How to Clean a Boar Bristle Beard Brush

A board bristle beard brush is an important grooming tool for men with a slightly larger beard. And as part of your beard maintenance routine, the cleanliness of this intricate piece of equipment should be a priority. But is there a structured technique for cleaning this brush? The answer is yes. In this post, we are going to discuss how to clean a boar bristle beard brush.

The cleaning process does not have to be complicated, and it will take just a few minutes. For this task you will need a cleaning brush, a small bowl, soap, and a small piece of cloth. Let’s dive into action.

How to Clean a Boar Bristle Beard Brush

#1   Clean the Bristles and the Gaps between Them

If you do not have a little cleaning brush, use a cotton swab instead. Any other cleaning item will do the job pretty well. Just use something that can easily navigate the tiny spaces between the bristles. The brush or the piece of cloth has to be soft so that it does not damage the wood.

Hold the cotton swab in between your index finger and thumb, and run the tip through the bristles. Hairs will start to unclog, and the tip will become dirty. If necessary, use a new swab.

After doing it for about 30 seconds, use the brush to remove any excess hair. Blow and shake the boar bristle beard brush. If needed, use your fingers.

#2   Pour Some Soapy Water into a Container

Use either a Tupperware container or a small bowl. Use something you can contaminate temporarily, not necessarily a bowl you use to serve casserole every evening.

Semi-fill the container with some lukewarm water. Make sure the temperature of the water is not too high. Too hot water can end up damaging the bristles.

Grad a gentle cleaning product that will not harm your beard hair. If you are not sure which product to use, feel free to use baby shampoo. Mix some baby shampoo with lukewarm water. Swirl it with your fingertips.

#3   Dip the Bristles into the Mixture

Now, here is how to clean a boar bristle beard brush with a mixture of lukewarm water and baby shampoo. Dip only the bristles. Yes, the wood will get slightly wet. Try your best to minimize it. If the wood gets wet too often, it will get damaged over time. Keep the bristles dipped into the soapy water for about 20 seconds.

 After that, remove the brush from the mixture and keep it on a piece of cloth for around 40 seconds. During this time, the soap will disintegrate the dirt between the bristles.

#4   Rinse the Brush with Water

It may not be easy to rinse the bristles while keeping the wooden part dry. But it is important to keep the wooden part dry because this factor determines the lifespan of your brush. Here is a hassle-free way to do that:

Pour some lukewarm water into another small container and then dip the bristles into the water. Thus you will be able to rinse off the soap pretty easily. The goal is to protect the wood.

#5   Dry Your Beard Brush

Take the bristles out of the water. Remove excess water from the brush. To dry the brush, keep it on a piece of dry cloth. Boar hair retains water. So, the brush will take some time to dry. To learn how to clean a boar bristle beard brush, this is probably the most important thing to know: the brush will take time to dry.

Do not use a blow dryer to speed up the process. The heat from a blow dryer could be too much for the delicate bristles. Hopefully, your brushing routine will not be affected too much. The brush will be dry before your next brushing session.

How Often to Clean Your Boar Bristle Beard Brush

Make sure this cleaning ritual is not performed too frequently. Frequent cleaning may damage the bristles. And if the wood gets damp too frequently, it will deteriorate over time. A proper balance is key.

If you use this technique to clean the brush, doing it once per month is enough. However, feel to unclog the brush more frequently with the cotton swab. Just perform the first part and skip the washing part.

Why Your Brush Smells

You may want to learn how to clean a boar bristle beard brush when the brush has started to smell bad. For a host of reasons, bacteria can grow rapidly on your boar bristle brush. The bristles are great for straightening and neatening our beard hair. But the bristles frequently come in contact with your skin, which contains dead cells and dirt.

Bristles also re-distribute waxes, balms, beard oils, and pomades, and the residual mixture on the bristles becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. And when that happens, your bead brush smells. Regular cleaning is the only way to get rid of this problem.

When Should You Get a New Beard Brush?

A beard brush should not be used for years. But how often should it be replaced?  Well, it depends on how often you are using the brush. It is true that if you take care of a beard brush, it will last years. But using a very old beard brush is not recommended at all.

When you notice that the bristles are not stiff anymore, you should probably get a new beard brush. Look for other signs of deterioration. If the brush simply seems old and worn out, do not hesitate to replace it with a new one.

Final Thoughts: How to Clean a Boar Bristle Beard Brush

When it comes to beard grooming, there is no shortcut and no substitute for a beard brush. Cleaning a beard brush is important, and you have to take it seriously. Now you know why to clean it, when to clean it, and how to clean it. The only thing you have to do is dive into action.