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How To Clean Hair Brushes Like A Pro

Last Updated on January 18, 2022

How To Clean Hair Brushes Like A Pro: 

Do you suffer from greasy and unmanageable hair and no matter what shampoo you seem to use, you always find your hair is greasy by the next day?

Well, let me ask you this when the last time you cleaned your hair brush was?

If you can’t remember the last time you washed your hair brush or if you have at all, then that may be the answer as to why your hair is constantly getting greasy.

Removing the hair is easy, but we often forget how much product buildup actually happens on our brushes. Remember that oil you combed through your hair 3 weeks ago? It will still be on your brush.

But wait, let me tell you something.

If you clean your brushes every 1-2 weeks, you’ll notice a transformation in your hair; your hairstyles will hold nicer, you will notice your hair feels fresher for longer and less greasy.

To make things easier, I have gone through the best way to clean hair brushes in a super easy step-by-step guide that can easily be added to your weekly routine.

Now, if you want some recommendations for some quality hair brushes then be sure to have a look at our buyer’s guide on the best hair brushes for men.

Let’s give your hair brush the TLC it needs.

Why Should You Clean Your Hair brush?

So why should you clean your hairbrush regularly? Well, no matter how little or how often you use your hairbrush, it starts to build up dirt, oils, and all kinds of residue from both your hair and the environment.

If you regularly use leave-in conditioners, serums, hairsprays, or use a lot of product on your hair, it can stick to the bristles on your brush which is transferred back onto your hair every time you use it.

Things like dead skin cells and the buildup of hair can build up at the base of the brush and again can be transferred to your scalp every time you brush. On average, we lose between 50-100 hairs a day!

If you use oily products on your hair, it can make it even easier for dust, grime, sot, and all in all dirt to cling onto your brush and transfer onto your hair.

If you don’t clean your hairbrush regularly, you may notice your air gets greasier quickly or that after a day, your hairstyle doesn’t look as fresh and looks like it needs washing despite only washing it the day before.

Keeping up a routine of cleaning your brushes will transform your hair.

How Often Should You Clean Your Hair Brush?

Now we know why you should clean your brush, but how often should you clean your hairbrush? Well, it really depends on the types of products you use on

There are no hard or fast rules regarding how often to clean a hairbrush. It really depends on the types of products you use on your hair and how often you use them.

If you regularly style your hair and find yourself using dozens of styling creams, gels, hairspray, and serums, you should definitely clean your brush once a week.

If you don’t use too much product on your hair, then you should clean your hairbrush every 2 to 3 weeks to prevent oil buildup and transfer to your scalp.

Remember to remove hair every few days, as this also helps with the buildup.

How To Deep Clean Hair Brushes 101:

Here are some tips for cleaning your hairbrushes to have them looking like new.

Step One: Remove The Hair:

The best way to remove hair from your brush is to use a rat tail comb to remove hair from the base of the brush (this is a comb with a long pointed end). These combs are brilliant for catching and pulling out hair from the base.

If you don’t have a rat tail comb, any pointed object will do the trick; even a pen, pencil, or even scissors will help. Scissors can also be used to cut away the tangled hair within the bristles.

Step Two: Soak The Brush In Warm Water:

Just before you fill a bowl with warm water, you should place a small dab of clarifying shampoo into the bristles and rub gently to help gently ease off the worst of the excess buildup.

You should then fill a bowl or sink with warm water and a few drops of gentle shampoo or clarifying shampoo to the water and mix it around.

Then place the brush in the water and leave it to soak for 3-5 minutes.

For a plastic brush, you can submerge the entire brush in water, whereas with a wooden brush, you should only dip the bristles in the water and keep the base dry as submerging a wooden brush can damage the wood and finish.

For natural bristle brushes, depending on the handle and base material you can soak these brushes for a few minutes, if the base and handle are wooden then clean them as you would a wooden brush.

While you wash your brush, you should dip and shake multiple times during the process. This will help loosen oils, dead skin cells, and product buildup, especially if your brush is dirty.

Step Three: Use A Toothbrush For Extra Cleaning:

If your brush has seen better days and you have a dirty brush, you should use an old toothbrush or cheap toothbrush from the store to help clean the hair base and bristles.

You should dip your toothbrush into the soapy water and use it to scrub each bristle, starting at the base and working your way upwards. Make sure you scrub the edge of the bristles and brush to remove all buildup.

Step Four: Rinse And Air Dry:

Once you’ve finished cleaning your hairbrush and successfully removed all the dirt from the bristles, then you should rinse the brush under cool water to remove any excess dirt.

Once you’re happy and certain your hairbrush is clean, you can leave it to air dry with the bristles facing down on a clean cloth or towel.

How To Clean A Hairbrush With Baking Soda:

Looking for a little extra cleaning power? You can also clean your hair brushes with baking soda when you wash your brushes to help get out the tough residue in your hair brushes.

Instead of shampoo, you should dilute 1 to 2 tsp of baking soda in water, submerge your brush in the bowl for 30-60 minutes, and then rinse in hot water. This should help remove gunk and residue from your hairbrushes.

Baking soda is brilliant for those extremely dirty brushes.

How To Clean Hair Brushes With Vinegar:

Once you’ve scrubbed your hair brush with an old toothbrush and shampoo to remove caked up grime or residue, you can also use vinegar to remove any bacteria and extra grime.

You should mix white vinegar with water in a 50:50 ratio into a container (big enough to fit one or two hairbrushes) and then soak your hairbrush overnight or for 6-8 hours for that extra clean.

Summary:

Cleaning your brushes and combs every week can make a world of difference for your hair; I would reccomend setting a day for cleaning all your beauty tools to get into a routine of cleaning.

Here’s a tip: if you soak your brushes in soap and water or shampoo and water weekly, you won’t need to do any deep cleans.

I would reccomend removing the hair every few days, soaking your brushes in soapy water every week, and then doing a deep clean every month or so to get rid of any excess buildups.

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