Why You Need to Clean Your Hairbrush

We don’t clean our hairbrush often enough. There, we said it. You know it. I know it. We all know it, but why don’t we do anything about it? If we’re lucky, we clean our hairbrush maybe once, twice, three times a year, right? Well, today we’re discussing why you need to clean your hairbrush more often and how to do it properly. Are you ready?

The Why

Think about it this way: we clean our makeup brushes every week or two to remove makeup, oil, and dirt that builds up over time and to avoid those pesky spots from showing up on our face. So, why not do the same for our hairbrush? If anything, our brushes are more likely to be full of dirt and debris because we usually brush our hair when it’s dirty. Our makeup brushes are often used after we’ve just washed and moisturized our face; so, definitely cleaner than our hair. Just imagine the amount of dry shampoo that’s sitting at the surface of your brush right now. Kind of scary, right? That combination of old hair products, oils, debris, dead skin cells all combines to create one monster of a bacterial breeding ground. Imagine the smell–yuck! If that’s not enough of a reason to clean your hairbrush more often, then you need to keep reading.

Ever try to brush your hair after you’ve just washed and dried it and notice that your hair looks oily again? The product buildup and whatever else that sits on your brush are likely being transferred to your hair. You may notice your hair looking flat, dull, blah after a quick brush through and may be wondering what the heck happened. Who likes the look of greasy roots? Not us. It’s time to stop running that filthy brush through your clean hair!

The How

Listen, we’re not saying you should clean your brush every single day, but try to aim for a once monthly or twice monthly regimen. Trust us; you’ll notice a difference in your hair’s health once you do. Also, it’s not very hard to clean it. Sure, it’s annoying, but you’ll be happy you did it.

So, what’s the proper way of washing your brush?

Step 1:

First, you’ll want to remove all the clumps of hair that are stuck to the bottom of the bristles. There are different methods of removing it 1) use a comb to…comb it out 2) use tweezers to lift the layer of hair at one end and slowly peel it up and out 3) use scissors to cut it out.

Step 2:

Once you’ve removed the hair, it’s time to get to the nitty-gritty part–build up, dust mites, oils, other gross stuff. Depending on the material of your brush, you can soak it in warm water and some dish soap & vinegar (to kill the germs & bacteria) or use a toothbrush to scrub the base of your brush with soapy water gently. If you’re soaking your brush, you can leave it overnight or for a few hours. Finish off with a final rinse to remove any lingering soap and then allow the brush to dry. If you have a non-plastic brush, we recommend avoiding the soaking solution. Instead, use the scrubbing method and rinse carefully and avoid soaking the handle as it may cause damage. Allow the brush to dry out, and you’re good to go. 

So, do us a favor and give your brush a good cleanse tonight. You can report back to us tomorrow to thank us for saving your hair. 😉