Presto Salon Hairbrush Cleaner

Presto Salon Hairbrush Cleaner

Cleaning hair from brushes is slow, manual and unhygienic, repeated dozens of times a day. Outerspace built a countertop pod using patented cyclonic airflow, with a canister that empties without anyone touching the debris.

Summary

Industry
  • Consumer
Expertise
  • Industrial Design
  • Mechanical Engineering
Awards
Good Design Award

Project Details

Project Details

Challenge

A chore nobody had bothered to engineer out

Cleaning hair from brushes between clients is manual, slow and unhygienic, and every salon does it by hand, multiple times a day. Comfortel wanted a countertop device that made the task fast and touch-free, without adding another bulky appliance to a busy station.

Cyclonic airflow inside a countertop pod

We researched the salon environment directly with stylists before drawing a single line, then engineered rotating synthetic fibres paired with a rear vent to create a patented cyclonic airflow that lifts hair and product residue out of the brush. A tinted viewing pod shows the cycle working, and a quick-release canister empties without anyone touching the debris. We added an engagement switch that stops the unit running without the canister fitted, and a motor cut-out if too much downward force hits the bristles.

Outcome

Presto weighs 3.3 kilograms with a low centre of gravity for a stable countertop footprint, and shipped CE certified with pre-sale orders secured across more than 50 countries. It won a 2021 Good Design Award, Best in Class. The jury called it a standout example of design and engineering that solves a genuine stylist pain point.

Technical Insights:

Industrial design (Creativity)

Compact, low centre of gravity form with a viewing pod for visual feedback during operation.

Mechanical engineering (Capability)

Patented cyclonic airflow system, quick-release canister, engagement and motor cut-out safety switches.

Program and client collaboration (Collaboration)

Direct research with hairdressers and salons to shape the brief before design began

Project image
We made Presto compact, compatible with a wide range of hairbrushes, fast, efficient and quiet, easy and intuitive to use and maintain, and styled it to suit salon interiors.
Comfortel hairbrush cleaner in use
Airflow simulation through the unit
Inside view of the units
Comfortel unit front
Comfortel unit feet\underside, with suction cups
Units lines up with various cover options
units opened up for easy cleaning

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