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wikiHow to Clean Hairbrushes

Three Methods:Quickly Cleaning a HairbrushDeep Cleaning a HairbrushCleaning a Wooden HairbrushCommunity Q&A

Hairbrushes collect oils from your hair, dust, skin particles, and other substances that can get transferred back to your hair when you brush it. If you don't clean them sometimes, your hair will begin looking greasy after you brush it. Cleaning hairbrushes is a simple process that only takes a few minutes.

Quickly Cleaning a Hairbrush

  1. 1
    Remove the hair from the brush. Taking out the old hair is always a good idea, since dirt and skin particles tend to stick to it as it builds up in your brush. Reach in and pinch the hair with your fingers, then pull it out from around the bristles. Keep doing this until you've extracted all of the hair from the brush, then throw the hair away.
    • If your brush's bristles are made from natural fibers, take care not to yank them out with the hair. Don't bend or break the bristles as you clean the brush.
    • You can use a pair of tweezers to help you lift the hair from the base of the brush and make it easier to pull off.
  2. 2
    Shampoo your brush in the shower. If your brush just needs to be freshened up quickly, this is the best way to get it clean with very little trouble. While your hair is conditioning in the shower, squirt some shampoo on your brush and use your fingers to gently rub it into the surface of the brush between the bristles.
    • If you don't want to use up your shampoo, a cheap body wash will work fine for this purpose.
    • Avoid using conditioner or solid soap, since these will stick to the brush and may be hard to remove.
  3. 3
    Rinse the brush. When you've finished giving it a light scrub, hold the brush under the stream of running water from the showerhead until it's thoroughly rinsed off. Make sure to get every last bit of soap, since you don't want it to stay on the brush and cause your hair to get sticky later when you brush it.
  4. 4
    Dry the brush. You can use the cool setting on your blow dryer to dry the brush, or simply set it out on a towel and let it dry overnight. When the brush is completely dry, it's ready to use again.
    • Don't use a hot hair dryer to dry the brush. This could damage the base of the brush and its bristles.
    • Avoid using the brush when it's still wet, especially if it's made with natural bristles. This could cause them to bend and break.

Deep Cleaning a Hairbrush

  1. 1
    Remove the hair with scissors. If you have thick hair and you've gone months without cleaning it, you may have a matted layer of hair to remove from your brush. The easiest way to take care of this issue is with a sharp pair of scissors. Insert the tip of the scissors at the edge of the mat of hair and carefully snip in a straight line through the bristles and across the brush. Do this a few more times so that you've separated the mat into sections. Use your fingers to lift the individual sections from the brush, then discard them.
    • Be sure not to accidentally snip any bristles as you're cutting.
    • Don't poke the scissors into the body of the brush or you may scratch it.
  2. 2
    Make a cleaning solution. You can use any soap-based agent to clean your brush. Mix dish soap, shampoo, body wash, or hand soap with some water. Stir it up so that the mixture begins to foam a bit.
  3. 3
    Use an old toothbrush to scrub the hairbrush. Dip the toothbrush in the soapy water and use it to scrub in between the bristles. Scrub each area of the brush for several seconds to make sure it gets completely clean. When you're finished with the base of the brush, run the toothbrush along the bristles, too.
    • Be careful not to bend or break any bristles while you're scrubbing.
    • Use a soft toothbrush, rather than a stiff one, so that you won't damage the surface of your brush.
  4. 4
    Rinse the brush. Run the brush under warm water to rinse away the dirt and soapy water. Examine the brush to determine if it seems clean enough. If necessary, use the toothbrush to give it another scrub.
  5. 5
    Dry the brush. Use the cold setting on your hair dryer to dry the brush, or lay it on a towel and let it dry overnight. Your hairbrush is ready to use when it's completely dry.

Cleaning a Wooden Hairbrush

  1. 1
    Don't use too much water. If you have an expensive hairbrush made of wood, you don't want to completely soak it in water, or the wood could warp. Use a small amount of water as you scrub the brush, then wet a towel with water and wipe off the soap instead of running it under water.
    • If your hairbrush is wooden, don't take it in the shower with you.
    • If you do end up getting the brush wet with water, try to dry it off right away.
  2. 2
    Use oil to condition the brush. You can clean the brush by wiping it off with a damp towel, then conditioning it with a few drops of tea tree oil, which is a natural antiseptic. Rub the drops of oil into the wooden part of the brush, then set it on a towel to dry before you use it.

Community Q&A

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  • Will these techniques work on a plastic hair brush?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Yes. Soap and water won't hurt plastic. Be sure to get all the water out of the flexible part holding the bristles. Just squeeze it a few times, and then let it air dry.
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    • Remove hair from the brush every time you brush it to avoid building up a mat of hair.

    Things You'll Need

    • Hairbrush
    • Good smelling shampoo or another type of liquid soap
    • A towel
    • Old toothbrush

    Article Info

    Categories: Hair Care Preparations

    In other languages:

    Italiano: Pulire le Spazzole per Capelli, Português: Limpar Escovas de Cabelo, Deutsch: Haarbürsten reinigen, Español: limpiar un cepillo para el pelo, Français: nettoyer votre brosse à cheveux, Русский: чистить щетки для волос, 中文: 清理发刷, Bahasa Indonesia: Membersihkan Sikat Rambut

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