Almost everyone brushes their hair, but few people know how to clean their brush properly. It’s a critical but often overlooked aspect of hair care. Failure to clean your brush means it will develop a smell and work ineffectively.
There’s still time for you to start taking care of your brushes, however. Obviously, you want to start by removing your hair, but this is just the beginning.
A clean hairbrush and combs are like carpets or sponges. Beyond hair, they can harbor bacteria, dirt, dust mites, old product, oils, and dust.
Removing the hair treats the problem but doesn’t address the core issue, so make sure you’re deep cleaning your brush regularly.
In this article, you’re going to find out how to clean hair brushes, how to clean a comb, and how to clean a boar bristle brush.
Cleaning Hair Brushes
According to professional hair stylists, you should clean your brushes at least once a week. If you cannot fit this into your schedule, it is still better to clean your brushes once a month than never at all.
For a professional cleaning job, you can use a hair rake like professional stylists use. Otherwise, there are at-home tools that you can modify for cleaning. The following steps are ideal for cleaning your standard paddle or round brushes.
Start by gathering together a clean toothbrush, a pen or pick, a pair of scissors, baking soda, shampoo, and a garbage bag.
Using a pen or pick, loosen the hair from the bottom of the brush and work your way up to the top. Try to get as much of the hair as possible. Use the pick to scrape the bottom of the brush and dislodge dirt and hair. A comb can also be used to lift away excess hair.
Now that the hair is loose, you can remove it with your hands. Use the scissors to snip down the middle of the hairball if you’re finding the hair too difficult to remove by hand. Cutting the hairball will make it easier to grab pieces of the hair and throw them away in the garbage can.
Never flush the hair or throw it down the sink because the hair can cause clogged pipes. Once you have removed the hair, it is time to wash it out. Blend one teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of shampoo, and one cup of water together.
Gently apply the mixture to the bristles and the base of the brush. Make sure to clean all parts of the brush because dust and dirt can develop anywhere on it. If a few hairs are still trapped, you can always use a toothbrush to dislodge them.
When you have cleaned the brush, use water to rinse off the brush. Place the brush on a flat surface with the bristles facing down so it can dry.
Shampoo is also ideal to clean makeup sponges. Thoroughly wet your sponge or blender applicator and rub in a little shampoo, working it throughout the sponge. Squeeze the soap and dirt out under warm running water. Press as much water out as you can and let the sponge air dry.
How to Clean a Comb
It is important to wash your combs regularly because a dirty comb will just make your clean hair dirty again. Like hairbrushes, combs can trap hair, dirt, and dead skin over time.
Start by removing the tangles from the comb and pulling out any hair. A toothpick can also work. Then, dampen the comb with some shampoo and work the shampoo through the comb.
When you have finished shampooing the comb, rinse it in warm water. If there is a lot of dirt built up, let the comb soak in a mixture of vinegar and baking soda to loosen the dirt. Afterward, wash and rinse as before. You can use a towel to pad the comb dry or let the comb air dry naturally.
How to Clean a Boar Bristle Brush
Boar bristle brushes are amazing for your hair and help to distribute natural oils from the roots of your hair to the tips. These natural oils may be great for your hair, but they can start to build up on the boar bristle brush. Over time, this can make your hair oily and end up making your hair dirty, which leads to an unattractive appearance and odor.
Boar bristle brushes are amazing for your hair and help to distribute natural oils from the roots of your hair to the tips. These natural oils may be great for your hair, but they can start to build up on the boar bristle brush.
Over time, this can make your hair oily as the boar bristle brush causes extra oils and old dirt to work into your hair. To clean these brushes, get a liquid soap that is free of sulfates.
Natural hair cleansers are ideal, but any gentle shampoo will technically work. You will also need a comb and a bowl for your brush.
Using the comb, remove the excess oil and hair from the brush. Just work the comb from the root of the bristles up to the top. Work your way around the brush to remove all of the hair, which will eliminate the hair as well as excess sebum from the brush.
Next, squirt a little shampoo into a container and fill it with hot water. Place the brush in the bowl and swirl it around. Let it soak with the bristles in the shampoo water for 10 minutes.When this time has passed, remove the brush and rinse it with cold water until the brush is completely clean.
Self-Cleaning Hair Brushes
We live in a technologically advanced world. Thanks to strides made in the field of science, we have immense power at our fingertips. We can split the atom and see into the farthest reaches of space. But, we still struggle to find a better way to clean our hair brushes. Or do we?
There is such a thing as a self-cleaning hair brush. Companies like Qwik-Clean offer self cleaning hair brushes that look and work exactly like basic round brushes, but the bristles retract.
This way, you’re sparing yourself the time of having to pull the hair out of the bristles in clumps or one-by-one. Just retract the bristles, pull off the hair, and re-extend the bristles. Boom, you’re ready to go.
Have you cleaned all brushes at home yet? Make sure you check your makeup brushes and keep them clean. More about cleaning makeup brushes here.
Don’t forget about your toothbrush! It may be even more important to kill germs on a toothbrush than to clean your hairbrush. After all, the toothbrush actually goes into your mouth.
Brush Off those Cleaning Woes
In this article, you’ve learned how to clean hair brushes, how to clean combs, and how to clean boar bristle brushes. You’ve also gotten a taste of the future with a look at self-cleaning brushes. Overall, you now know how to clean and maintain your hair and brushes quickly, easily, and sanitarily.
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