Congratulations: you finally got a straightening brush (also known as a blow dryer brush). This great tool combines a traditional brush and a flat iron, utilizing the well-known effect of straightening by heat.
But as you start using it, you may want to know how to clean straightening brush. Are there any specific secrets? Maybe some dedicated tools for cleaning it that need to be bought separately?
Taking care of your beauty inventory is always a good idea. There are some recommendations that come from the manufacturer, as well as hair care professionals and crowd experience. Let’s break it all down and see how you can best take care of your brush.
Contents
The Guide on Cleaning Brushes
There are several ways of how to clean a hair straightener brush. The best way involves a cleaning tool (that is often included and comes with an instruction on how to clean a blow dryer brush with it) or a set of a regular flat hairbrush and a toothbrush.
Add some cleaning agent if you consider it necessary.
Why cleaning the straightening brush is important
The simplest answer is: because it’s a tool that directly contacts your hair. So, the cleaner it is, the cleaner your hair remains after applying. Surely, you can say that you wash your hair before using a straightening brush (if so, you need to let it air dry before you start).
But it is recommended to apply some heat protector before the procedure. And this will lead to buildup on a straightening brush as well.
When is it time to clean your brush?
On one hand, you can tell it just visually. After each procedure, there are hair bristles and residue left on it. It doesn’t mean you should do it every day or several times a day if you practice the procedures that often. But it’s better to clean the appliance regularly, unless one day you find it too much polluted.
On the other hand, you can do it every time there are too many hairs on it. One or two bristles will not be a problem. But if the whole brush is covered with them, it’s time.
How often should you clean the brush?
Specialists recommend cleaning it at least once a month and better once a week. Or even once every three weeks. Even when you don’t see too many hairs on it, there are still residue particles that require cleaning. So, the default is once every two weeks; use this frequency for your plans.
Step by step guide on cleaning your straightening brush
First, you need to provide necessary tools for cleaning. The special tool often comes with the brush itself. It looks like a two-in-one combination of a small rake and a toothbrush. Both parts are necessary to do the cleaning.
- Take the heat brush that requires cleaning. Unplug it and let it cool down if you have just been using it.
- Apply the rake-like part of the cleaning tool to remove the hair and bigger pieces of residue. Repeat till there is none left.
- For fine cleaning, use the toothbrush-like part of the cleaning tool. You can apply rubbing alcohol or other cleaning agent for this job, to make sure you remove the bacteria and other potentially dangerous micro-objects.
- To finish the cleaning, use the cloth dampened in warm water.
- Let it completely dry before plugging it again.
If you have lost your cleaning tool, or your brush came without it, you can use – obviously – a regular flat hairbrush and a regular toothbrush (dedicate them to this purpose only). They will serve you exactly the same way. For applying rubbing alcohol or other agents, you can use regular Q-tips.
Using a cleaning agent is not always required; you can do it any other time, for example. If you don’t use alcohol or baking soda, you won’t have to remove its potential residue with water.
But if you do use them, the remains can have unexpected effects on your hair. So clean the brush with a wet cloth afterwards.
FAQ
There are some particular questions that require answers. It’s logical: a straightening brush is a personal thing, so there are individual questions around it.
How do you clean a ceramic hairbrush?
There is little difference between metal-based heat brushes and those using ceramic heating elements, very popular these days also in vaporizers. The algorithm is the same: first remove hair and buildups with the special tool, then clean the brush with your agent of choice.
How do you clean a brush with baking soda?
You need to dissolve a teaspoon of soda in a cup of warm water and then dip Q-tips or a toothbrush in the solution before cleaning your brush with it. It depends on the condition of your hair and on your choice on shampoos, conditioners, and stuff (that is, on your hair buildup) whether it works.
What do salons use to clean hair brushes?
There are professional cleaning products, like the famous Barbicide. But some use regular shampoos and hand-washes for cleaning an electric hair brush as well. Again, salons tend to use more versatile products, and you (in case the brush is your personal) can afford choosing your own best way of cleaning.
Keep Your Brush Ready
You have always known that a clean hair tool means clean hair. This review has made it clearer. Knowing how to clean a hot brush will help you make more use of your device and maintain your hair healthy and beautiful. It’s like with any other appliance, but there is rarely an appliance that gets so literally close to you.
If you have some personal secrets of hair care and hair inventory care, we’d like you to share them with us and our readers. Welcome to the comments where you can discuss these tips!
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