How to Clean a Hairbrush in 3 Easy Steps

Dirt, dust and styling residues – we prefer not to think about all the things we find in our hairbrush. How you get it clean again is explained here.

How often should I clean the hairbrush?

There’s no general answer to that question. It depends on how much hairstyling products etc. you use. Nevertheless, it makes sense to clean your hairbrush regularly. A good guideline is once a month.

Cleaning hairbrush properly in three steps

1. Removing Hair

You should remove the hair from the hairbrush after each brushing. This has the advantage that you have less effort for the basic cleaning. You can use a coarse-pronged comb (alternatively, for thicker bristles, a stem comb) to help you lift the hair out. If the hairs are too interwoven, which can quickly happen with a round brush, the scissors must be used! With these scissors you walk along the brush and cut the hair strand open and remove the rest again with a stem comb or similar.

2. Wet cleaning

To remove the dirt particles from the environment that are also on your hair, skin scales and sebum, the dust and other deposits of e.g. styling products, you do not need much. In addition to water and a toothbrush, you will need for:

Hairbrushes made of plastics: baking powder, shampoo or soapy water

Wooden hairbrushes: mild shampoo

Here’s how you do it:

1. Put some of the shampoo, baking powder or rinse in a tub of warm water.
2. Whirl the water well so that it mixes well with the shampoo or alternative.
3. Dip the toothbrush into the water and rub the hairbrush with it, especially the gaps and bristles.
4. Now you can put the brush into the water bath with the bristles down.
5. Leave the brush to soak in the water for about a quarter of an hour (wooden brushes) to two hours (plastic brushes).

3. Leave to dry

Take the hairbrush out of the water bath and use the toothbrush to remove the last particles from the pillow or bristles. These should now be easy to remove. Dry the brush with the bristles down on a towel.

Alternative: Cleaning the hairbrush with shaving foam

Another possibility is cleaning with shaving foam. Sounds strange at first, but it works. Foam the brush with the shaving lather, let a few minutes to soak in and then rinse it briefly with water. Again: let the brush dry on a towel with the bristles down.