Five Easy Tips to Save Your Hair-Care Tools
We’ve all had that moment. Burnt hair stuck to the flat iron. The brush clogged with hair. That funky burning smell from an overheated blow dryer. Cleaning our hair-care tools can make a huge difference between a good hair day and a bad one. So here are some easy-to-follow tips and tricks to treat your tools and your hair right.
Why We Need To Clean Them
A dirty hair-care tool works less efficiently, and can even damage your hair if it’s dirty enough. Everything, including germs, dust, and oily build-up get transferred to your hair throughout your day. This residue, in turn, ends up on your hair-care tools every time you use them. So cleaning your tools every so often makes it so much easier to style your hair, and safe for your hair as well!
Cleaning Your Blow dryer/diffuser
Have you ever almost dropped your blow dryer or curl diffuserbecause it became hot to the touch? A blow dryer with a clogged filter overheats its body to compensate for the clogged filter, as air can’t escape through the filter anymore. This, in turn, can burn and damage your hair and hands. Fortunately, there are two ways to clean a blow dryer: You can use a vacuum to suck up the lint and dirt from the vent, or if you can twist or pop off the back panel, you may be able to use a microfiber cloth, a clean toothbrush, or tweezers to pick off any unwanted dust bunnies. Make sure the filter is lint free, and that should reduce the overheating you feel.
Cleaning Your Curling Irons, Flat Irons, and Wands
Like blow dryers, irons and wands need the occasional clean as well. Try a microcloth moistened with water or rubbing alcohol, and use a clean toothbrush or cotton swabs for their hard-to-reach places. Or, if your iron or wand has major product or hair buildup, plug it in for several seconds, unplug, and use that little bit of warmth to help clean the tool, using a microfiber cloth to protect yourself from the heat.
Note: Be VERY careful with how hot your iron or wand gets. You only need a little warmth to help get rid of the residue.
Cleaning Your Combs, Brushes, and Rollers
When it comes to combs, brushes, and rollers, hair and product residue are practically magnetized to their surface. To get rid of that knotted tangle mess in your hair-care tools, slide your fingers, or a comb, underneath the layer of tangled hair at the base of the brush or roller and tug upward gently to loosen the mass of hair. After you get all of the hair out, soaking your hair-care tools in warm water and a few drops of clarifying shampoo (or equal parts vinegar and warm water) for 5-10 minutes should loosen and remove some of the product residue. Then, use a clean toothbrush or cotton swab to scrub the tougher patches of grime before rinsing and letting the brush air-dry.
Eliminate the Grime and Save Your Money
Hair and residue-free brushes, rollers, and combs means a cleaner look with less product buildup in the hair. Your hair-care tools will thank you by living longer, happier, and healthier lives, meaning less grime in your hair and fewer trips to the hair and beauty supply store.
How about you? Do you have any tips and tricks for cleaning your hair-care tools? Let us know in the comments below.