Just like your makeup brushes and blenders, your hair tools fall victim to product buildup. But have you ever cleaned them? Aside from removing hair from our paddle brush, we admit we never had. Until we learned that cleaning your hair tools will actually make your hair look even better, because they’ll work properly and won’t transfer any gunk to your freshly shampooed locks (gross). Here’s how to clean the three popular hair tools.
How to Clean Your Hair Tools (Because It's Been a While)
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Published Feb 19, 2019
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How To Clean Your Hair Brush
What you need: A comb, shampoo and a toothbrush.
Hold the brush in one hand and run the needle of the comb through the bristles a few times to loosen any hair.
Next, it’s time to suds it up. Once a month, you should shampoo your brush to remove any caked on dirt, oil, lint and product buildup. Swirl the head of the brush around in a bowl of warm water (you don’t want to submerge the whole thing or it might harm the cushion or any wooden parts). Then, put a few drops of gentle shampoo on a clean toothbrush and begin scrubbing the bristles and the base of the hairbrush. Rinse it in a clean bowl of water until all the suds are gone. Dry it overnight by placing it on a towel with the bristles facing down. When you wake up, your brush will be as good as new.
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How To Clean Your Curling Iron
What you need: Magic Eraser, baking soda and a warm, damp cloth.
First, make sure it’s unplugged and completely cool. Then take your Magic Eraser straight to the buildup. A few passes and you should actually see the stains lift off right before your eyes. If that doesn’t do the trick, sprinkle a bit of baking soda onto the iron and continue to scrub with the Magic Eraser. Again, when you’re done, wipe down the entire flat iron with a damp cloth. Your iron will be sparkling in no time.
Shop curling irons: Hot Tools ($50); Nume ($69); DryBar ($145)
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How To Clean Your Hair Straightener
What you need: Cotton balls, rubbing alcohol and a warm, damp cloth.
When your hair straightener is completely cool (and unplugged), apply rubbing alcohol to cotton balls and gently swab them over the plates. Then take a Magic Eraser to any stubborn spots (like the lip between the plate and the plastic). When you’re done, wipe down the entire hair straightener with the cloth.
Shop flatirons: Chi ($72); BaBylisspro ($140); GHD ($249)
