How to Clean and Disinfect Your Hair Brush

Keeping your brushes clean is not just a matter of hygiene, as a brush in good condition will last longer in good condition and with soft bristles (in the case of natural bristle brushes). In addition to cleaning them, it is also important to disinfect them to eliminate germs that have been accumulated by humidity in the environment and in the bathrooms. Cleaning our hair brush will also help us prevent our hair form accumulating dirt or mites.

To remove lint from hair brushes and remove dandruff, a good trick is to wet them and use a wide-tooth comb to drag hair and dirt down.

Once you remove the remains of hair and lint, you can wash them with soap and water or also use one of the various methods we will propose to disinfect your hair brush or comb. Continue reading to find out more:

Water and ammonia

Water and ammonia are very useful in cleaning hair brushes, as ammonia is a powerful cleaner and disinfectant. To use this method you must:

1. Pour 1 glass of warm water and 1/4 glass of ammonia into a container.
2. Stir so that the two ingredients are well integrated.
3. Dip your comb or brush into the liquid.
4. Leave to act for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the liquid and rinse with plenty of warm water.
6. Let them dry face down on a towel or absorbent paper.

Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil is known for its disinfecting and bactericidal properties. In fact, it is one of the most widely used remedies to eliminate lice. If you prefer to use this method to disinfect your brushes, follow these simple steps:

1. Fill a container with warm water. It should be big enough so that your combs or brushes can fit.
2. Add about 5 drops of tea tree oil.
3. Dip the brushes and let them rest for about 15 minutes.
4. After time, rinse with warm water and allow to dry upside down on a towel or absorbent paper.

Water and white vinegar

Vinegar is another homemade product used for household cleaning. To clean your brushes with vinegar you will only need water and white vinegar.

1. Mix the same amount of warm water as vinegar in a container.
2. Remove and dip brushes or combs.
3. Let them sit for 30 minutes.
4. Rinse well with warm water.
5. Let dry upside down on a towel.

If you want to know more tricks with this excellent homemade and natural product, discover more in our article about household uses for vinegar.

Water and bleach

If you're in a hurry and can't spend too much time disinfecting your combs, a quick remedy to do is to fill a sprayer with 4 parts water to 1 part bleach. This way, you can spray your combs and leave it to act for a few minutes before rinsing with water.

We do not recommend abusing this method because it can damage the bristles of your brushes, especially natural ones, or even their handles. If you don't have time to do it, it's quick way to clean your hair brushes. However, if you can a little more time, it's best to use any of the other methods.

Natural bristle brushes require specific care to prevent damage. This can be extended to both natural bristle hair brushes and body brushes. In this case, we are going to focus on how to clean the hair brushes. Take note of these steps:

1. Remove the hairs that have been caught between the bristles. You can do it with your hands or with the help of a barbed comb.
2. To wash the bristles we advise you to use a neutral soap to prevent them from being damaged or deteriorating.
3. Apply the soap to the bristles and immerse the brush in a container with water.
4. If the handle of your brush is made of wood, avoid submerging it completely so that it does not spoil or rot due to humidity.
5. If you want to do a deeper cleaning, use a small brush like an old toothbrush or a nail brush and rub the less accessible areas.
6. Once the bristles are cleaned, it is important to rinse the product remains well and remove any possible dirt that has accumulated in the foam.
7. Rinse it with plenty of lukewarm water taking care not to excessively wet the handle if it is made of wood.
8. It is important to remove as much moisture as possible from the brush before letting it dry. For this you can drain it with the help of a towel.
9. You must dry the brush well to avoid bad odors and the proliferation of germs with moisture. To do this, we advise you to place it face down on a towel or absorbent paper in a cool place.

You may also be interested in our article about how to clean makeup brushes.

Both electric hair brushes and electric straightening brushes accumulate dead cells on the bristles and pad after many uses without washing. If you think the time has come to wash it, this is the best way to clean an electric hair brush:

1. First of all, you need to make sure that your brush is disconnected from the power and is completely cold.
2. Remove any hair that has become entangled between the bristles and the pad. You can do this with your hands or with the tip of a barbed comb. To do this, insert the tip of the comb between the bristles to remove the hairs.
3. Make a bowl with a mixture of water and vinegar in equal parts.
4. Dampen a cloth in this liquid and proceed to clean both the bristles and the brush pad.
5. Let dry.
6. Once dry, you can store it and use it again whenever you want.

Wooden brushes are more delicate when cleaning because there is a risk that the wood of the handle will swell or rot if the washing has not been carried out correctly.

In addition, these types of brushes must be washed frequently to keep them in perfect condition. In order to clean a brush without damaging the wood, you should use alcohol and avoid immersing the brush in water. Follow these steps to learn how to clean a wooden hair brush:

1. Remove the hairs that may have been between the bristles.
2. Dampen a cloth with 70-degree alcohol and clean the bristles. You can also help yourself with an unused toothbrush by dipping it in alcohol and rubbing the bristles.
3. To clean the handle, dip a cloth in a bowl with soapy water, drain well and clean the handle.
4. Alcohol evaporates quickly, but to avoid seepage, place the brush face down on a towel to dry.
5. To finish, you can apply a little almond oil on a cloth and pass it over the wooden parts of the comb to make it look more beautiful and maintain its shine.

If you enjoyed this article you may also be interested in learning about the benefits of brushing your hair or how to make hair masks for damaged hair.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Clean and Disinfect Your Hair Brush, we recommend you visit our Beauty & Personal Care category.