How to clean your hairbrush (because the stuff lurking in it is disgusting)

When was the last time you used your hairbrush? Recently? And, err, when was the last time you washed it? If the answer to that last question was one big, rolling tumbleweed, then you’re not alone.

A shocking report by the University of Arizona unearthed that hairbrushes are the worst breeding ground for bacteria, housing even more than a plughole or a dog bowl (yikes). It was found that the average hairbrush harbours almost 3,500 colonies of bacteria per square inch thanks to a build up of dead skin cells and lingering hair products. This, it would seem, makes an exceedingly comfy pad for microbes.

“People often underestimate how important it is to keep your hairbrush clean, but it’s incredibly important,” says Neil Barton, Goldwell Ambassador and Owner of Neil Barton Hair.

“Not cleaning your hairbrush can lead to germs and bacteria being passed onto your hair and scalp from the residue on the brush, and this can leave your hair looking not only greasy, but also limp and lifeless.” Not all are harmful, but if left to thrive, they can cause odour and even skin irritation.

“Think about it this way,” says Neil, “if you’ve just cleaned your hair and then you go over it with a brush you haven’t cleaned in a while, you are just basically making your hair dirty all over again.”

Bleurghh. Noted. The question is, how can we thoroughly clean our hairbrush to ensure we have the best damn hair going?

“My advice would be to remove loose hair from your hairbrush at least three times a week and give your brush a good deep clean in warm water with mild shampoo every one to two weeks, or more often if you have longer hair,” advises Neil.

“Simply soak the hairbrush in some warm water mixed with some gentle shampoo in order to break down product build up in the hairbrush and give it a good deep clean.”

Right. We’re off to the sink…

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