The Kitchen Cosmetician: When is the last time you cleaned your hairbrush?
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Green Monday Reminder: Follow this Beauty Commandment!
I have got a confession. I don’t clean my hair brushes or combs as frequently as I should. My hair stylist believes these tools should be cleaned at least every other week. Normally, I am a pretty good client and do whatever she says. But, I was horrified to realize a simple hard truth.
I am way out of compliance with this beauty commandment. How is it that I use my brushes and combs even more often than my most beloved and sacred beauty products, yet treat them this way? I am half expecting the beauty police to arrive and charge me with abuse and neglect and relocate my tools to protective services.
The fact is hair brushes and combs collect a lot of gunk and debris over time. Bristles gather dust, dirt and chemicals from hairstyling products, like gels, mousses, pomades and heat protectants. Let me put this into perspective, what if you ran your hands through your hair multiple times a day and never washed them? YUCK!
I have a silver lining to this story. Cleaning your brushes is painlessly easy, eco-friendly and practically free. Clean tools will help your hair look better and stay fresh longer by helping to avoid oily buildup at roots. Plus well-cared for tools last longer. Don’t set them up for failure and avoid a bad hair day by following these simple steps to clean hair tools.
Step 1: Remove all of the hair from your brush
Tip: If you need some extra help, use a wide tooth comb.
Step 2: Put all of your brushes and combs into the sink with hot water
Caution: Proceed with carefully with wood handled brushes, natural boar bristle and anything else you have that could be considered special or delicate. Wooden handles can swell when immersed in water. Boar Bristle is natural hair that can be delicate after immersed in water.
Step 3: Add 1 cup of vinegar
Bonus: For more vinegar-based beauty tips and treatments check out The Kitchen Cosmetician explores Vinegar.
Step 4: Let hair tools soak for 20 minutes
Step 5: Rinse
Step 6: Let tools air dry on a towel
Step 7: If there is any residue build up between bristles left, remove it with cotton ball or Q-tip
That’s it – now enjoy the little luxury of a clean brush and comb collection!
we heartsters – Do you regularly wash your combs and brushes? And are you guilty of breaking any beauty commandments?
Images:
1: Vintage Art Deco Brush via Etsy shop The Clay Penguin
2: RickyCare Heat Brush via we heart this
3: Vintage Vinegar Booklet via Etsy shop superimposium
“Relocate my tools to protective services?” You’re a howl! @hao9703, I used to wash my combs and brushes so regularly that my husband asked me if the bathroom was a hospital facility. Not so any longer. I needed this reminder to get moving on this again. Thank you!
Actually, depending on the strength of the implements, I brush them together gently. That REALLY removes imbedded grime, hairspray, treatment products, etc.
Yes, thank you @hao9703, for reminding us that our brushes are gross! Ewwwh!
I’m so glad that vinegar is in abundance at my home! I’m going to get busy and clean all my brushes.. maybe even some windows, if I get really inspired (good old vinegar cleans just abouth everything)!
Good bye GUNK!
I have never washed my hairbrush! *hangs head in shame* But I am now inspired to do so…
Me either @Amity – I’ll join you in the shameful brushes club!
Now that we’re all confessing, I don’t feel quite so bad about my shocking lack of brush hygiene.
I can’t wait to whip out the vinigar and have a little cleaning spree now that I know how easy it is. Thanks, @hao9703 !
Me neither @Amity! Thanks for being the first to admit it. As I read this post I just got more and more grossed out by the fact that I haven’t, too!
Guilty. The only “cleaning” most of my brushes get is when I clean out the hair trapped in the bristles. Thanks for this reminder and simple steps for giving a few of my most used tools a thorough cleaning. I just took a good look at my pile of brushes and combs and there are a number of items that desperately need a bath. Eww.
And as a fine haired gal that is always fighting oil (just a teeny bit can really weigh my hair down) I can’t wait to see how regular washing can help. It totally makes sense that oil and dirt will get trapped into brushes/combs and then transfer to clean hair.
I’m not very good about cleaning my makeup brushes, and I’m AWFUL about cleaning my hair brushes. I usually just get cheap ones and by the time they’re looking… less than new… they get thrown away. I’m definitely going to use your tips and clean my combs soon!
Thanks for this reminder! I thought I was doing great by just removing the hair (and lint that develops after my husband uses it – eeww!) from my brush, but not so. Good analogy on running your dirty hands through it – ugh. Thankfully I too have lots of vinegar on hand and will be using it tonight!
Excellent post!. I am guilty of not washing my combs too :(… But I will :)
Yeah, I clean my brushes, but I only do it once a year…wah waaaaah *sad trombone* :P