As the weather starts to turn warmer and you begin thinking about spring cleaning, there is one cleaning task that is often overlooked- cleaning your hair styling tools. If you want beautiful, healthy hair you need to take good care of the tools you use to care for and style it. Part of taking care of your styling tools is cleaning them regularly, something many people are even aware that you should do. Not only will they work better and be more gentle on your hair, but they will last longer as well. Here’s how to get all of your styling tools nice and clean for spring, and keep them that way.

Cleaning Your Hair Dryer

If your hair dryer is more than a couple of months old, take a moment and go look at the vents on the back of it. All that dust, lint, and hair you see clogging up the filter is bad news for your hair dryer. It reduces efficiency making your hair take longer to dry, and it will overheat your hair dryer making it not last as long. Before you dive into cleaning it, make sure it’s unplugged first. Then twist off the back cover. If yours doesn’t twist off, check your owner's manual to learn how to clean the filter. With the cover off, remove the filter and scrub away all the gunk with a soft bristle cleaning brush. An old toothbrush works well for this. You can give it a rinse if needed to get it clean. Wipe down the body of the hair dryer with a damp cloth and then reassemble when completely dry. Do this once every month to keep your hair dryer working like new.

Cleaning Your Heat Styling Tools

Heat styling tools like curling irons and flat irons can accumulate a buildup of burnt-on styling products and excess oils. This buildup creates friction that makes it harder for your hair to pass through and can even snag and break your strands. The buildup can also create hot spots that singe your hair causing permanent damage. These tools need to be cleaned at least once a month to keep buildup from occurring. Make sure the tool is unplugged and cool. Then wipe everything down with a damp cloth to remove the residue. If there are some particularly stubborn spots, a little rubbing alcohol on the cloth should do the trick. Be sure they are dried completely before their next use.

Cleaning Your Brushes And Combs

The lowly hairbrush is probably the most used and abused styling tool in your arsenal. Sure, you pull the hair out of it occasionally, but have you ever taken a close look deep within the bristles? Way down deep is where all of the flakes of the scalp, bits of broken hair, lint, dust, and dirt like to hide and mingle with scalp oils and styling product residue making the perfect home for bacteria and fungi. This spells bad news for your hair and scalp. To get them good and clean, first, remove all of the hair that you can and then dig down deeper with a long thin tool to get out all the debris hidden in the bristles. Then prepare a basin of hot water, add a bit of clarifying shampoo, and place any synthetic brushes and combs in the basin to soak. Soaking wood or natural bristles could cause the bristles to loosen and fall out, so just give them a scrub with a small cleaning brush and a few drops of shampoo. Scrub those that have been soaking and rinse everything well. Place them on a clean towel, bristle side down for good drainage, and allow them to air dry. Doing this weekly will keep them and your hair clean and germ-free.

Cleaning Your Hair Accessories

Your spring cleaning isn’t complete until you’ve cleaned all of your accessories. They’re subject to all the same oils, product buildup, dirt, and dust that your hair and styling tools are, yet when did you last clean them? That’s OK. There’s no better time to start than now. You can clean these at the same time or right after cleaning your brushes. Clips and barrettes that can be submerged can be washed in the basin. Those that can’t be wiped with a damp cloth. Scrunchies can be hand washed, blotted with a towel, and hung up to dry. How often you need to clean them will vary based on how much you use them.

If you’re ready to give your newly refreshed styling tools a test run with a new spring hairstyle come to see the talented stylists at Square One Salon! We’ll be happy to serve you at any of our locations! You can book an appointment online, call us, or even go visit any of our Ohio locations directly! We look forward to seeing you.