How to Clean a Hairbrush (and Get Rid of Greasy Hair for Good!)

If your hair gets greasy in record time, you might want to clean your hairbrush. And no, we don't mean simply removing the hair from the brush's bristles. We mean soaking your brush in soap and water to get rid of all the buildup.

A TikTok recently went viral that showed just how dirty hairbrushes can get. After spotting a video from the UK-based salon Unitfour, Katie Farhood—a makeup artist—decided to test out her own hairbrushes. After letting them soak for an hour, the water was no longer clear—it was super dirty and oily.

Similar to how your makeup brushes carry products and form bacteria, your hairbrushes carry skin particles, hair, and hair products. So when you brush your clean hair using a dirty brush, it's no surprise that it doesn't take long for it to look and feel oily again.

To avoid oily hair, the experts at Unitfour recommend deep-cleaning your hairbrushes regularly. Aside from doing your hair a favor, learning how to clean a hairbrush also benefits the planet. When you take good care of your hair tools, you'll be able to use them for longer and reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills.

You only need a few things to get started. Follow along below for the step-by-step instructions on how to clean a hairbrush.

How to Clean a Hairbrush

What You Need:

Dirty hairbrush
Clarifying shampoo
Dish soap

Instructions:

1. Clean the hair out of your brush's bristles.
2. Put your hairbrush (or brushes) in a bowl or a sink with the drain closed.
3. Add clarifying shampoo and dish soap.
4. Fill the bowl or sink with warm water.
5. Let the brush soak for about an hour.
6. When the time's up, get rid of the dirty water, rinse off the brush, and let it air-dry.