I’m a cleaning expert — you’re washing your hair brushes all wrong
Don’t brush off this advice.
Nicole Jaques, an Oregon-based lifestyle content creator who often shares cleaning tips and kitchen hacks on her social media accounts, is recommending her followers deep clean their hair brushes every two weeks.
In an Instagram reel posted earlier this week, Jaques shared how she cleans her own brushes and why it’s so important.
Her shortcuts are shocking her fans.
In the beginning of the clip, she explains that if you have ever seen gray lint in your hair brush, it’s actually a build-up of dead skin cells and sebum (the oil from your skin), combined with hair product and residue.
The cleanfluencer said that this creates bacteria, which can be present in your bristles.
Luckily, there’s an easy fix, Jaques continued.
![She also gave The Post a tip for cleaning out your round styling brush.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000008055182.jpg?w=1024)
The content creator revealed that all you need to do is remove the hair from your brush and then disconnect the bristles.
“In warm water, add shampoo or baking soda and let sit for 20 minutes,” Jaques advised, as she showed herself soaking her own hair brushes in a tub of warm water with the added baking soda.
After letting them all soak, she pulled them out and showed off how clean they were.
And the best part? No more residue.
In an email to The Post on Saturday, Jaques said cleaning out your hair brush can be key to preventing dandruff and other scalp conditions.
“White looking lint or dust in your hairbrush?” Jaques wrote. “Shocking, I know, but it’s not lint or dust. It’s sebum, skin cells and additional bacteria and fungus. In addition, this material can cause flare-ups for someone with a scalp condition like dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis. So cleaning is crucial.”
She also provided some tips for cleaning a round styling brush.
“Round brush? Instead of air-drying, take your blow dryer and dry it throughout, so you know it’s nice and dry in its core,” she revealed.
![Cleaning out your hair brush every two weeks can help prevent dandruff and other scalp conditions, she wrote in an email to The Post.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000008055180.jpg?w=772)
Healthline also recommends scrubbing your hair styling tool every two to three weeks. However, the outlet advises that if you’re someone who often uses styling gels or creams, you should clean it once a week.
Jaques explained that she learned most of her hacks from home economics classes when she was younger, as well as kitchen tips from her Grandma Ruth. She said her hosting practices come from her mother.
“Over the years I have modernized their ideas, recipes and solutions, and now I joyfully share them on my social media platforms to empower and motivate others,” Jaques wrote.
![She explained that if you have gray lint in your brush, it's time for a wash.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000008055179.jpg?w=701)
The brush suggestions seem to be resonating with her followers.
“Can’t believe how I never cleaned my brushes in earnest?!” one commenter exclaimed. “Thank you!”
Another agreed, writing, “It’s like you read my mind that I needed this tip. 😂 I was literally just staring at my two hairbrushes on the bathroom counter wondering how I could clean them!”
“Omg!” someone else added. “I’m saving this! The scissor hack is 🤯.”
Others seemed grossed out that some people didn’t already know they should be doing this.
“Who didn’t know this😕” one viewer wondered. “From children we were taught to wash your brushes everytime you washed your hair or at least once a week.”
Someone else declared, “Having that much hair in a hairbrush is gross. I clean mine several times a week.”