How to Clean Every Hair Tool

When was the last time you cleaned your blow dryer or hairbrush? 

A new, shiny hair tool is a ton of fun - especially if it’s designed with eye-catching colors or sparkling tourmaline barrels, which is how we like to do things here at GLISTER. 

The fun stops when your hair tools get grimy from hair product buildup. Performance dwindles, and suddenly you’re not achieving the styles you want as easily. Thankfully, cleaning up your hairstyling tools is quick and easy.  

We’ve created a complete guide for how to clean every single one of your hair tools. If you’ve ever scratched your head wondering how to clean hair brushes or unclog a blow dryer, this post is for you! 

How to Clean a Blow Dryer

Let’s start with your hair dryer! Our Interstellar Blow Dryer’s Infinity Airflow Technology means it can blast your hair with just the right amount of air for quick drying and styling, but that’s only as long as it’s clean. 

 

Make sure to clean out your blow dryer at least every few months, especially if you use it on a daily basis. This will help ensure that it continues to perform as well as on the day you bought it! 

• To start, remove the filter. This is where your blow dryer collects all sorts of dust and debris. 
• Use a small cleaning brush, your hands, or even a tissue to remove debris from the filter. 
• If the body of the blow dryer is a little dirty, clean it with a slightly damp cloth.  

How to Clean Hair Brushes

Hairbrushes seem to collect tangles of hair, product buildup, lint, and dust mites out of thin air! Keeping them clean will help you keep your hair clean in turn. This method applies to all types of brushes, especially paddle brushes like our “Love Your Scalp” Eco Paddle Brush 

• First, remove the larger tangles of hair stuck in the brush. You can use your hands, or even a wide-tooth comb like our Paradise Comb! 
• You might still have a bit of gray residue stuck to the base of the bristles. To clean a brush with synthetic bristles, simply wash it with soap and warm water. You can leave the brush to soak in the water first, to dislodge the debris. 
• Use a toothbrush or your fingers to rub the soap into the base of the bristles, and dislodge any debris 
• With more high-end brushes or boar bristle brushes, be a little more gentle. Skip the soak, and use less soap and water. Instead, take your time gently coaxing the debris away with your fingers or tweezers. 
• Finally, rinse your brush clean of any soap. 
• Dry it in a towel, and then leave it with the bristles down to dry.  

How to Clean Your Curling or Straightening Iron

Curling irons and straightening irons can collect a bit of buildup, especially from hair oils and heat-protectant sprays. Cleaning them, thankfully, is very easy! 

• Make sure your tool is cool to the touch. 
• Saturated a towel or cotton pad with 70% alcohol
• Rub the barrel or plates of your iron with the alcohol. If you’re cleaning a curling iron, don’t forget to wipe under the curler clip.  
• If your tool is only lightly soiled, you can also just use a damp towel to wipe down the barrel. 
• Clean the nooks and crannies of your tool with a slightly damp toothbrush (or a toothbrush soaked in alcohol). This will help to remove debris from those tight spots. 
• Finally, wipe your flat iron or curler down with a soft towel. 

How to Clean a Heated Brush 

Got a blow dryer brush like the Almost Famous Swept Away Blowout Brush? This kind of tool is an amazing all-in-one that dries and styles your hair in a simple stroke. Unfortunately, cleaning it can be difficult since it combines the electric components of a hot styling tool with the bristles of a brush. 

• First, remove any hair tangles like you would from a brush. 
• With the brush laying flat, spray it with a mixture of water and soap. Make sure that the mixture only sprays the top half of the brush, without reaching the handle. 
• Use a toothbrush or cotton swab to scrub in between the bristles and dislodge lint or debris. 
• Finally, carefully rinse it clean under the tap (keep water pressure low). Make sure to hold the brush on a downward angle, so the water only touches the barrel and bristles without running into the electric components. 
• Finally, hold it horizontally, place it on a towel and dry it off gently. 
• Leave it somewhere safe overnight to finish drying completely. 

How to Disinfect Your Styling Tools 

Do you find yourself occasionally sharing brushes, or working in a professional capacity? If so, you'll want to disinfect your styling tools, especially brushes and combs, before using them on others. 

• To kill all bacteria, spray your styling tools with 70% alcohol solution and let them air dry. The alcohol will not damage any of the electric components, but it’ll effectively destroy germs. 
• Make sure to use a generous amount, to ensure the entire surface area is covered. 

Hairstyling Tool Care Tips 

To keep your styling tools in the best shape possible, we have a few more tips to keep in mind. 

• Always store your hairstyling tools somewhere dry and cool, away from moisture and sunlight. 
• We can’t stress this enough - make sure your tools are unplugged before you clean them.
• Pay attention to how you fold the cords on your tools. The last thing you want is a horrible tangle in the tool drawer! If your tool is totally cool, you can safely wrap the cord around the body. 
• Alternatively, curl the cord into a loop and then use a hair tie or a cord velcro strap to keep it in place. 

Clean tools for great hair! 

Let’s be real - all the joy that comes from styling your hair diminishes greatly when your styling tool of choice is covered in gunk. Whether you’re trying to learn how to clean your hair brushes, blow dryers, or hair straighteners, the reality is that once you get this little chore out of the way, every styling session will be a lot more fun! 

Love, 

GLISTER