The beautiful and circa-1960s Marsha Brady, known to count the thousands of times she ran the hair brush through her locks each morning, would have appreciated this news.
L’Oreal-owned Kérastase has announced a new Internet of Things (IoT) hair brush — called the “Hair Coach” — that collects and analyzes the user’s hair data in order to advise techniques and other hair products. Working with wearable technology rand Withings, the brush “listens” or takes in the data through a tiny microphone and sensors inside the brush and sends it via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology to a mobile app. The brush knows when hair is dry, wet, frizzy or even has broken ends.
And, as Marsha would appreciate, it counts the strokes and the force it took to get through the hair.
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The app ultimately allows customers to receive tips on improving the health of their hair, weather-related hair recommendations for the day and a hair score (from 1 to 100) related to the quality of their hair. Tips can include which masque to use to protect hair or to use a mousse three times a week to improve hair texture. Uses can turn those tips and advice into purchases on Kérastase’s website.
The brush is slated to be available for around $200 later in fall 2017 through Kérastase’s salons, its website and the Withings site.
France-based Withings was founded in 2008 and bought by Nokia last year for nearly $192 million. The company makes IoT devices including Wi-Fi scales, smart alarm clocks and watches, smart air monitors, the Pulse activity tracker, wireless blood pressure monitors, a smart temporal thermometer, and the accessories that go with the products. The company even has its own health institute for the research backing up the products.
For now, we’ll just have to keep brushing our hair the old-fashioned, Marsha Brady way.
Marsha, Marsha, Marsha …
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