A clean hairbrush is vital to scalp health and hair growth. Here’s why and how, according to experts.

From thick, sweet hair to shiny, glamorous curls, healthy hair is most often associated with a hair care routine that contains the right products for your hair type and any specific issues you may have. However, in addition to products, it is equally important to maintain and clean your hair tools. So, yes, if you want to maintain the healthiest environment for your hair and scalp, you need to clean your favorite hairbrush just as much as your hair.
In just a few simple steps, you can eliminate potential dirt and bacteria breeding grounds on your favorite hairbrush for healthier hair. Here’s exactly what you need to know about the best practices for cleaning your hairbrush and keeping your scalp healthy so you can achieve healthier hair from root to tip.
Why cleaning your hairbrush is important
Finding the perfect hairbrush for your hair or styling needs can be like panning for gold. Your beloved round brush won’t snag, helping to create optimal volume, while your combing brush will comb through curls like butter.
If you’ve ever had an itchy scalp, you may not think a dirty hairbrush is the likely cause. But there are more than 100,000 hair follicles on the scalp, as well as sweat and sebaceous glands that produce oil and sebum every day – all of which can get trapped in the bristles when you brush every day, says Penny James, a certified trichologist and founder of the Penny James Salon.
Plus, if you put a thick gel on your brush to create the perfect back bun or spray it with hairspray to tame your hair. Your brush will also accumulate product buildup, shed hair and dead skin cells from your scalp, and if you don’t clean your tools regularly, you’ll actually redeposit this stuff onto your hair and scalp.
The scalp is the most important factor in growing and maintaining healthy hair because it is the foundation for hair growth. “You must ensure that the scalp microbiome remains healthy and balanced to prevent scalp problems such as dandruff and worm mites and to prevent hair loss,” explains William Gaunitz, FWTS trichologist and founder of Advanced Trichology.ICDYK, worm mites are a scalp disease in which mites live on hair follicles and cause itching, irritation and inflammation.
“If you have chronic dandruff and don’t clean your brush, you’re constantly re-infecting your scalp because over time, the Malassezia bacteria get trapped in the brush without being cleaned,” explains James. Malassezia, FYI, is a yeast that forms naturally in the body, but when the scalp and accompanying hair tools are not clean, this can lead to an overgrowth of this yeast, which can lead to an itchy, inflamed scalp. Additionally, according to Gaunitz, depending on your overall scalp health, there can be a variety of debris trapped in your hair and accumulating in your brushes, such as fungus.
It’s also important to note that the average person loses 50 to 100 hairs a day, and if you don’t clean your brush weekly or even monthly, you’ll have thousands of dead hairs and accumulated dirt from the hair you brush every day. According to Gaunitz, using an unclean brush can definitely lead to signs of an unhealthy scalp, such as itching, burning, flaking, dry hair, excess scalp oil, and even hair loss.
How often should you clean your brush?
Cleaning your hair brush is easy and quick, about once a week, says James. In addition to helping keep your scalp healthy, keeping your hairbrush clean also extends the life of the brush itself, prevents old product buildup and grease from weighing down your hair, thus keeping your hair style intact and preventing recurring environmental pollution and scalp on your hair, according to James. Spending about 10 to 15 minutes a week cleaning your brush can make a real difference in the health of your hair and scalp, and the best part is that you already have everything you need at home.
Each time you use the brush, you’ll first need to be more diligent about removing shed hairs. Removing excess hair helps prevent unwanted pulling or tangling of shed hairs left in the bristles, James says. Cleaning your brush weekly is especially necessary if you have an itchy, red scalp; that way, you can be sure not to cause any additional irritation.
How to clean your hairbrush
Ready to take your hair health to the next level? This is a step-by-step process for properly cleaning your hairbrush, whether you’re using a plastic brush with synthetic bristles or a wooden brush with natural bristles.
- Remove the bristles.
Regardless of the type of brush you use, start the cleaning process by removing all the shed hairs stuck in the bristles of the brush. You can use your fingers, a wide-tooth comb or a rat-tail comb to remove the hair from the bristles. You need to remove the hair carefully so as not to damage the bristles of the brush, especially if you have long or curly curly hair that can become tightly wrapped around the bristles. Be sure to remove shed hairs by slowly sliding them up through the bristles from the bottom of the brush to remove them. Be especially careful when using a wooden brush so as not to pull up the adhesive that holds the bristles in place.
- Soak or wipe off debris.
For plastic brushes with synthetic bristles: Fill a large bowl with warm water. According to Gaunitz, add a few drops of mild soap or your favorite shampoo to the water, let the brush soak for about 10 to 15 minutes, then use your hands to remove any debris from the brush.
Or, you can run the brush under hot water, apply the shampoo directly to the brush, and then use a small stiff-bristled paintbrush or toothbrush to scrub between the bristles, James recommends.
For wooden brushes and brushes with natural bristles: Don’t soak them in water, as this can cause the brush to deteriorate over time and loosen the bristles. Water trapped in these types of brushes can loosen the adhesive and cause the wood to weaken. Use a toothbrush to scrub the debris between the bristles, then rinse off excess soap and dirt. 3.
- Rinse and allow the brush to air dry.
Find a well-ventilated area in your home, take a clean towel or cloth, and place the brush (bristles side down) on the towel to air dry. Just for reference, it is important to keep the brush face down so that excess water will run off.
If you’re having a hard time getting the gunk out of your brush, or if you find a few pieces of bristles on your brush (especially if you’ve been using it for a long time), it may be time to get a new brush.
Healthy hair isn’t just about finding the perfect product for your hair’s needs; it’s equally important to regularly clean and maintain the tools you use on a daily basis to provide your scalp with the best environment for your hair to continue to grow.