How to Clean Hair Brushes at Home: Easy Steps for Every Brush Type

That gray layer at the base of your hair brush is lint, dust, old styling product, scalp oil and skin flakes, and it goes back onto your hair every time you brush. Learning how to clean hair brushes takes about ten minutes, and you probably have everything you need under the bathroom sink.

Jump to what you need:

• The 5-step method for any brush
• Your brush type: paddle, round, boar bristle, wooden, wet, beard, wave or hot air brush
• Combs
• A really dirty brush, lint, or a musty smell
• Homemade cleaner, disinfecting, and brushes after lice
• How often to clean it

Before You Start

What You Need to Clean a Hair Brush

You don't need a special cleaner. Gather these:

• A rat-tail comb, a pen or tweezers to lift out hair
• Small scissors for hair that is wound tightly around the bristles
• Shampoo or a mild dish soap
• A bowl or sink of warm water
• An old, soft toothbrush for scrubbing between the bristles
• A clean towel
• Optional: white vinegar or baking soda for a deep clean, rubbing alcohol for disinfecting

Total time: about 10 minutes of work, plus drying time.

Check What Your Brush Is Made Of

The material decides how much water your brush can take, so check it first:

• All plastic or metal (most vented, detangling and round brushes): safe to soak for a few minutes.
• Cushion pad (the soft rubber base on most paddle brushes): keep water out of the pad.
• Wood handle or natural boar bristles: never soak; dip the bristles only.
• Has a cord or a motor (hot air brushes): never put it in water at all.

How to Clean a Hair Brush in 5 Easy Steps

This is how to wash a hair brush made of plastic, and it works for vented and most paddle brushes too. For wooden, boar bristle or cushioned brushes, follow the same steps but dip only the bristles in Step 2.

Step 1: Pull Out the Hair

Run the tail of a comb (or a pen) along the base of the bristles and lift the hair up and out. If the hair is wrapped tightly, snip across it with scissors and pull the pieces free. Get as much out as you can before any water touches the brush.

Step 2: Wash the Bristles in Soapy Water

Fill a bowl with warm water and add a few drops of shampoo or dish soap. Swish the bristles around. A plastic brush can soak for a few minutes; Conair, which makes hair brushes, suggests about three minutes for plastic brushes and a "dip, shake" approach for padded ones so the cushion never gets soaked.

Step 3: Scrub the Base

Dip an old toothbrush in the soapy water and scrub around the base of each row of bristles, where oil and product collect. For sticky hairspray or dry shampoo buildup, put a little baking soda on the toothbrush and scrub again.

Step 4: Rinse Well

Rinse the bristles under running water with the brush held face down, so water runs off rather than into the base. Keep rinsing until there are no suds left, then give it a few hard shakes.

Step 5: Air-Dry Bristle-Side Down

Lay the brush bristles-down on a clean towel and leave it until it is completely dry, ideally overnight. Drying it face down lets water drain out of the base instead of pooling in the pad or soaking into the wood.

How to Clean Each Type of Hair Brush

Find your brush in the table, then read its section below for the details.

How to Clean a Paddle Brush

Most paddle brushes have a rubber cushion with a tiny air hole. If water gets trapped inside, the pad stays damp and can start to smell. Pull out the hair, then dip just the bristles in soapy water, shake, and repeat a few times instead of soaking. Scrub between the pins with a toothbrush, rinse with the brush face down, and dry it bristles-down.

How to Clean a Round Hair Brush

Round brushes trap hair in a spiral around the barrel, so a comb alone rarely gets it all. Slide small scissors along the barrel to cut through the wrapped hair, then pull the pieces out. Soak a plastic or metal round brush in soapy water for a few minutes, scrub along the barrel with a toothbrush, and rinse. If yours has a ceramic or metal barrel, don't leave it in the water longer than that.

How to Clean a Boar Bristle Brush

Natural boar bristles are softer and hold onto oil, so they need a gentle wash. Comb out the hair and dust first, then dip only the bristle tips in lukewarm water with a drop of mild shampoo, swish, and rinse the tips. Don't soak the brush and don't use hot water, which can dry out the bristles and loosen the glue in the base. Dry it face down.

How to Clean a Wooden Hair Brush

Too much water can make the wood swell, crack or lose its finish. Remove the hair, dip only the bristles in soapy water, and wipe the handle and back with a damp cloth. Dry the wood with a towel straight away, then leave the brush face down to finish drying.

How to Clean a Wet Brush or Detangling Brush

Detangling brushes are usually all plastic, which makes them the easiest to clean. Pull out the hair, soak the brush in warm soapy water for a few minutes, scrub the base with a toothbrush, rinse, and lay it face down to dry.

How to Clean a Soft Bristle Brush

Soft nylon or plastic bristles bend easily, so skip the hard scrubbing. Swish the brush in soapy water, work the base gently with your fingertips or a soft toothbrush, rinse, and lay it face down so the bristles dry straight.

How to Clean a Beard Brush or Wave Brush

Beard brushes and wave brushes are usually natural boar bristle on a wooden base, so clean them like any boar bristle brush. Comb out loose hair, dip the bristle tips in lukewarm water with a drop of mild shampoo, rinse the tips, and dry the brush face down. Beard oil and wave pomade build up fast, so a quick wash once a week keeps the bristles soft. If you groom a beard, a beard trimming kit with steel shears and a comb keeps the comb part of the routine easy too.

