How To Clean Wooden Hairbrush 101

Yes, wooden hair brushes are harder to clean than any other brush. However, cleaning hairbrushes is important. Especially if you want your hair to be in good health.

There are some simple ways to clean a wooden brush. Knowing the steps for cleaning the brush will make it easier for everyday cleaning.

So, how to clean a wooden hairbrush?

Cleaning a wooden brush is not as simple as cleaning other brushes. In order to get your brush shining again, first remove the tangled hair around the bristles. After that, take a piece of cloth and soak it on a mixture of water and tea tree oil. Wipe the brush clean. Clean the bristles with a toothbrush after that. Once the brush is clean, let it dry over a towel or cloth.

This is the way your wooden hairbrush will be good as new. However, if you want to know further about the steps of cleaning your wooden brush, read along. You’ll only have to spare a minute or two.

When Should You Clean A Wooden Brush?

Before we jump into the tutorial, let us first know when to clean a wooden hairbrush. We use our brush countless numbers of times a day. And a lot of our hair gets stuck on the bristles.

You’ll notice that in a week, the chunks of hair on the brush increases. Which makes brushing your hair difficult.

wooden hairbrush
Source: Desertcart

That’s when you’ll know it’s time to clean your brush. You’ll have to pluck out the chunk of hair on the roots of the hair bristles. This needs to be done every once a week.

But only cleaning out the hair from the bristles isn’t enough. You’ll also have to clean the wooden body of your hairbrush.

Because, with every use, the handles start to build up the hair products, dead skin cells, dust mites, lint, and dust. Even the natural oils from your hair. That’s why a wooden brush should be cleaned at least once in two weeks.

Why Should I Clean My Wooden Hairbrush?

Everything in a house needs a thorough clean-up. Including the brushes that we use on our hair.

Why?

Well, we use hairbrushes more than anything else in our daily routine. because of this heavy use, the hairbrush accumulates a lot of things. This might damage the wooden hairbrush.

There’s another reason why you should clean a hairbrush. And it’s the most important one. When we use the unclean hairbrush, all these things get brushed into our hair. As a result, our hair starts to look unhealthy after every use. The residue/lint on the hairbrush can lead to scalp odor, skin irritations, and oily hair.

Now, do you want to use a hairbrush that would damage your hair? If not, then let’s start cleaning your wooden hairbrush-

How To Clean The Wooden Hairbrush: Cleaning 101

Who doesn’t love using a wooden brush? They make our hair healthy and smooth with natural oil. A wooden hairbrush is also more durable than a plastic or metallic brush. However, to ensure its durability, we’ll need to learn how to clean it properly.

hairbrush cleaning
Source: Cosmopolitan

Cleaning a wooden brush is not similar to cleaning other brushes. Cleaning plastic or metallic brushes is easier to clean. On the other, a wooden hairbrush requires a lot more care and attention. That’s because wooden brushes and their natural bristles are delicate.

Tools:

Here’s what you’ll need to clean your wooden hairbrush-

  • Tea tree oil
  • Water (240 ml)
  • Two pieces of cloth
  • Toothbrush

Once you’ve gathered all the necessaries we can proceed with the operation.

So, now let us take a look at the method for cleaning a wooden brush. Following the step-by-step guide will help you to clean your hairbrush without any damage. It will become sparkly again in no time.

Step 1: Clean The Hair On The Bristles

As the first step of cleaning a wooden hairbrush, you’ll have to remove the chunks of hair tangled at the base of the bristles. For this step, you can use the sharp end of a comb to get the tangled hair out of the bristles.

Gently poke around the base and pull out the hair. Or use a scissor to make it easier to pull the bits of hair out. If there’s too much hair you can simply pull the hair clump out without poking with anything sharp. Make sure you don’t bend or break any of the bristles in the process.

