Lint, lint everywhere!

[jazzhands]

However hard I try, I can't seem to get rid of all this lint in my hair! :taz: It's the main culprit behind knots and tangles and whenever I run a clean brush through my hair it turns almost white with fuzz. I don't get what's causing this or how to make it go away. I also can't figure out how to effectively de-fuzz my brush. I've tried a wet toothbrush, didn't really work. :(

Anyone else have this problem?
http://i.imgur.com/z5LjknK.jpg?1

[meteor]

I'd use a comb to comb through the bristles and maybe a needle or a pin/end of a rattail comb to lift up some of the hairs and lint stuck in the brush. After that, washing in soapy water and letting it dry bristles down should help a bit.

Hair attracts a lot more lint if it's coated in oil, but also things like serums, gels, leave-in conditioner, etc...., so if you oil your hair or use product, maybe try using less or applying it more strategically.

It's also a lot easier for hair to act like a lint magnet when it's worn down a lot. Wearing hair up more really helps, I find. :)

I'd wear a bonnet/scarf while cleaning and also make sure your bedding materials, clothing, hair towels aren't producing much lint.

[school of fish]

I know this brush! ;)

Tangling caused by lint is one of the main reasons I gave up using any oils or leave-ins in my hair. It's also one of the reasons why I wash daily (a combo of CO and regular S&C).

This is a quite a while ago now, but once I gave up oils for good the lint ceased to be a problem, and tangles reduced enormously. I had other things going on as well but that was a big penny drop for me. I have noticed that paper products in the bathroom give off a lot of lint - tearing off a sheet in strong direct setting-sun light shows just how much flies through the air each time. Not having anything on my hair that attracts that lint or lets it stick has been of enormous benefit.

All that said, I know not everyone can or wishes to wash daily, or could do without oils or leave-ins for that matter. Just wanted to let you know you aren't the only one who's experienced the 'lint brush' ;)

[Decoy24601]

Question: Where do you keep your brush when not in use? Do you keep it with the bristles facing up, or down?

I've noticed that a lot of the lint and dust on my BBB is actually from the air while not in use, rather than my hair.

[Adorkable One]

I have this problem a lot. I have no clue how to avoid it, but I can share how I clean my brush.

For cleaning the brush, I use a fine tooth comb to brush out as much filth as I can. I then wet the brush and wash it with a clarifying shampoo. I take an old tooth brush and scrub the head of the brush. I use the tooth brush to comb threw the bristles as well. Since the bristles on a tooth brush are close together, it pulls out even more lint. It's like a boar bristle brush....for your boar bristle brush. Lol. Then I rinse, and lay the brush, bristles down, on a cloth to dry.

Personally, I've had great results using a tooth brush, but I wet my brush as well. It's just a cheap one that I don't mind wetting.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31pKlyGEdkL._AC_UL320_SR162,320_.jpg

[ravenreed]

I avoid oil and wash my hair every two to three days. For my hair, all oil does is attract every bit of lint and cat hair in the house. Clean and oil free also means lint free for me.

[Llama]

My brushes look like that, too (if I haven't washed them in a while).
I have experimented with not using oils or leave-ins and there was no difference- I still got lint in my hair either way. Still cleaned out the same amount of lint from my brush.
I just get the dust out of my hair by brushing it daily and cleaning my brush every few days to a week.
Oils help me a lot with detangling. The only difference when I stopped using oil was that it was harder to detangle my hair. The lint is easy to brush out if my hair has some slip.

[Saproxylic]

I do get a fair amount of lint, even though I don't really wear my hair loose ever. I think the perpetually dusty house (I do a lot of fiber crafts) has a lot to do with it. I find that my knock-off TTs do a really good job of getting that stuff out though (as well as picking up and removing my thick waxy sebum) and they are a breathe to clean, I just use soapy water and a coarse paint brush. I wash every 5 to 7 days, and usually my hair wash day is also my brush wash day, as it has gunked up by then.I don't use my BBB much (just to smooth the top for festive updo's) so I have no clue how to de-lint that one

[lapushka]

However hard I try, I can't seem to get rid of all this lint in my hair! :taz: It's the main culprit behind knots and tangles and whenever I run a clean brush through my hair it turns almost white with fuzz. I don't get what's causing this or how to make it go away. I also can't figure out how to effectively de-fuzz my brush. I've tried a wet toothbrush, didn't really work. :(

Anyone else have this problem?
http://i.imgur.com/z5LjknK.jpg?1

Take a rattail comb (one of those metal ones), or a toothpick or saté stick and go through each tuft and lift the lint out. That might help.

