Vaudreuil mom invents new hairbrush for people with sensory sensitivities

Janice Ayotte, a mother based in Vaudreuil, invented a new kind of hairbrush designed for people like her daughter, who has sensory sensitivities.

There’s a new locally designed hairbrush on the market for people with sensory difficulties. The Vaudreuil-based inventor says her daughter, who lives with autism, inspired the product.

In a lovely photograph, Maya has beautiful pink, curly hair. Brushing it used to be a battle for her mother, Janice Ayotte.

“She’s autistic. She’s eight years old and she has a lot of sensory issues, and hair brushing has always been a major struggle,” the mother said.

It got so bad that Ayotte wanted to avoid the daily drama.

“I had to shave my daughter’s head because we couldn’t find any brush that she could tolerate. And I didn’t want to have her go through the torture anymore,” she said.

That’s when she designed the brush her family — and many others — have been looking for. She started “The Neuro Standard” and got to work.

Ayotte herself lives with Asperger’s syndrome and designed this brush with people who know what sensory overload feels like.

“Our brush is created by autistic people. So that’s me with the input of my daughter as well, and then also the neurodivergent community. So I had a bunch of people at my daughter’s school and elsewhere, people with autism, Down syndrome, Cerebral palsy, all kinds of disabilities,” Ayotte said.

The Neuro Standard hairbrush has a soft cushion.

“There’s two types of bristles. There are premium nylon and board bristles, and they also have a special epoxy coating on them. The bristles are super, super soft and they actually do untangle knots without pulling and without pain,” she said.

Ayotee said anyone who is neurodivergent or lives with sensitivities can “trust the brush” rather than be overstimulated by the feeling on their scalp.

“I know that if we create a product for people who have these sensory issues, we’re going to end up with a product that’s better for everybody because it’s not going to hurt,” she said.

From personal experience, Ayotte knows that families with special needs already have enough to do in a day.

“I want to really have something that I think is going to change the lives of special needs families and actually solve a problem,” she said.

The brush sells for $37 and is available through theneurostandard.com.