case for investing in a luxury brush over a cheaper alternative.
Price can also reflect what’s actually going into the brush. Across this category you’ll find natural boar bristles, rubber pneumatic cushions, beechwood, cellulose acetate and hand-assembly or finishing.
Then there’s the engineering. Yes, the engineering. A flexible pneumatic cushion gives slightly as you brush rather than holding every bristle rigidly against the scalp. Different lengths and types of bristle can perform different jobs at once: longer pins or nylon bristles can move through the hair and reach the scalp, while densely packed boar bristles smooth the surface and carry the scalp’s natural oils down the lengths.
And admittedly, aesthetics also play a big role. A $20 brush may detangle your hair perfectly well. What it won’t do is look good sitting beside your perfume collection for the next decade. Luxury hairbrushes occupy a similar territory as ornate makeup mirrors: functionality is only part of its appeal.
Are they essential? Not exactly. But as a beauty product you (hopefully) use multiple times per day—and will for years—a truly great hairbrush makes a smarter investment than its initially alarming price tag might suggest. Think of it as cost per brush…
Best Luxury Hairbrushes In Australia
Mason Pearson Handy Bristle Hairbrush In Dark Ruby
Best for: Fine-to-normal hair, smoothing and the person shopping for their ‘forever’ hairbrush
The most iconic of the expensive hairbrushes needs little introduction. The Handy Bristle Hairbrush uses six rings of pure boar bristles set into the brand’s signature pneumatic rubber cushion and is particularly suited to fine-to-normal, short-to-medium hair. The natural bristles actually redistribute natural oils through the lengths as you brush (in a good way), while the cushion provides give against the scalp. The price is substantial, even by luxury brush standards, but the appeal here is partly that Mason Pearson hasn’t chased novelty. Its high-quality pneumatic brush design dates back to the late 19th century, with the same dark ruby handle, orange-red cushion and gold lettering still making it immediately recognisable today.
Acca Kappa Infinito Hair Brush in Blue
Best for: Everyday detangling and anyone who wants their brush to look as considered as their bathroom
If your primary requirement is detangling rather than polishing, Acca Kappa’s Infinito brush takes a slightly different approach. The sculptural Italian design uses a broad cushioned bed with pins designed to move through the hair and massage the scalp, making it more of an everyday workhorse than a traditional densely packed boar bristle finish brush. The natural rubber cushion is designed to flex and distribute pressure as you brush, hopefully making the whole detangling process more pleasant. Its other selling point is obvious the moment you see it: the sweeping infinity-shaped silhouette and glassy blue finish turn something utilitarian into a genuinely good-looking bathroom object.
Yves Durif Classic Brush
Best for: A good scalp massage, static-prone hair and minimalists
The Yves Durif Classic is the outlier of the group, and that’s exactly what makes it interesting. Rather than wood, boar bristle or a decorative handle, the Italian-made brush is formed from natural rubber resin. It’s glue-free and anti-static, with flexible bristles that make it particularly satisfying for scalp brushing. It’s a little less ‘dressing table ornament’ and more ‘elegantly designed tool’: streamlined, monochromatic and deliberately simple. If the appeal of an expensive brush for you lies more in how it feels to use than how decorative it looks, this one is a strong contender.
La Bonne Brosse N.01 The Universal Brush 150 in Pink
Best for: Dry hair that benefits from smoothing and shine and a vanity that benefits from a pretty accessory
If Mason Pearson made the luxury hairbrush an icon, La Bonne Brosse has made it feel covetable all over again. The French brand’s N.01 uses boar bristles, individually implanted by hand in an irregular pattern on a flexible rubber cushion. The design is intended to give the brush bounce as it moves through the hair, while the natural bristles smooth and distribute oils through dry lenghts. And yes, a considerable portion of its charm is visual. With its curved handle, glossy pink body and sculptural shape, it is very difficult to imagine putting this one away in a drawer. What a waste! It’s a particularly appealing option if shine and smoothing are higher priorities than aggressive detangling.
Florietta Blossom Boar Bristle Hairbrush
Best for: First-time luxury brush buyers, a good gift and anyone partial to personalisation
Florietta offers a pretty persuasive entry point into the category. The Blossom combines boar and nylon bristles with a beechwood handle and flexible pneumatic cushion. The combination means the brush can do more than simply polish the surface: the nylon helps it move through the hair and reach the scalp, while the natural bristles distribute oils through the lengths. Personalisation is also on the table. Brushes can be engraved and finished with gold lettering, which leans into one of the nicest arguments for buying a brush you intend to own for years: it can feel more like a keepsake than just a beauty tool. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to receive a monogrammed brush as a gift?
Crown Affair The Brush No. 001
Best for: Medium-to-thick hair and anyone who wants one brush to detangle and polish
Crown Affair has been instrumental in making the idea of brushing your hair properly feel appealing again, and its No. 001 is bult around the traditional combination of two bristle types. Handcrafted in Italy from beechwood, it pairs shorter boar bristles with longer nylon ones. The former distribute oils and soften the lengths; the latter reach through the hair to massage the scalp. Its pneumatic cushion flexes under pressure than remaining completely rigid, so it curves to the shape of your head as you brush. That combination makes it particularly useful for medium-to-thick hair, where pure boar bristles alone may struggle to penetrate all the way through to the scalp. In addition to everyday use, it’s also useful for brushing before shampooing to loosen buildup and move oil away from the roots.
Solar Eclipse Hand-Painted Hydrangea Amazing Hair Day Brush
Best for: Wet and dry detangling, those who love pieces not everyone else has and maximalists
This is perhaps the clearest example of the hairbrush becoming an accessory in its own right. Solar Eclipse’s hydrangea design is hand-painted in small batches and made from a biodegradable material derived from recycled wood pulp. It isn’t purely decorative by any means though. The two-in-one design is made to detangle while smoothing the hair and distributing oils, and unlike many of the traditional boar bristle brushes above, it can be used to detangle wet hair as well as dry. But really, the design is a big piece of the puzzle. Not every luxury purchase has to disguise the fact that being lovely to look at is a big benefit. Now we know only requiring one great brush was part of the appeal, but there are many designs and even different sizes to choose from. So if you find yourself inclined to, for example, nab the lucky clover-adorned handbag-friendly brush as well as a full-sized floral design, we would completely support you.
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