Shampoo does very little sitting on top of a coat. The reason a professional groom leaves a dog cleaner than a bath at home is that someone worked the lather all the way down to the skin, and fingers alone rarely manage that on anything thicker than a whippet. Flexible silicone bristles do that job for you, parting the coat and spreading the shampoo where the dirt actually is.

The bristles are food-grade silicone, soft enough to flex against the skin rather than scratch it, which is why nervous cats often settle under it. The action reads as a massage rather than a brush. Loose hair collects on the bristles as you work, so it comes out in the bath instead of turning up on the sofa a day later. A strap across the back of the hand keeps hold of it when everything is wet and slippery.

• Flexible food-grade silicone bristles
• Hand strap to keep the brush secure when wet
• Lifts loose hair, dirt and dander while lathering
• Suits short and long coats, cats and dogs
• Nine colours including mint green, taro purple and classic black
• Weighs 60g, packed at 12 x 10 x 4cm

On what it is for. This is a bath brush rather than a deshedding tool. It will bring out plenty of loose hair while the coat is wet, but it does not reach into an undercoat the way a proper rake does, and it will not achieve much used dry on a thick double coat. Rinse it and stand it to dry after every use, because silicone holds shampoo residue in the base of the bristles.

Who it's for: Anyone who baths their own dog or cat at home and wants the shampoo to reach the skin without a fight.