Your hairbrush undoubtedly collects loose hairs, but if you look a bit closer, you could also see lint and other particles. Learn how to clean lint from a hairbrush with our guide.

hair brush build up or lint

A summary of “How to Get Lint Out of a Brush?”

Humans have a scalp covering 80,000–120,000 hairs, and they shed 50–100 hair strands every day on average. Your hairbrush picks up a lot of stuff.

The following actions must be taken to remove the dust, dandruff, and hair oil that have accumulated on your hairbrush.

  • Dead hair should be removed from your hairbrush.
  • For a few minutes, let the hairbrush soak in warm water with shampoo.
  • Use a fresh toothbrush to scrub the hairbrush.
  • Rinse and air-dry your hairbrush.

Because a filthy hairbrush may contain germs, cleaning it is crucial for the health of your scalp.

So start collecting your supplies and go to the sink to start cleaning your favorite hairbrush to get rid of any possible germs, lint, grime, scalp oils, and dandruff.

Four Steps to Cleaning a Hairbrush of Lint

As hair brushing is only one of the numerous things you do every day, cleaning your hairbrush is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about cleaning.

Since you generally don’t look at your hairbrush attentively, it’s unlikely that you’re also considering the possibility of infections and irritation of the scalp from it. Your hairbrush develops lint as a result of dandruff, hair products, dust and fabric particles.

The startling reality is that there are 1,220 short-lived bacteria and 4,838 long-lived microorganisms residing on your scalp. Therefore, part of this bacteria may move to your hairbrush when you brush your hair and mix with the lint and debris.

You should wash your hairbrush every few weeks in order to keep your hair-brushing practice a bit more hygienic and sanitary. By doing so, you’ll avoid a buildup of lint and germs on your brush and keep them out of your hair.

To help you get a pristinely clean hairbrush, let’s look more closely at the cleaning procedure.

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Clean your hairbrush of any dead hair

There are a few techniques you may use to remove all of the old, dead hair from your hairbrush. Start removing hair with your fingers as your initial course of action. To attempt to get the hair out, you may also use a comb.

The hair clumps should be able to be split apart by the comb’s teeth so they may be pulled up. You may require scissors to cut through any sizable clumps of hair that have been matted to your brushes if your fingers and the comb aren’t doing anything to help.

When doing this, take care not to cut the brush’s bristles. It should only take a few snips until the hair may be loosened with your fingers and a comb. Pick off any stray hairs with tweezers. Matting on your hairbrush may be brought on by hair products and significant hair accumulation.

Hairbrush matts may also make it difficult for the brush to go smoothly through your hair. Even trash and dust may be deposited into your hair by the clumps.

For this reason, after each brushing, you should get rid of any hair strands that are clinging to the bristles. Avoid flushing the hair down the toilet and be sure to dispose of it in the garbage.

Large hair clumps may obstruct pipes and make cleaning your hairbrush a much larger and more expensive issue. The following step may be taken after the bulk of the old hair has been removed from your brush.

For a few minutes, let the hairbrush soak in warm water with shampoo.

Soak your hairbrush as your next course of action. You’ll need the following for this:

  • A sink fill with warm water.
  • Dish soap or shampoo
  • Baking soda

Grab some shampoo, then mix it in with the water until it begins to appear a bit sudsy. If you wish to, you may also add a little bit of baking soda to the water.

Baking soda dissolves and breaks down dirt and other organic matter to remove it from surfaces. Baking soda falls under the category of mild abrasives and has a pH of 9 (low acidity). If you see that your brush has a lot of crud clinging to it, do this.

Remember that plastic brushes are resilient and can handle the majority of soaps. Brushes made of wood or other natural materials may be a bit more brittle. Therefore, it is suggested to use a light soap or shampoo on these hairbrushes to assist avoid damage

Long-term soaking of wooden brushes may also harm them. Throw your hairbrush into the sink after your water combination is prepared, and let it soak there for a while. Try your best to just wet the bristle side of a wooden brush if you have one.

Use a fresh toothbrush to scrub the hairbrush.

You’ll probably still see some lint and dandruff wrapped round the bottom of the bristles of your hairbrush after immersing it in the soapy water.

You’ll need to fetch the clean toothbrush you set aside earlier by dipping it in the soapy water to remove this buildup. Start cleaning the base of the bristles on your hairbrush using the toothbrush.

You may attempt to dislodge the bigger, more obvious bits with your fingers. Remember to frequently rinse off any residue you loosened by dipping your hairbrush back into the water.

To avoid rubbing the lint and crud back into the hairbrush, you may want to rinse the toothbrush once in a while as well. Drain the soapy water after your hairbrush is clean, then clean the toothbrush for storage.

Rinse and dry your hairbrush.

Now that your hairbrush has been rinsed, let it dry. Take your hairbrush and run it under warm to cool water to clean it. Try to rub off the hairbrush with any residual soap, dirt, or lint with your fingertips.

You may begin drying your brush with a towel after the last bit of grime and soap has been flushed down the sink drain. Attempt to soak up any water which is on your hairbrush with a facecloth, hand towel, or any towel you have on hand.

Try to squeeze or ring out any water that your hairbrush’s bristles that resemble hair may have absorbed. Put your hairbrush on your towel for a few hours after cleaning it and ringing out the bristles with the bristles facing down.

By doing so, any extra water may drain from the hairbrush. To stop further germs or mold from forming on your hairbrush, you should completely dry it off. Put your hairbrush back where it belongs and start using it once it is completely dry.

Questions and Answers

Here are some often-asked queries about how to remove lint from a hairbrush.

Why does my hairbrush have lint in it?

Although the environment in which you store your hairbrush might cause it to accumulate lint, the majority of what you are seeing isn’t lint. The majority of the fibers you can see are made up of dust, dandruff, hair oils, and discarded hair products.

Why is my hairbrush covered with dust?

If you discover dust in your hairbrush, it was probably brought on by your surroundings. Your hairbrush will rapidly get covered in any dust or other dirt that is floating about in your surroundings. To avoid dust buildup, keep your hairbrush in a drawer or cupboard.

Can vinegar be used to clean a hairbrush?

Due to its strong acidity, which may cause your hairbrush to break down if you soak it for an extended period, vinegar is often not the ideal item to use to clean your hairbrush. However, since it can eliminate germs, it is a fantastic substance to use to scour the bristle bed of your brush. Your hairbrush may be gently scrubbed with vinegar and warm water before being rinsed.

Can a dirty hairbrush cause greasy hair?

Yes, using a filthy brush may give your hair a greasy, nasty feeling. This sensation is brought on by the accumulation of oils and hair products on your head. You are effectively putting all those old dried-up hair products and oils into your clean hair when you brush it with a filthy hairbrush. To avoid this, frequently clean your hairbrush.

How frequent should a hairbrush be changed?

Cleaning your hairbrush regularly is a fantastic approach to maintaining the cleanliness of your hair care regimen, but occasionally this is insufficient. About once a year, you should usually change your hairbrush. If you consistently clean it once every few weeks, you may be able to retain it longer.

What’s the best way to clean lint out of a hairbrush?

For the health of your hair and scalp, a clean hairbrush is essential. Therefore, you can quickly clean your hairbrush with some soap, water, and a little scrubbing if you start to notice that it is beginning to appear a bit linty.

Apply the four methods listed above to restore your hairbrush’s original appearance and clean it of all lint and other filthy particles. This article is intended to assist you in permanently getting rid of tension (and lint) from your life and your brush.