How to Sterilize a Hairbrush

Instead of going out and spending a lot of money on a new hairbrush, or expensive sanitizing solutions, there is a simple way to sterilize your hairbrush at home with products you probably already have. While cleaning your hairbrush should be done daily, sterilizing your hairbrush should be done no more than twice a month or only when you feel it is necessary.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Liquid dish detergent
• Warm water
• Chlorine bleach

Sterilizing a Hairbrush

1. Run the tweezers along the bottom of the bristles. Lift up on any hair that may be entwined around the bristles.

2. Cut any lifted hair with the scissors and pull off the bristles until all excess hair is removed from the brush.

3. Fill the sink with warm water and a teaspoon of dish detergent. Swirl the brush around in the sudsy mixture, and then submerge the brush into the water, allowing it to soak for 10 minutes. If the brush is made of wood, do not submerge it into the water. Instead, swirl the bristles in the water, and lay it down on a paper towel for 10 minutes with the solution on it.

4. Empty the water from the sink after 10 minutes, and rinse the soapy water off of the hairbrush and out of the bristles.

5. Fill the sink with warm water and add 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach. The proper ratio should be 1 tablespoon to 1 gallon of water. If you use more, or less, water adjust the chlorine bleach amount accordingly.

6. Submerge the brush in the bleach solution and let it soak for 20 minutes. Again, if you have a wooden brush, run the bristles through the solution and lay it out on a paper towel with the solution on the bristles. Do not soak a wooden handle.

7. Drain the water from the sink, and rinse the hairbrush well when the 20 minutes is up.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a wooden handled brush it should not be soaked or wet too often, as it can break down the wood.
• Be very careful when handling chlorine bleach, as it can damage clothing and be harsh on skin.

Resources

• Daily hairbrush cleaning
• More style and personal care tips