Here’s a quick guide to help you with the process-

Amount of HairProcess
FewUse the sharp end of a comb or a tweezer to poke the hair out
ModerateUse a scissor to cut bits of the tangled hair out
LargePull the chunk out of the bristles. No need to poke.

Now make sure it’s possible to get all the hair out properly.

If it’s just lint and some hair in your brush, use some slime to get the gunk out. Just press the slime onto the brush plate, keep repeating until it seems clean.

But throw the slime away after use. Finally, there’ll be no grime on the hairbrush.

You could stop right here for getting your brush clean. Especially if you have low to moderate hair or gunk in your brush.

However, if you’re looking to thoroughly clean it, you should move onto the next step.

Step 2: Make The Cleaning Solution

After all the hair is out of the hairbrush, it’s time to make a cleaning solution. For this, we’ll take a bowl of 250ml water, preferably hot. Put 5 drops of tea tree essential oil into the bowl. Steer the mixture and the solution is ready.

There is a lot of tea tree oils you can choose from. But we’ve gathered the best ones for your use-

tea tree oil now foods 4 oz essoil

Tea Tree Oil Now Foods 4 oz EssOil

africa's best ultimate organic tea tree stimulating growth oil

Africa’s Best Ultimate Organic Tea Tree Stimulating Growth Oil

You can also use soap water or shampoo to create the mixture. However, tea tree oil is a better cleaning agent due to its antimicrobial properties. However, if you have colored hair you should avoid it.

Step 3: Clean The Brush With Washcloth

For this step, you’ll need to take a cloth for cleaning the hairbrush. All you need to do is soak the piece of cloth in the solution.

After that, clean the entire hairbrush with the cloth. Make sure the brush doesn’t get too wet. Because too much water can damage the wooden polish or surface. Just scrub the wooden handles and the back until all the dirt is off.

Step 4: Use A Toothbrush

Once you are done cleaning the hairbrush with a washcloth, let’s start cleaning the bristles. For this, you’ll need to use a toothbrush. Soak the toothbrush in the mixture and start working your way gently through the bristles.

clean wooden hairbrush
Source: Hello Nest

It’s better not to put too much pressure if the bristles are wooden or natural. They might bend or get broken with too much force. Clean it until the bristles are clean and brighter again.

Step 5: Let The Brush Dry

After the brush has been scrubbed and cleaned, take a dry cloth and pat the hairbrush dry. After that, put the hairbrush bristle-side down on a towel or a piece of cloth. A wooden brush usually takes a longer time to dry than a metallic or plastic brush. So you might have to leave it overnight.

Congrats! Your wooden hairbrush is clean again!

Preventions

Wooden brush or combs require some care. There are a few things we can do to increase its durability. For example, we should never use a wet hairbrush. This makes the deliberate bristles bend.

We should also keep in mind that no hair gets stuck on the bristle base of the brush. This way, the brush will remain in good shape. For this, we can take the hair out after every use.

Wooden hairbrushes are advised to clean once every week. So you won’t have to use the unclean brush on your hair.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are wooden brushes good for your hair?

Yes! The natural oil of wood helps to keep the hair conditioned and moisturized. It also helps to distribute the natural oil to the scalp through the hair. The wooden brush also tends to reduce hair breakage.

How do you clean wooden combs?

Cleaning a wooden comb is easy! Soak the comb into a mixture of water and soap/mild detergent for 2-3 minutes. After that wipe the dirt off with a clean and dry cloth.

Can I clean a wooden hairbrush with water?

Yes you can. But it’s discouraged to do so. Make sure you’re not soaking or rinsing the hairbrush with water for too long. It damages the wood. Make sure the brush dries out completely.

Signing Off

Now that you know how to clean wooden hair brush, you’ll be able to take care of them again. However, make sure the bristle base doesn’t get ruined in the process. You need to remain extra careful about that.

Let us know if we could help you to clean your wooden brush in the comments.

Till then, happy cleaning!

Katharyn Riedel

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