How To Keep Your Hair Brush And Comb Clean 2022
Have you often had a head bath the previous night, combed your dry hair the next morning and still found it greasy? Do you then wonder why?
Was it that you used too little shampoo or maybe didn’t scrub your hair properly?
Well, has it ever dawned on you that the reason for this after-head bath greasiness of your hair could be due to your unclean hair combs and hairbrushes?
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I am not going to lie, it has happened to me as well and that’s when it struck me to wash my hair brushes and combs on a regular basis!
If you want to know how to keep your hair brush and comb clean, I’ve got these steps that will make things easier for you.
How To Keep Your Hair Brush And Comb Clean
Step 1: Hair removal
If you’re one of those people (like me) who prefer to use only a comb, then this step can be made easier for you.
All you need to do is get rid of those fallen out hair strands on your comb every time you comb your hair and do not let it collect on your comb.
Trust me, it will make your comb washing process way easier.
If you use hair brushes on a regular basis, then it may be harder for you to get rid of the fallen hair strands each time as they get lodged within the bristles of the hair brush very easily.
Therefore, the day you decide to wash your hair brush, you can use the end of a rat tail comb or even a simple toothpick or pin to lift the stubborn strands lodged at the bottom of the hair brush.
You can then tug at it to get it out of the brush or you could cut them off right in the middle using a pair of scissors and remove them from the brush more easily.
Step 2: Soaking the brush or comb in a disinfectant solution
Once all the hair has been removed from the comb or hairbrush, you will then be required to soak the comb or hairbrush in a disinfectant solution.
This helps loosen out all the dirt particles which have settled on the comb or hairbrush and have hardened over time.
You can make this disinfectant solution at home and here are two ways how I usually make it –
Hack 1: White vinegar and baking soda
White vinegar has natural disinfectant properties that can help get rid of the bacteria on the combs and hairbrushes, while the mild abrasive properties of the baking soda will help get rid of the buildup more easily.
The vinegar will help make the combs or hair brushes smell fresh and clean once they have been washed.
All you need to do is fill up a mug of water (or you can use the stopper in your basin and fill it up with water).
Next, add in around 20 ml of white distilled vinegar and 1 tbsp of baking soda for every 1 litre of water. So you can increase or decrease the proportions as per your requirements.
Give this mixture a stir and then drop in your combs and hair brushes and let it soak in the mixture for around half an hour to one hour.
Tip: You can also use warm water instead of regular water to soak the combs and hair brushes. This will help loosen up the dirt particles more easily.
Hack 2: Liquid soap or dishwashing liquid
Liquid soap or dishwashing liquid are disinfectants that have antibacterial properties that can help get rid of the dirt buildup while it also disinfects the combs and hairbrushes.
Here’s a tip, using liquid soaps or dish washing liquids which contain lemon can give your combs and hair brushes a good fragrance once they have been washed.
You can follow the same procedure as the above, but only by replacing the vinegar and baking soda with the liquid soap or dishwashing liquid.
For every one litre of water, you can use around 20 ml of liquid soap or dishwashing liquid.
Step 3: Removal of the dirt with an old toothbrush
Once your combs and hairbrushes have been soaked for around half an hour to one hour, drain out the water.
Then, using an old toothbrush (or any other brush of your choice), scrub out the dirt and buildup from the combs and hairbrushes, until you notice that all the remnants have come off.
Step 4: Rinsing it under running water
Once you have scrubbed out the dirt and buildup with an old toothbrush, rinse your toothbrush, combs and hairbrushes under running water, until you can see that they are completely clean.
Step 5: Place on a dry towel
You can either pat your combs and hairbrushes dry with a clean and dry towel or simply place all your freshly washed combs and hairbrushes on a dry towel for around 5 minutes to get rid of all the excess water.
Step 6: Drying it out naturally
Lastly, place all these semi-dried combs and hairbrushes on a dry tray and place it under direct sunlight for 10 minutes or under a fan and let it dry out naturally.
Make sure to use them only once they are completely dry (especially since hair brushes may take longer to dry up than combs).
So before I tell you guys how I wash my combs and hairbrushes, let me answer a few frequently asked questions. So here you go –
Why should you clean your hairbrushes and combs?
I can give you FIVE reasons – shedding hair, dead skin, sweat, pollution, and product buildup!
Yes, these five things sums up my response to this question as simply as possible. Hair shedding is a natural process.
So every time we comb or brush our hair, it is but natural for hair to get caught up in the comb or hair brush.
While this occurs, our skin goes through another natural process of dead skin cell shedding.
It occurs naturally over time and the dead skin which has been shed may not always be visible to the naked eye, but it does collect on the comb or hair brush every time we comb or brush our hair.
Our hair is the part of our bodies that is always exposed and especially for those living in cities with excessive pollution, the chances of the dirt particles from the atmosphere settling on your scalp is more.
Then there comes the products we use. From hair care products to hair styling products, if these products aren’t washed off properly, the remnants get transferred onto the comb or brush we are using.
A lot of us may sweat excessively and this can cause sweat and oil buildup on the scalp which gets mixed with the dirt, products we use and dead skin already existing on our scalps.
This unhygienic mixture settles on our combs or brushes, forming a layer, which may not be visible initially, but will soon be noticeable if your combs or brushes aren’t washed over a long time.
Therefore, every time we use a comb or a hair brush which is not clean, the dirt gets transferred back and forth from our comb to the hair.
And this leads to issues like oily hair, dandruff and scalp infections in the long run.
How often should you clean your combs and hairbrushes?
Well, I’d like to say that there is no specific answer to this question, because there are many factors that you might need to consider for yourselves and estimate how often you would need to wash your combs and hairbrushes.
The factors you would need to consider would be how much do you sweat and whether it is excessive or not.
Then, the kind of place you live in – highly polluted or a clean city.
Next, whether you have excessive hair loss or not and lastly, are you one of those people who use a lot of hair care and hair styling products on a regular basis.
If you keep these things in mind, I’d estimate that washing your combs and hair brushes at least once in 15 days or once in a month would be necessary.
This depends on which side of the spectrum you consider yourself to be on), but that’s a personal decision.
The final takeaway
So guys, I hope you had a good read! Before I close out on this article, let me give you an additional important tip.
While cleaning your combs and hairbrushes is very essential, it is also important to remember that cleaning your other hair accessories is just as necessary.
Be it your favourite scrunchies, bandanas, durags, hair scarves, hats, etc, because whatever is used on your hair comes in contact with the hair and the scalp.
This means that over time, it can collect dirt, sweat, oil and product build up and will transfer it onto your hair back and forth, every time you use it (if it isn’t washed from time to time).
This could also make your hair feel greasy and cause scalp issues like dandruff and scalp infections.
That’s it for this article, don’t forget to follow these simple hacks and remember to wash your combs and hairbrushes regularly to maintain the perfect hair and scalp health.
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