Maintaining a clean hairbrush is a must.

Having healthy hair is commonly associated with a hair-care routine full of products that suit your hair type and any specific concerns you may have, whether you want thick, luscious locks or shiny, swoon-worthy curls. The upkeep and cleanliness of your hair tools are just as crucial as the products you use. If you care about the health of your hair and scalp, you should wash your favorite hairbrush as often as you wash your hair.

The potential home for dirt and bacteria on your favorite hairbrush can be eliminated with a few easy steps, putting you on the path to cleaner, healthier hair. In order to have healthier hair from scalp to ends, it is important to know the proper methods for cleaning hairbrushes and keeping the scalp clean.

The discovery of the ideal hairbrush for your hair type and styling needs is akin to striking it rich. The round brush you adore doesn't snag and aids in perfect blowouts, and the detangling brush glides effortlessly through your curls.

The last thing you probably would have thought of if you've ever experienced an itchy scalp is a dirty hairbrush. However, Penny James, certified trichologist and founder of the Penny James salon, warns that daily brushing can trap the oil and sebum secreted by the scalp's more than 100,000 follicles, sweat, and sebaceous glands.

In addition, if you're using gel and brushes to fashion the ideal slicked-back bun or hair spray to control unruly strands, consider this: Brushes collect buildup from styling products, dead skin cells from your scalp, and hair follicles that have fallen out. If you don't clean your brushes regularly, you'll be depositing all of these unwanted elements back into your hair and scalp.

For healthy hair growth and maintenance, nothing is more crucial than taking care of your scalp. If you want to avoid hair loss and scalp conditions like dandruff, says William Gaunitz, FWTS trichologist and founder of Advanced Trichology, "you must be sure to keep the scalp microbiome healthy and in balance." Demodex is an itchy, irritating, and inflamed condition of the scalp caused by mites that live on the hair follicle.

James explains that people with chronic dandruff are constantly reinfecting their scalps from the Malassezia that has built up in their brushes over time. As a point of information, Malassezia is a yeast that naturally forms in the body; however, when the scalp and the tools used to style the hair are not clean, an overgrowth of this yeast can occur, resulting in an itchy, irritated scalp. According to Gaunitz, the condition of your scalp can cause all sorts of weird things to get stuck in your hair and accumulate on your brush.

Bear in mind that the typical human scalp sheds anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs per day; if you're not washing your brushes once a week or even once a month, you're essentially brushing thousands of dead hairs and accumulated dirt through your hair every day. According to Gaunitz, signs of a sick scalp include itching, burning, flaking, dry hair, excess oil on the scalp, and even hair loss if you use dirty brushes.

James recommends that people clean their hairbrushes once a week because it takes very little time and effort. Brushing your hair regularly can help keep your scalp healthy, but it can also prevent environmental buildup on your hair and scalp, keep your style intact by removing heavy product buildup and oils, and extend the life of your brush. Simply washing your brushes once a week for 10 to 15 minutes and using a mild shampoo can have a dramatic effect on the condition of your hair and scalp.

The first step is to be more conscientious about cleaning your hairbrushes after each use. James recommends regularly de-clogging your brush to avoid accidental snagging on shed hair that has been left in the bristles. If your scalp is itchy and red from inflammation, you should clean your brush once a week to avoid further irritating it.

Get ready to level up your hair health. Whether you use a plastic brush with synthetic bristles or a wooden brush with natural bristles, here is a step-by-step process for cleaning them both.

The first step in cleaning a brush is to remove any stray hair that may be caught in the bristles. To clean the brush, use your fingers, a wide-tooth comb, or a rat's-tail comb to remove the hair. If you have long hair or curly, coiled hair that can get tightly entangled in the bristles of a brush, you should remove the hair carefully so as not to damage the bristles. When cleaning your brush, be sure to slowly slide the shed hair up from the bottom of the brush through the bristles. Wooden brushes require extra care so that you don't accidentally pull out the glue that holds the bristles in place.

Brushes with synthetic bristles should be cleaned in a large bowl of warm water. According to Gaunitz, you should put the brush in water with a few drops of mild soap or your preferred shampoo, let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes, and then rinse it by hand to get rid of any debris.

James suggests rinsing the brush under hot water, applying the shampoo directly to the brush, and scrubbing between the bristles with a small, stiff-bristled paintbrush or toothbrush.

Keep in mind that soaking brushes made of wood or with natural bristles in water can cause the bristles to loosen and the brush to deteriorate over time. The adhesive can loosen and the wood can become weakened if water gets trapped in these brushes. Use a toothbrush to loosen debris from the bristles, and then rinse away the soap and grime.

The best way to dry a brush is to take it to a well-ventilated area of your home, grab a clean towel or cloth, and lay the brush on it bristles down to dry. Just so you know, the bristles of the brush should be facing down so that any accumulated water can drain

Especially if you've had your brush for a while and are having trouble cleaning it, you should consider replacing it.

Finding the right products is only half the battle; keeping the tools you use most often clean and in good condition creates the optimal conditions for your scalp, promoting healthy hair growth.