When was the last time you cleaned your hair brush and comb?

For some cleaning, their brushes and combs are routine, while others may see this as a chore or something that is rarely done. As with anything, it's important to maintain your tools before performing a task i.e. combing your hair. Proper maintenance of your hair tools is important, your hair will thank you for it. For some people, wash day is a lengthy process so why would you want to use unclean hair tools on your newly washed hair.

Here are a few simple steps to follow to maintaining your combs and brushes properly.

1. Removing excess hair from your brush. To start the process, you should begin pulling the excess hair from your brush by hand. Ideally, this task should be completed after each use. If this task isn't done regularly, this may take some time to complete. If you are unable to remove all excess hair from your brushes, it is okay the remaining hairs can be removed in the additional steps.

 2. Comb your remaining hair from your brush. To dislodge the remaining hairs in your brush, use a comb starting at the base of the brush moving upwards. Also, keep in mind to use a comb that was wide enough teeth as to not cause any damage to the brush but close enough to remove the hair.

3. Give the Combs and Brush a good soaking. For this step, you should fill the sink with hot soapy water. Clarifying shampoo is a good choice as a cleaning agent. Clarifying shampoo is designed to be more aggressive with breaking down oily buildup and residue from hair. If you don't have any clarifying shampoo, a general shampoo is satisfactory. You will need to completely submerge your combs and brushes into the soapy water. If possible, allow your hair tools to soak for at least 30 minutes.

Tip: Don't boil or bleach your hair tools. The high temperature from the water may cause damage to your hair tools. The bleach may not easily wash out of the bristles of your hairbrush leaving a risk for getting bleach in your hair the next time you use it.

4. An old toothbrush to the rescue. If your combs still have some remaining residue lying between the teeth, an old toothbrush can be ideal to help in the removal process. If necessary, add some additional shampoo directly to the toothbrush to scrub away the buildup. 

5. Fingers to the rescue again. After soaking your hairbrushes, you may want to use your fingers or the old toothbrush to help remove any additional residue. For help with any additional buildup on your brushes, you may need to apply additional shampoo to breakdown the residue. You should continue to move your fingers or toothbrush through the bristles of the brush.

6. Time to air dry. After thoroughly rinsing your tools in clean water, you will need to place your combs and brushes on a towel, washcloth or paper towel to let them dry thoroughly. To help the brushes to dry completely, they should be stored bristle side down to allow any excess water to drain.