Don’t Use That Gunky Brush! Tips For Cleaning Your Hair Tools

When was the last time you really cleaned your hair tools? I know for myself, it’s been a about month. Now, don’t act like it’s just me. We have all put in lots of time to learn how to care for our hair by moisturizing, sealing, deep conditioning*, and styling effectively but most of that TLC comes from the hair tools we use.

Whether it’s the blow dryer*, flat iron, ponytail holders, bobby pins*, Denman brush*, or wide tooth comb*, we all use some sort of tool to detangle, style or use heat in our hair.

We all dread this chore and it’s easy to be forget to clean our hair tools, as a matter of fact sometimes it feels easier to just go out and get new ones! But why do that when you can spend a few minutes a week cleaning the ones you already own.

Why is it important to clean our hair tools?

Imagine, you have not cleaned your tools in the past few months and you are planning your next hairstyle, perhaps a perm rod set. You have thoroughly washed and conditioned your hair and you are ready to get the style on.

The Denman brush* you are using to detangle has greasy gunk in the base of the bristles and curly hair sticking out of it. The rat tail comb* you are going to use to part your hair has oily build up on the sides of it.

The perm rods have flakes and brown stuff curled around them…should I give you a barf bag? Yes, that’s absolutely disgusting! But, I’m sure we have all done this. What’s the point of washing your hair when you are gonna use your greasy and oily tools to style it? There’s no point at all.

Using hair tools that have product buildup on them will definitely have trapped hair, dirt, oil, bacteria, old products, and maybe even dust mites on them. So when you use these hair tools that have not been cleaned in a long time, you are re-depositing grease, oils, old products and dead skin cells right back onto your clean scalp and hair.

What about the heat damage you believe is happening because of the heat setting you are using? Let me be the first to tell you, heat damage can also come from the product build up on your hot tools. Something has to be done about this madness so here are a few simple ways to clean your brushes, combs, hot tools, and hair accessories for a few minutes of work each week.

Cleaning your brushes

After you detangle with your Denman brush* or define your curls with your defining brush, hairs will more than likely end up in them. Here are some tips to clean them:

1. Pick out the hairs with a comb, a bobby pin, or your fingers. The more hair you pull out, the easier it will be to clean your brush.

2. Fill the sink with warm water and shampoo. Since you use shampoo to cleanse your scalp, using shampoo to clean your brush will be safe.

3. Soak your brush in the water for 15 minutes to get the product build up to soften and ready to scrub with an old toothbrush or a cloth. If you use a toothbrush, make sure you don’t put it back in the cabinet with your dental hygiene tools!

4. Once the 15 minutes are up, scrub the remaining product build up with your old toothbrush or cloth until your hair brush is thoroughly clean.

5. Set your brush out on a clean towel to air dry.

Cleaning your combs/picks

Combs and picks are a bit more tricky because the teeth are closer and the product build up stays between the teeth. However, cleaning them is still quite simple:

1. Pull all the loose hair out from the teeth of the comb using your fingers and/or bobby pin.

2. Fill the sink with warm water and shampoo.

3. Completely submerge your comb in the water and soak for 15 minutes.

4. Once the 15 minutes are up, use your old toothbrush or a clean cloth to wipe the softened product buildup off the comb. You may also opt to use a specialized tool like the denman cleaning brush to help get between the smaller bristles.

5. Make sure there is no product buildup between the teeth. If there is, re-soak the comb in the water again.

6. Set your comb out on a clean towel to air dry.

Cleaning your hot tools

Hot tools tend to have more product buildup than any other tools that we use. After we use them, we tend to put them back in the hair cabinet or bin, instead of cleaning them. So the product buildup will be a bit tougher and more dense to clean off. You can use professional cleansing fluid. But if you are frugal like me, try cleaning your hot tools like this:

1. Make sure the device is unplugged and cool to the touch.

2. Rub the outside of your hot tool with a clean, damp cloth to get the hairspray, serum and oils* off the outside. Do the same for inside and around the barrel.

3. Use your old toothbrush or cotton swabs to get the hard to reach spots for product buildup.

4. If you have tough places to clean the product buildup, add rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, apple cider vinegar* or spray-on oven cleaner to your damp cloth. The formulas will break down any hardened product on your hot tool for an easier cleaning process.

5. Once all of the product build up is gone, give your hot tool a final wipe and let air dry on a clean towel.

Cleaning your hair accessories

You don’t need to constantly buy new accessories. Cleaning your hair accessories easy and not time-consuming to do:

1. Fill the bathroom sink with warm water and shampoo.

2. Let your hair accessories soak for 15 to 20 minutes. If after 20 minutes there is still product buildup, use your old toothbrush or fingers to get the product buildup off and re-soak.

3. Rinse with clean water and set out on a dry towel to air dry.

Things to never to do when cleaning hair tools

➜ Do not use bleach, harsh chemicals, or other detergents to clean your hair tools. You do not want to run the risk of getting bleach in your hair when using them or mess up the pH balance of your hair.

➜ Do not boil your hair tools. This can cause them to melt or break. This can also minimize their performance when using them for your hair.

➜ Do not submerge your hot tools in water. That is not a safe way to clean them and they are electrical devices that should not go near water.

And there you have it! Cleaning your hair tools is simple and easy to do, yes it’s a pain and a chore but making a habit of cleaning your hair tools regularly will be better for the health of your hair in the long run.