Generally, we believe most of us have good personal hygiene habits. We brush and wash my teeth two to three times a day. We also wash our bath towels after only a few uses and will never sleep in your contacts. Some good habits take longer to form than others. The World Wide Web introduced us to a part of my hygiene that was lacking. It turns out that our hairbrush should be cleaned regularly. Most of us do a once-monthly thorough rake-through to remove tangled hairs and sometimes run it under hot water, but that’s all. It seems like no one else is deep-cleaning their hairbrushes. We absolutely should.

So, here’s the right way to wash your hairbrush clean of any product, dirt or oil. This will ensure that your hair doesn’t get clogged up with all that residue.

First, remove all hair strands from the hairbrush weekly. You can use your fingers for lazy people or those with limited time. For proper procedures, to remove the tangled hairs from your bristles, you should use a comb, or scissors. The hairball should be thrown away in the trash bag to avoid clogging the drain. Delightful.

Here’s the best part: Washing your hairbrush is the act that separates men from the boys and the women from the girls. You should do this once a month. Set a time and stick with it. Perhaps you wash your toothbrush the same day as your cell phone bill. Life is short, so give yourself something to look forward too.

You can expect a different cleaning process depending on the type of brush you use.

The most maintenance is possible with plastic vented brushes or combs, as they are very sturdy. Warm water, along with a generous amount of shampoo, should be added to a large bowl or sink. Allow the brush to soak for around 20 minutes. Once the brush completes its bath, you can scrub the base of the brush with a clean toothbrush. This will get rid of any lingering ick. To dry it completely, place it on a towel before use.

Brushes with squishy bases are more difficult to clean. The water can get trapped inside and create a stench that is worse than the residue left behind. Use warm water and mild shampoo to mix the solution. Dip your toothbrush in the mixture and scrub the brush’s base. After removing the gunk, rinse the toothbrush with warm water and scrub the brush base again using the wet and clean toothbrush. Dry the hairbrush with a towel. Then dry the hair brush and place the bristles on a towel to dry completely.

A wooden or natural bristle hairbrush should be washed at least once every alternate month because they tend to be more delicate. You can use hot water mixed with a few drops of tea tree oil to gently scrub the hairbrush with a clean toothbrush. You can rinse the oil + water solution by putting a little water on your brush’s base and then wipe it dry with a damp cloth. The brush should dry completely, bristles down on the towel.