Styling residues, dust, dirt and, of course, hair – in daily use, a lot gets stuck in brushes. So, it’s all the more important to clean them regularly. Whether they’re made of plastic or have natural bristles, we reveal home remedies and tips on how to get your hairbrush properly clean again.
Regular care cure
It is used several times a day and gives our look the perfect finish: the hairbrush not only smoothes our hair, it also loosens knots, gives the hairstyle volume and makes our mane shine. Afterwards, we often forget to clean it thoroughly, leaving behind residues of gel, hairspray, volumizing powder, skin particles and hair in it. Not a good idea, because the next time we brush it, the dirt ends up on our head again. So just removing hair from round hairbrush and paddle brush. is not enough to get the bristles clean. At least once a month, you should do a thorough wet cleaning to remove the remaining dirt and grime. How good that there are also a few tricks and home remedies that help effectively when cleaning the hairbrush.
How to get the brush clean
Whether it’s a natural hairbrush, a hot air brush or a round brush: there are many different types of hairbrushes and, accordingly, different ways to clean them.
Basic cleaning of hairbrushes
Before it comes to the basic cleaning of your hairbrush, all hairs must first be freed from the dry brush. Especially with round brushes, it is often not so easy to just pull them out with your fingers. Here are three ways you can remove the hairs from the brush:
- Comb: The easiest way to free loose hairs from the brush is to use a comb. A handle comb gets into the spaces between the bristles especially well. There are even special brush cleaner combs that make it easier to remove hair from hairbrushes.
- Tweezers: You can pluck hard-to-reach hairs out of the hairbrush with tweezers.
- Scissors: Especially in large round brushes with dense natural bristles, hair can be difficult to remove, especially if the hair is knotted. With the help of fine nail scissors, simply cut the hair and then pull out the remains with tweezers.
You want more tips for tidiness? We’ll show you the best tricks for systematic cleaning. Also exciting: This sock trick makes it easy to clean your windows. Here you can also find out which vinegar is best for cleaning.
Clean plastic hairbrush properly:
- Cleaning a plastic hairbrush is relatively straightforward. To do this, pour lukewarm water into the sink or a bowl, add some of the following products and leave the brush in the water bath for about 10 to 15 minutes:
- Shampoo: Add a little hair shampoo to the water bath or rub the bristles with a little shampoo when washing your hair in the shower. This will loosen any dirt that has accumulated in the hairbrush. In addition, the warm water helps to thoroughly remove the residue.
- Shaving foam: Apply a little shaving foam to the bristles and leave for about ten minutes. Then use a discarded toothbrush to scrub the spaces between the bristles. Shaving foam is particularly effective against hairspray and other styling products whose residues have accumulated in the brush.
- Baking soda or baking powder: In a bowl of lukewarm water, add some shampoo and a teaspoon of baking soda or baking powder. Place brush in the water bath and let it soak for about an hour. Put your hairbrush in it and let it soak for an hour. Then use a toothbrush to clean the spaces between the bristles.
- Dishwashing detergent: For plastic brushes, a water bath with dishwashing detergent can also help. Similar to baking soda, you can soak the hairbrush in the soapy water for about one to two hours.
Tip: There is also a quick solution for cleaning plastic brushes: Simply place the brush in the cutlery compartment of the dishwasher and start the wash cycle. However, it should not be too hot!
Cleaning wooden brushes with natural bristles
Brushes with natural bristles are much more sensitive and should be cleaned with more care. But the effort is worth it, because a well-maintained brush made of natural materials lasts forever:
- Pour lukewarm water into a bowl. Add a mild shampoo that will not attack the wood. Just swirl the brush back and forth in the water bath to loosen product residue, dust and the like. Important: Never soak wooden brushes in a water bath, as it makes the natural material porous and causes it to dry out.
- Allow brush to dry properly.
- Finally, rinse the brush thoroughly with water, roughly shake off the water residue and place the brush on a dry cloth with the bristles facing down. Leave it like this until it is thoroughly dry, if only to avoid mold.
Cleaning a wooden brush with natural bristles
Brushes with natural bristles are much more delicate and should be cleaned with more care. But it’s worth the effort, because a well-maintained brush made of natural materials will last forever:
- Pour lukewarm water into a bowl. Add a mild shampoo that will not attack the wood. Just swirl the brush back and forth in the water bath to loosen product residue, dust and the like. Important: Never soak wooden brushes in a water bath, as it makes the natural material porous and causes it to dry out.
- Use a toothbrush around the bristles to clean the brush head and remove dirt residue such as lint and hair. Then rinse the bristles under cold water.
- Air dry the hairbrush after cleaning. To do this, it is best to place it on a towel. The bristles point downwards so that the residue from the water can drip down from the brush more easily.
At a glance: Dos & Don’ts
- Clean a hairbrush about once a month – or more often if many styling products are used.
- Remove all hair from the brush before wet cleaning.
- Clean the hairbrush with a mild shampoo only. Hair care products such as conditioner, hair treatment or solid shampoo are not suitable for cleaning a hairbrush because they do not remove product residues thoroughly enough – and even leave more residue. Solid soap is better to use for washing hands.
- Basically, let the hairbrush dry only in the air. Hair dryer and heater can even harm the material of the hairbrush due to the heat.
