In a world where we clean our bodies, our teeth, our clothes, our homes, our makeup brushes and our face cloths, it’s surprising that one key item, more often than not, is left out – the hairbrush.
A viral TikTok video has shown the not-so-pleasant reality of what happens when you don’t wash your hairbrush.
A creator known as @everything_tidy posted the video to the platform and to date has garnered more than five million views. The footage highlighted the level of dirt that builds up in unwashed brushes.
The video shows a sink filled with hot water and shampoo with an array of brushes soaking in it for one hour. Upon returning the TikTok user found the brushes floating in brown water and a layer of grime. She can be heard saying: “That’s disgusting. Ladies, don’t forget to wash your hairbrushes.”
It’s not just the level of disgust when discovering the level of grime build-up, it’s also the thought of the damage this can cause to our hair.
@everything_tidy This is disgusting #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – user9994386725616
The concept of a hairbrush is simple: to untangle hair along with distributing the natural oils through the lengths, yet if a hairbrush is dirty it’s more than likely adding oil and dirt into the hair. The dirt that builds up in brushes is usually a combination of broken hair, dust, dead skin and residue of any products; resulting in oily and even static hair.
Yet, that’s not the worst of it, these build ups can also lead to yeast and bacteria growth in your brush which can lead to scalp irritation. The concoction of dirt also makes it harder for your brush to glide through your hair which leads to extra strain on the hair causing hair loss or split ends.
Here’s what you should be doing to ensure your brushes are properly cleaned.
1. Pre-clean your brush
By this we mean, remove any hair or clumps from the brush. The easiest way to do this is with a pair of tweezers or a fine comb.
2. Soak the brush
Fill the sink with hot water and shampoo, preferably a clarifying one and leave the brush to soak for an hour or so. For paddle brushes or wooden hairbrushes, it’s recommended to see the manufacturers guidelines. As paddle-brushes tend to hold water and wooden brushes can absorb it which can result in mould, defeating the object of cleaning them.
3. Scrub with a toothbrush
Your brush may look clean after step 2 but to really ensure it’s clean, find a new and unused toothbrush to gently scrub the base and bristles of your brush to remove any stubborn residue.
Here’s to having happy & healthy hair in 2022!
For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram
Media: TikTok, Images: Supplied
