Since your hair combs come in contact with your hair on a daily basis, it’s a no-brainer that over time, they’ll collect a buildup of stuff. Whether that’s dead skin cells, dirt, or debris, they all accumulate so it’s necessary to know how to clean your combs. Of course, I get how busy you are, luckily, these comb-cleaning tips are quick and easy anyone can do them.
Clean combs and brushes equal healthy hair as dirty ones certainly lead to scalp irritations and more. Sometimes, that itch in your scalp isn’t the result of a serious medical condition. It could just be a reaction to the not-so-pleasant state of your hair tools. In this case, regularly cleaning your combs and brushes is the only way to prevent the condition from occurring all the time. In order words, there’s no use in treating dandruff and ringworms if you’d only invite them again with dirty hair combs.
Check out this easy 5 steps guide on how to clean a comb…
#1. Remove debris
To begin cleaning your hair combs and brushes, first, remove debris from them. You can either use a toothpick, a tail comb, or your fingers. It all depends on the size of the comb/brush you’re cleaning. Ensure you remove as much hair debris as possible as doing this properly gets you ready for the next step.
#2. Soak comb/brush
After removing all the debris, soak your tools for a few minutes in warm water with bath gel or shampoo. This helps to soften and remove dirt, debris, and product buildup. Soaking your hair comb/brush in a mild soap or shampoo is advised against using detergents or other strong solutions.
#3. Scrub with a toothbrush
After a few minutes, your tools would have soaked properly, thus debris becomes easier to remove. At this point, use a toothbrush (for combs) and a Q-tip/cotton bud (for brushes) to scrub off the remaining debris from the tools. Do this carefully as you’ll want to take off as much dirt as possible. Follow this with a good rinse when done.
#4. Dry off properly
Fourth on the list of comb-cleaning tips is drying. Preferably, you should air-dry your tools. However, if you are pressed for time, use a cloth/paper towel to dry them. In addition, you can also use a blow dryer to speed up the process. When air drying brushes, make sure to lay the bristles downward on a towel to prevent the water from settling into the bristles. This helps prevent bacteria.
#5. Store your brushes and combs well
Store your combs and brush comb inside your drawers so you can see them laid out perfectly. Alternatively, reuse old jars and containers lying around the house. These not only work perfectly but also help save our planet. Remember the reduce, reuse, recycle motto?
How to care for your combs/brushes
As stated earlier, cleaning your comb is important for the well-being of your hair but there are other things to do to keep your brushes in great shape. This ensures their durability and also that they do the wonders for your hair that you expect them to.
- Remove hair debris from your comb as soon as you’re done brushing your hair. This makes it easy for you to wash whenever you choose to.
- Keep wooden combs away from water for a prolonged period as over-exposure to water doesn’t play nicely with the wood.
- Try as much as possible not to share combs with strangers. This is an easy way to transfer “stuff” from their comb to your hair and then to your comb.
- Sanitize your combs and brushes frequently using alcohol or vinegar. Think of this as an easy way to clean your comb/brush without having to go through the above process.
- When cleaning a comb that has been exposed to lice, boil the comb in hot water for about 15 minutes to ensure the lice and its eggs are dead. Follow this with sanitizing with alcohol.
Featured image: Mykola Sosiukin/iStock
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