The only time you want to see greasy hair is at a 50’s-themed party… and even then, it can make you want to douse those locks with dry shampoo – STAT. Worse than cramping your style, over-oily hair can hinder your confidence, and make you feel completely out of your own skin.

While there are plenty of culprits that cause oily hair, like over-shampooing, under-shampooing, or over-conditioning your scalp, oil, dirt, and grime might be sneaking into your hair from a place you'd least suspect... your hairbrush.

Maintaining your hairbrush for healthier hair

Our hairbrush sees a lot of our hair and in all sorts of conditions: dirty, wet, dry, and loaded with different hair products. With all that action, it’s easy to see how our hairbrush can get clogged up with hair, dead skin cells and other residue and debris.

Unfortunately, every time you run that clogged-up comb through your hair, it's transferring bits of old gunk back onto your scalp and through your hair – yuck!

3 steps to maintain your favorite hairbrush

To help keep your hairbrush (and therefore your hair) happier, here’s a 3-step guide to maintaining all the beautiful hairbrushes in your life!

1. Frequently Examine Your Hairbrush

Examine your hairbrush once every two weeks to make sure it’s still functioning the way you need it to, and not causing damage. While some signs of wear and tear on your hairbrush are more obvious than others, some are a little more subtle, like curving or missing bristles.

While examining your hairbrush, look for:

• A cracked bristle bed
• Structural damage such as bent, broken, or missing bristles (which can rip or damage hair strands)
• Debris, tangled hair, or other residues caked in and around the bristles

2. Routinely Clean Your Hairbrush

It’s a good habit to pull out excess hair from your brush after every use, or at the very least, every couple of days. But it’s a better idea to deep-clean your hairbrush once per week if you’re regularly using hair products such as creams, gels and sprays.

To do a deep clean of your hairbrush, follow these steps:

• Remove hair – Work up excess hair inside the bristle-bed with a pointed object (rat-tail comb, pencil, pen), then, using scissors, cut away any tangled hair stuck around the bristles.
• Cleanse – Fill a basin with warm water, two teaspoons of baking soda, and a dollop of shampoo. Stir up the water until it’s nice and sudsy, then soak your hairbrush for about 3 – 5 minutes (if it’s a plastic brush, submerge it completely, but if it’s a wooden brush, soak only the bristles and bristle-bed to avoid damaging the wood).
• Scrub – Using an old toothbrush, scrub at the bristle-bed and clean each bristle starting from the base then working up, getting rid of any residue or other debris. Dip and shake your brush a few times after you scrub.
• Rinse & Dry – Rinse the brush out with lukewarm water, then place it bristle side down to drain any excess water and allow it to air dry.

3. Regularly Replace Your Hairbrush

Just like your toothbrush, your hairbrush will become so ineffective and worn out that it will eventually need to be replaced. A good rule of thumb here is to replace your hairbrush every 6 months to keep it working the way it should.

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Happy hair-brushing to all!

Your hairbrush is your hair's best friend, so don't let dirt and grime come between them. With proper cleaning and maintenance, you can be sure your hair is getting the brushing treatment it deserves, leaving you with smooth, fabulous hair!