Unfortunately, it’s not just stray hairs that clog up brushes, but dead skin cells, hair gels, leave-in conditioner, oil from your scalp, fungus, bacteria, dandruff, and more, certified trichologist and founder of alodia Isfahan Chambers-Harris, Ph.D. tells mbg.
When you brush your hair, this plethora of buildup can pass from scalp to brush and back again until you cleanse it.
You probably haven’t really looked at your hairbrush before, which is fair. But if you shine a flashlight on your tool, you can spot the white and yellow colored particles clogging up your brush. It doesn’t sound pretty, but sometimes it’s the only way to motivate yourself to clean your brush.
Before you ask—yes, this step is essential for your scalp health. “When you don’t wash your brush, it can cause an imbalance to the scalp microbiome which can cause scalp conditions such as dandruff and scalp infections that can lead to hair loss,” Chambers-Harris notes.
“You can also spread oils, which can contribute to making your hair dirty,” adds board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., FAAD In other words, your greasy roots could be exacerbated by a dirty hair brush.
