While typing my recent post about washing my hair less, I learned that boar bristle brushes should be cleaned regularly and thoroughly. I had no idea! Sure, I’d combed the bristles of mine occasionally, but that was about it. I’m not sure why it never occurred to me to give my boar bristle brush a deep cleaning, since a cleaner brush would logically result in cleaner hair. Behaving logically might not be something that comes naturally to me.
For those of you who are completely unfamiliar with boar bristle brushes, or if you’re like me and have simply failed to clean yours until now, here’s my simplified version of the cleaning process:
- Before cleaning your brush with soap and water, get as much of the hair/dandruff/debris out of the dry bristles with a comb. I used one with fine teeth, and it did a pretty impressive job.
- Massage bristles with warm water and gentle cleanser. worked well for me.
- Rinse your brush with warm water.
- Dry the bristles with a towel, comb the bristles a few more times for good measure, and then place your brush face down on the towel to dry.
I also noticed a pretty unpleasant smell while cleaning my brush. I’m not sure if it was the dirt I was removing from the brush, the wet bristles, or a combination of the two. Either way, the smell was gone once the bristles were dry, and for this I was grateful.
Thanks to my freshly washed brush, my hair feels cleaner and looks shinier. Imagine that!
Filed under: advice, hair care, health and beauty
Tags: boar bristle brush, clean hair, comb, Dr. Bronner's, hair, hairbrush, shiny hair