How to Clean a Hot Air Brush

A hot air brush (a blow-dryer brush) has a motor and a cord, so it never goes in water. Unplug it and let it cool completely. Pull the hair out of the bristles with a comb, then wipe the bristles and barrel with a barely damp cloth. Clean dust and lint out of the air intake vent with a small dry brush; hot-tool manuals ask for this because a blocked vent makes the motor work harder. Follow the cleaning steps in your own model's manual. Let it dry fully before you plug it in again.

How to Clean Combs

Combs are easier than brushes. Soak plastic combs in warm soapy water for a few minutes, then run a toothbrush along both sides of the teeth to loosen buildup. A piece of dental floss pulled between the teeth gets the stubborn bits out. Rinse and leave the comb to dry on a towel. Wooden combs follow the same rule as wooden brushes: wipe them with a damp, soapy cloth rather than soaking.

How to Fix Common Hair Brush Problems

Sometimes a basic wash isn't enough. Here are the usual problems and what to do about each.

A Really Dirty Brush with Product Buildup

If a brush is coated in old hairspray, gel or dry shampoo, one wash won't do it. Pull out every bit of hair first, then soak a plastic brush in warm water with a good squeeze of dish soap for 10 to 15 minutes to soften the buildup. Scrub the base with a toothbrush and a little baking soda, rinse, and repeat once if needed. For wooden or boar bristle brushes, skip the long soak and do two or three rounds of dip, scrub and rinse instead.

Lint and Gray Fuzz Stuck in the Bristles

That gray fuzz is a mix of lint from towels and clothes, dust, dead skin and old product. Conair lists the same culprits: "dust, dirt, lint, product buildup, oil and skin flakes." To get it out:

1. Comb through the bristles in one direction with a fine-tooth comb, starting at the base, so the fuzz lifts to the top.
2. Pinch it off with your fingers or tweezers.
3. Wash the brush as usual to clear what is left at the base.

To keep lint from coming back, comb out loose hair every few days and keep the brush in a drawer or a branded toiletry bag instead of on an open counter, where dust and towel fluff settle on it.

A Musty Smell or Mold in a Cushion Brush

A musty smell usually means water got trapped inside the cushion pad. Wash the bristles, then dry the brush face down somewhere warm and airy until the pad is completely dry; Conair suggests a quick blast from a hair dryer for padded brushes in humid weather to avoid "a moldy result." If you can see mold on the pad or the smell comes back after drying, replace the brush.

No Toothbrush? Use What You Have

You can clean a hair brush without a toothbrush. A cotton swab dipped in soapy water reaches the base between bristles, a clean nail brush works on wide paddle brushes, and a second comb run through the bristles lifts out loosened gunk.

How to Deep Clean, Disinfect and Sanitize a Hair Brush

A quick soapy wash is enough most weeks. About once a month, or when a brush has been shared or used on someone who was unwell, give it a deeper clean. You can't truly sterilize a hair brush at home the way a lab would, but the methods below disinfect it well.

Homemade Hair Brush Cleaner

With Vinegar and Baking Soda

Mix about a cup of warm water with a tablespoon of baking soda and a splash of white vinegar. Soak a plastic brush for around 10 minutes, then scrub with a toothbrush and rinse. For wooden or boar bristle brushes, skip the soak: dip the toothbrush in the mixture and scrub the bristles only. Baking soda gently scours off residue, and vinegar helps cut through oily buildup.

With Rubbing Alcohol

To sanitize a clean brush, wipe the bristles and base with a cotton pad dampened with rubbing alcohol, or spray them lightly and let it evaporate. This works well on plastic and metal. Keep it off boar bristles, which alcohol can leave dry and brittle, and off wooden handles to protect the finish.

How to Clean Hair Brushes and Combs After Lice

After a lice treatment, every comb and brush the person used needs cleaning. The CDC says to soak combs and brushes in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5 to 10 minutes. Pull out all hair first, then soak. Water this hot can warp some plastic and damage wooden or boar bristle brushes, so if a brush can't take the heat, it may be easier to replace it.

How Often to Clean Your Hair Brush

How often depends on how you use the brush.

This matters because the CDC notes that dead skin, dirt, product residue and sweat build up on the scalp, which can lead to greasy hair and a higher risk of infection, and it advises against sharing brushes and combs. A dirty brush puts all of that straight back on clean hair.

Habits That Keep a Brush Clean Longer

• Pull loose hair out after each use; it takes ten seconds and stops lint from matting in.
• Use one brush for styling products and a different one for brushing clean, dry hair.
• Store brushes dry and covered, not in a steamy shower caddy.
• Give each person in the house their own brush and comb.

When to Replace a Hair Brush

Replace a brush when bristles are bent, melted or missing, when the cushion pad is torn or smells musty, when the handle has cracked, or when buildup stays put no matter how well you clean it. A worn brush snags and breaks hair rather than detangling it.

Hair Brushes and Combs for Salons, Barbershops and Spas

If you run a salon, barbershop or spa, a branded comb or travel brush is a gift clients use every day, and it carries your name into their bathroom. Browse our promotional products for salons, barbershops and spas, our custom combs with your logo, and custom compact mirrors, including mirror-and-brush sets for purses and gym bags. For ideas, our barbershop marketing ideas cover in-chair giveaways and loyalty rewards, and our guide to barbershop digital marketing covers getting found on Google.

Frequently Asked Questions