1 hairbrush mistake could lead to your hair 'falling out'
A hair guru has shared a simple hack to ensure your hair stays healthy and doesn't fall out, and it's all to do with your hairbrush. She says that failing to do one thing could lead to hair loss
A hair care specialist has emphasised just how important it is to wash your hairbrush as part of your regular hair care routine, not just focusing on the leave-in treatments and heatless curlers. It can be a challenge to find the right products and methods for your hair but, once you've cracked it, it can make you feel fantastic.
However, neglecting to clean your hairbrush could unknowingly hinder your progress. Clodagh Egan, a training trichologist who shares tips on TikTok under the handle @clodaghhaircare, highlighted "the importance of cleaning hair brushes," sharing her easy-to-follow method with those on social media.
Clodagh warned that "dirty brushes can lead to hair loss," so it's crucial to start cleaning your brushes as soon as possible. She explained: "Bacteria can build up on brushes from dead skin cells, general dirt, among other things. This can lead to irritation of the hair follicle and, over time, can lead to hair loss".
The NHS confirms that there are numerous causes of hair loss. It's normal to shed hair, with individuals losing between 50 and 100 strands a day, often without realising.
Hair loss is typically not a cause for concern, but occasionally it can indicate a medical condition. Some forms of hair loss are permanent, such as male and female pattern baldness, which usually runs in the family.
Other types of hair loss may be temporary and can be caused by various factors, such as:
- An illness
- Stress
- Cancer treatment
- Weight loss
- Iron deficiency
Clodagh warned that you don't want to "take the risk" of having a dirty brush in case this happens, even though it only usually occurs in "extreme cases".
She also pointed out that "dirty hair brushes can be a leading contributor in greasy hair because the grease from your hair transfers onto your hair brush, and then when you wash your hair, the grease transfers back".
Clodagh revealed that she likes to wash hers "around once a month," but she explained that she has a "lot of hair brushes". "If you don't have as many, you may need to wash yours once a week," she suggested.
Clodagh said that she "lets them soak overnight" in the concoction she creates, and then lets "them air dry the next day".
How should you wash your brush?
Clodagh recommends that you first mix water with a detoxing shampoo. She explained that she used the L'Oreal Detox shampoo, "but you can use any".
She also said that using baking soda in the mixture helps as well. According to people on Reddit, baking soda is a great way to clean things.
They wrote: "The two main reasons [that baking soda is good to clean with] are that it has a high pH value, which means it's very basic (the opposite of acidic on the pH scale). This makes it very reactive with organic materials like kitchen grease and oily dirt left behind by dirty body parts.
"It's also slightly abrasive, just enough so that particles of dirt can get rubbed off dirty surfaces, but not so much that it will leave scratches".
Clodagh then adds some standard shampoo to the mix to aid in cleaning the hairbrush as well.