How To Clean The Bristles Of A Hairbrush

One of the best ways to keep your hair healthy is to invest in a boar bristle hair brush, preferably one with 100% boar bristles. They keep your hair soft and shiny, and the boar bristles soak up oils from your head.

You should regularly clean your boar bristle brush. Here's why.
Toxins, oils, dirt and hair build up quickly on your hairbrush. To keep your boar bristle brush in tip-top condition, we recommend cleaning it weekly. If you don't keep your brush clean, it won't be soaking up the oils from your head, it will just be spreading last week's (or last month's) build-up all over your hair! Yuck!

Use warm water to wash your boar bristle brush What you'll need to clean your boar bristle brush

A comb (teeth averagely spaced, not too fine and not too wide)
Liquid shampoo or soap – sulphate free/natural is preferable, but not essential
Warm water

Now you've got everything you need, here are the steps to follow to clean your boar bristle brush thoroughly.

Steps to cleaning your brush

Remove the hair with a comb. Start at the roots of the bristles and pull towards the ends, being careful not to pull out any bristles.
Next, gently cleanse your brush with shampoo and very warm water, using a cloth to wipe the bristles and handle. It's best not to submerge it, as this can cause mold, as well as a rather unpleasant smell until it's dry! If you can avoid it, it's best not to get the rubber cushion too wet.
After you've washed your brush, give the bristles a good rinse with cold water.
Squeeze out any excess water that may be trapped underneath the rubber cushion. This part is important, as trapped water can cause mould, and also weaken the brush over time.
Run your fingers over the bristles a few times to flick away most of the water.
Finally, lay your brush face down on a towel to dry fully. It's important to leave it face down to make sure no water runs into the cushioned part of the brush.

If you do happen to notice a strange smell, don't worry, this will go away once the brush is fully dry. Make sure the brush is completely dry before using it on your hair again. Remember to look after your boar bristle brush and it will, in turn, look after your hair.

If you haven't got yourself a boar bristle brush yet, where have you been? Click the link to see our range of Mason Pearson hairbrushes. If you're not sure which type of hairbrush would be right for you, give our clever Hair Brush Selector Tool a whirl!