If you don’t clean you hair brush regularly then it could become quickly dirtied with all you dead hair, dandruff, dead cells and sebum. What is more, it becomes a real nest for dust and grub! Therefore brushing your hair, which is normally considered as an act of good hygiene, becomes the exact opposite. Instead of getting rid of your dirty hair at the end of the day you are spreading germs all over your luscious locks! In short it is not very nice to continually use a dirty hair accessory on a daily basis. The good news is cleaning your hair brush couldn’t be any easier when you know the best top tips. Even better it won’t cost an arm and a leg either!
How often should you clean your brush?
There is not a perfect answer to this question as we don’t use a hair bush in the same way as everyone else. If you use your brush everyday just normally you could clean your brush every two weeks. However if you use oils in your hair your brush will get greasy quickly. Therefore you should clean your brush every week. It is up to you to know the needs of your hair accessories!
1) Before cleaning remove any of the hair tangled in the bristles!
There is absolutely no point in cleaning your brush if there are tufts of dead hair preventing you from reaching the dirtiest areas! Ideally you should remove any tangled hair as and when you use your brush so it doesn’t build up. If you have let nest of hair get tangled in the bristles sometimes pulling is not enough. In this case you might need to get the scissors out to cut the knot and then pull with a lot of force. For the tiny little tufts of hair you can use a eyebrow plucker.
2) When cleaning a plastic brush you can use the two methods below:
- Vinegar water base: Soak your brush overnight in a mixture of equal quantities of water and white vinegar.
- Bicarbonate Soda water base: Soak you brush overnight in 500 ml of water mixed with two to three tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda.
Of course you can also add a couple of drops of essential oil to your water to make it smell nice. You can also use an old tooth brush to help you scrub away any possible residue that is at the bottom of the brushes bristles. Then rinse your brush in warm water.
3) When cleaning a wooden brush
If you have a wooden brush you shouldn’t use the techniques above as it most certainly won’t like being soaked in water overnight. Simply wash your brush with some soft shampoo. Next give your brush as scrub with an old tooth brush if you think it is necessary. Rinse your brush quickly in warm water. Remember this technique works for all types of brushes! However with a bristled brush try and remember to dry the brush with the bristles facing downwards so as to prevent the bristles from detaching due to moisture at the base.
4) Tip for those who are a little lazy…
If you struggle to make time even for yourself then finding the time to clean your brush could seem difficult. Luckily, you can always put your brush in the dishwasher or in a net and put it in the washing machine! This cleaning technique will make your brush as good as new HOWEVER you need to remember to remove all the hair from the brush beforehand so that the hair doesn’t block the machine.
5) Lastly how do you clean a brush contaminated with head lice ?
A lice invasion is a reminder that you shouldn’t ever lend your hair accessories to other people whether it is a comb, brush or hairbands. However nothing is better at getting rid of these little beasts that like to reside in your hair brush that drowning them in water or various products. In fact you can get even better results if you freeze your hairbrush for at least 24 hours. The lice won’t be able to stand a chance!
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