Hairbrush buildup?

[LauraMusic]

Whenever I brush or comb my hair, the bristles slowly gather this gray gunk. Many people have suggested I am not rinsing my hair well enough after a shampoo and conditioner, but I have tried doing extra rinses and it doesn’t change. I can’t clean the brush well enough to get the gunk off, so I end up having to throw many brushes away. I don’t use any products in my hair after shower. Any ideas what this could be?

[treestar86]

ugh, I have the same problem!  I think it's bc I don't really brush my hair except before I wash it, so by then it's more greasy and gunky.  I keep meaning to get a clean brush and then brush more often, so it stays cleaner, but...I hate having to keep throwing them away and buy new ones. 😞 

[melissabt]

@LauraMusic,

I know how you feel! I was looking at my brush the other day and thought the same thing. I tried using a plastic brush on my wet hair and also a scalp scrub around my hair line. I noticed when I use the scalp scrub my blowouts last longer and my hair gets less greasy.

https://www.sephora.com/product/peppermint-hair-cleansing-salt-scrub-P441001?icid2=products%20grid:p...

https://www.sephora.com/product/super-lemon-drop-P420600?icid2=products%20grid:p420600:product

[arachnoidmater]

I get that in my hairbrush sometime, I have oily skin/scalp though and I think a lot of the stuff on my brush is from oil sitting on the bristles and then dust gets stuck on it. Sadly just needs to be cleaned often like any brush you would use on your face. 

However, I think my brushes have become easier to clean or get less gunk on them since I switched my shampoo and conditioner to one that has tea tree oil in it to help with my oily skin. So maybe you should try switching out shampoo and conditioner? 

[TrysBeautyItems]

@LauraMusic Could be mineral buildup, from your water source. Try a clarifying shampoo every now and then. Also do you soak, in warm water with a bit of soap/shampoo, your brushes and rub the bristles against each other to loosen gunk?

[Anonymous]

I have this too!! It makes me feel so gross, because I DEFINITELY wash my hair, so idk what this stuff is coming from. My best guesses are either remnants of my dry shampoo, or skin cells and oil from my scalp? Which sounds pretty gross but I guess that's a normal part of having skin/hair. 

But I'm in the same boat, everything I've tried to do to change it doesn't work. At this point I've resigned myself to dealing with it and just cleaning my hairbrush really well.