I don’t write a lot about hair because I like mine to be fuss-free. I do use relatively good hair tools and prize my Mason Pearson brush for its ability to give me smooth and shiny tresses. So when Roger from Velvut wrote to me telling me about Kent, a vintage brand which has been producing luxury hairbrushes for years, my interest was piqued.
Kent has more than three centuries (!) of brush-making experience and the brand’s royal warrant is a symbol of the recognition of the skills of small companies that produce goods for the royal British household. Believe it or not, Kent has been endorsed by nine consecutive kings and queens of England since the 1770s. The oldest maker of hairbrushes in the United Kingdom, Kent certainly seems to have good pedigree.
Trivia: During World War II, Kent made shaving brushes in which maps and compasses were concealed for forwarding to overseas British prisoners of war to help them find their way home, should they be able to escape. Wow!
According to Kent UK:
Kent are renowned for their passion for bristle brushes. The bristle is sourced from the finest bristle merchants in India and China, where quality is guaranteed. (Read our Bristle advice) Timbers are chosen from sustainable forests throughout the world, selected for their beauty, grain, colour and suitability to be shaped, drilled and polished.
Rubber cushions are selected for softness and strength, comfortable for delicate scalps but strong enough to be durable and withstand years of use. Plastic quills have carefully rounded ends to tease their way through tangled hair without pulling or tugging.
Kent Singapore also reveals that the company uses twelve processes in making most brushes, with some going through as many as twenty before inspection, ‘including cutting, shaping, bristling, finishing, and buffing’.
The attention to detail and the superior materials used are evident in the brushes I’ve seen and tried from the brand. I love that the wood they use come from sustainable forests and their badger bristles are not from endangered badger species. Kent’s regard for environmental and ecological protection (they adhere to other green practices too) is certainly admirable.
Unlike Mason Pearson, Kent’s luxury brushes have handles that are made from exotic woods (the handles of Mason Pearson brushes are made of cellulose plastic). These handmade beauties are carefully created to give the consumer a pampering experience. Where these brushes are concerned, Kent refuses to give in to mass production demands, choosing instead to lovingly craft each one of them. Take the Ladies Handmade Oval Soft Bristle brush (pictured above) for instance:
Handmade oval, satin wood, soft white bristle brush. Simply a stunning hair brush for people with fine to thinning hair. Totally handmade, the LHS9S has a beech wood base and a rich satin wood back. The slightly domed soft Chinese bristle is meticulously stitched into the brush by hand using an age old method known as hand drawing.
If you, like me, prefer something similar to the Mason Pearson, do take a look at the Finest Ladies – Luxury Brushes range. These are certainly comparable and the best thing? They’re easily available in Singapore. ;)
I have one courtesy of Velvut and like how it tames the frizzies and smooths the hair immediately (I’m using it right now and the shine is showing already! :P).
The elite Kent Handmade, Luxury and Finest lines are web-exclusive and can only be purchased online. However, the mainstream lines from the brand – AirHedz, ArtHedz, Salon Style and Natural Shine – are available at Watsons Bugis Junction, Compass Point, Ion Orchard, Jurong Point, Ngee Ann City, Parkway Parade, Raffles City, Tiong Bahru Plaza, Tampines 1 and VivoCity.
According to Roger, Kent is a brand that has been revitalised, so we will be seeing “a lot of cutting-edge packaging, communications and products being introduced (like makeup brushes), while retaining its undoubted reputation for quality and authenticity”. Words of assurance and beauty anticipation for us all!
The Kent e-store has an extensive range of hair tools to suit your follicular needs. The Hair Types & Brush Advice section of the website will be useful in determining which brush is suited for you.
From now till 31 December 2010, all Makeup Stash! readers will receive 10% off online purchases, plus free local shipping! All you have to do is enter the code BWLVC when you check-out. Please note that this discount is not applicable on Kent items at Watsons.
Look out for a special Kent giveaway coming soon on Makeup Stash! ;)
Image sources: Velvut and Kent UK
Ooooh, will readers get any special promo??;)
Hey Chevvie dear,
I have a discount code you can use. ;)
Thankie!! Did you stock up what you want from Watsons already??
Chev, I only bought the eyelash tonic. I haven’t finished my Cure and I have quite a lot of DHC skincare left to use. :)
Thanks to your request, I now have a Kent 10% discount + free shipping for my readers! ;)
i was just thinkin abt postin my kent brushes post review! n urs came up!
awesome stuff !!
I LOOOOOOOOOVE the brushes mag! u MUST try em!!: )
Hello Sarah!
Yes, I will get to them soon…after I’ve washed them, heh! ;)
Keke;) Glad to help;)
hi. would like to know, are the brushes cheaper online or in shops?
Hi Ah Ting,
They will be cheaper online if you use the code for 10% off that I included in the post. ;)
Hi, do you know of a good steam hair rollers to recommend? Hot curlers are too damaging for my everyday, those from overseas were not dual voltage. I really want to buy something that most beauty gurus in SG has tried and think is good! Thanks for the reply!
Hi Jocelyn,
I don’t have any recs for you, unfortunately, as I don’t use hair rollers.
im a reader for makeupstash too, any discounts for kent hair brushes? btw i love reading yr posts they are very helpful and very straightforward in helping me understand the productsi was looking up… cheers
Hi Mabelle,
Thank you for your kind words!
The discount is no longer valid but I think you might be able to find it at Watsons now. Good luck!