Have you cleaned your hairbrush lately? Be honest… Well, it’s time to clean your hairbrushes and combs! I know what you might be thinking. One more thing that I need to clean. But it’s important and it can be easy if you do it often! You know before they get gross buildup. I am going to give you some tips on how to clean your hairbrushes and why you should.
I admit it, I am guilty of not cleaning my hairbrushes and combs as much as I should. It honestly slips my mind. I have all of the best intentions of doing it. Then the next day I remembered that I was supposed to do that yesterday. Sound familiar to you? It gets easier if we get into a routine. It gets even easier when you find out how much junk builds up on them.
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Why should you clean your hairbrushes?
Let’s start with why you should clean your hairbrushes regularly. Our hairbrushes can act like sponges sometimes. They can get a buildup of bacteria, mold, dirt, oil, product buildup, and dead skin cells to name a few things. All these things then get transferred over to your clean hair each time you brush it.
The average person sheds 50-100 hairs a day. Hair builds up at the base of a brush. If we don’t clean out that hair from our brushes it helps to harbor and hold onto all that bacteria, mold, dirt, oil, product buildup, and dead skin cells. It also can contribute to the breakdown of the bristles and shorten the life of your brush.
How often should you clean your hairbrushes?
The frequency of cleaning our hairbrushes depends on the number of products, styling creams, gels, and hairspray you use. If you use these things often it’s recommended that you clean your hairbrushes once a week.
If you are someone that doesn’t use products often you may be able to get away with cleaning your hairbrushes every 2-3 weeks. They won’t be getting a buildup of products, but you will still be getting bacteria, mold, dirt, oil, and dead skin cells.
How often should you replace your hairbrushes?
Experts recommend you replace your hairbrushes every 6-12 months. But I think it depends on the quality of the brush and the condition it is in. I recommend that you inspect it after each cleaning. Look at the bristles and base of the brush. If the bristles have bulbs check to see if any are missing. If they are they can scratch and irritate your scalp and possibly catch your hair and cause hair breakage. Also, check for missing bristles.
Inspect the base of your brush. Look for any cracking or if it has silicone or plastic check to see if it is starting to break down. If it is this can cause your hair to get caught in the cracks and cause hair breakage.
If you have any of these things it might be time to replace your brush.
How to clean hairbrushes
I touched on how to clean your hairbrushes a few weeks ago, My 3 Favorite Ways To Use Dawn Powerwash. You can read that here. One of my favorite ways to clean my hairbrushes is to use Dawn Powerwash. But you can also use mild shampoo. One thing to note: If you have a wood brush you probably will not want to submerge it for a long period.
What you will need:
- Either your bathroom or kitchen sink. Or you can use a large bowl.
- Warm water
- Dawn Powerwash or mild shampoo
- Scissors or hairbrush cleaning tool (Yes, they make them! I have linked some below.)
- Clean towels
The process:
- Remove hair from your brushes and combs. You can use scissors to cut the hair if you are having a difficult time removing it. Or they make a hairbrush cleaning tool to help remove hair from your brush. I will link them below.
- Spray one squirt of Dawn Powerwash in the sink or bowl and fill it with warm water. (Or use your mild shampoo)
- Give each brush or comb a squirt of Dawn Powerwash before placing them in the water.
- Let them soak for about 15 minutes.
- Scrub with your hairbrush cleaning tool or another cleaning brush.
- Rinse with clean warm water.
- Set on a clean towel and allow to dry.
Important tip: Be sure to allow your brushes to dry completely before putting them away. If you don’t, they can grow mold and bacteria. I like to either place them out in the sun to dry or place them in front of a fan to speed up the process.
So, are you currently cleaning your hairbrushes regularly? It can be such an easy thing to forget to do! But it’s important so we don’t transfer all the bacteria, mold, dirt, oil, product buildup, and dead skin cells to our hair and scalp. It will also extend the life of your brushes.
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