Caring For Your Boar Hair Brushes

If you already own a boar bristle hair brush, then you know that most of them are made with wooden backing and handles. And, if you understand the purpose of using boar hair brushes, you will understand that it is important that the cleaning of this type of brush is somewhat different than the cleaning you would do on a regular nylon bristle brush.

When using a boar hair brush, the bristles naturally latch on to sebum, which is that oily substance that is produced by your scalp. Sebum can clump near the roots of your hair and clog the pores. This results in giving your hair that greasy, dirty, unwashed look. As you brush through your hair with a boar bristle brush, you are actually spreading the sebum that has collected at the roots of your hair down the length of your hair. What this does is coat and protect your hair. In time, sebum becomes your natural hair conditioner and helps to make your hair shine and stay moisturized. So, what does this have to do with the cleaning or caring for a boar bristle hair brush?

The key to caring for your boar bristle hair brush is that you really don’t want to get it wet. You will read articles online that say to use a mild detergent or shampoo and to let it air dry. If you want your boar bristle brush to last, I strongly suggest that you don’t do this. Think of your boar bristle brush as you would a fine piece of clothing that has to be “dry-cleaned”. After all, boar bristle brushes generally cost more than nylon bristle brushes and I look at the purchase of one as a small investment to keeping healthy looking, shiny, hair. All you really need to do is to purchase a brush cleaner that is made for removing hair from the bristles of your brush and one that has what I call the “mini dust broom” on the alternate end of the brush cleaner. In fact, Denman brushes makes just the type I am describing and have pictured here in this article. The mini dust broom on the brush cleaner is designed to brush out the lint and dust that collects in between the bristles. If you use this brush cleaner on your boar bristle brush on either a daily or every other day basis, you will be keeping the brush clean enough for continued use.