I get lint too. My TT is full of flakes and lint *every time* I detangle at the end of the week. It's just part of it, I guess, part of having long hair. :shrug:

Oh, and I wear my hair up when I'm up and down when I go to sleep, so... how does it happen? I think it might be from lingering products or so (the leave-ins, the gel).

[Kimberly]

I greatly reduced my lint problem by giving up flannel sheets.

[jazzhands]

Question: Where do you keep your brush when not in use? Do you keep it with the bristles facing up, or down?

I've noticed that a lot of the lint and dust on my BBB is actually from the air while not in use, rather than my hair.

Aye, that might well be it! I keep it bristles-up in the bathroom, should probably do something about that :D

[jazzhands]

Thank you all for the lovely advice!

lapushka, thanks for the toothpick suggestion, I'll give it a shot.

I don't really use leave-ins and I try to wear my hair up, so I'm hoping this stuff will help at least a little :)

[Decoy24601]

Aye, that might well be it! I keep it bristles-up in the bathroom, should probably do something about that :D

I mean, my hair does collect lint like crazy too, but the lint and dust from the air certainly didn't help me :D.

[meteor]

Aye, that might well be it! I keep it bristles-up in the bathroom, should probably do something about that :D

I would simply cover it with something or put in a pouch. Many brushes come in carton boxes and those are great for storing the brush in. But I wouldn't store it bristles-down because the bristles do bend over time.

[Chromis]

I found I had less lint after switching to smooth sheets instead of flannel, but I do still get that build up in my brush. I use a dental pick to clean it and wash it with dishsoap.

[EdG]

I am always removing lint from my comb. You may consider using a comb because it is easier to clean.

I too got rid of my flannel sheets. Unfortunately, there are many sources of lint. Lint readily becomes airborne and settles on everything.
Ed

[spidermom]

Oil causes that problem big time, so I only use it, then braid, the night before I plan to wash my hair.

I clean my brush by first combing through with a tight-tooth comb to remove as much debris as I can, then taking it into the shower with me when I'm going to clarify wash my hair. I very carefully brush through the last few inches of my hair when it's all lathered up to finish cleaning my brush. I store my brush bristle-side down in my sewing cabinet alongside my toothbrush. This has never once caused bending of the bristles.

I've heard of keeping a boar bristle brush clean by pushing cheesecloth through the bristles. When you're ready to clean the brush, just pull the cheesecloth out, and everything will come out with it. I've done this but usually not, don't know why.

An aside, it almost makes me nauseous to look at my husband's brush. That thing is so dirty that I wouldn't touch it without gloved hands, and I'm not even kidding. It's killing me not to say anything, but IT'S HIS BRUSH. Not my circus, not my monkeys.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

I began brushing my hair from June of this year and was shocked to see so much lint in my brush every time. During this period I had never used oil. I only started oiling from mid July. I Googled as I was not yet a member of LHC. According to Morrocco Method apparently all that stuff is from the products we put in our hair as well as our hair detoxing. At that time I was not yet using a leave in conditioner nor oiling my. I still get lint in my brush now. On the days I wash my hair it is also brush washing day - I just rinse it under running water with the water pressure on full. But before that I lift up all the that might be trapped between the bristles.

[Cg]

Looking through these comments, I'd have to say oil/product seems suspicious as a lint attractant. I never oil, always bun and use a satin sleep cap so even flannel sheets are no problem. I store combs and brushes in boxes and closed cabinets. I also never get lint in my brushes. So apparently it pays to be OCD about dust.

[sumidha]

Switching to a silk pillowcase really cut down on fuzz for me. Also getting rid of my BBB. :P