Dust in hairbrush

[Stardreamer]

I get lots of dust in my hairbrush as well as hair. The dust and fluff can get in my hair when I brush it, and it's annoying picking the dust out. Do other people get this problem, and would switching to a wide tooth comb be better? My comb doesn't get much fluff.

[blvnkness]

I usually use the tail of one of my combs to pick out the dust and shed hairs from my brushes. My mother would always place her brushes in warm water to soak for a bit every once in a while (maybe every month or 2).

I'd advise keeping your combs and brushes in places that don't have access to carpet/rug/clothes fibers that linger in the air and eventually settle. I've kept mine in a closed hat box and haven't had to clean out dust from my brushes in several months. Just the shed hairs of course.

[EdG]

I use a wide-tooth wooden comb. I clean it with a damp washcloth after every use. Cleaning is necessary to get lint out of the hair.
Ed

[milosmomma]

I keep my comb in the bag that in came with and my wood brush in the box it came in so neither really collect dust. Lint from my hair on the other hand, I clean that out each time by rubbing with oil and tweezers. I only use then a few times a week so I dont mind cleaning them that often.

[Begemot]

You could switch to just using your comb :) I enjoy my brush too much to do that so I battle against lint. I try to clean all the sheds every day and I wash it weekly. I use a Tangle Teezer and they start to gather more lint the older they get, so I replace it when the cleaning gets too much of a hassle (I used my last TT maybe four or five years I think). These comments made me realize I should start keeping my brush somewhere safe too.

[lapushka]

Maybe use a Tangle Teezer, as it is easy to clean out. Back of a rattail comb to get hairs out, and some soapy water to clean the rest (don't dunk it in completely, of course, just swish the bristles in).

A lot of lint and dust comes out my hair after a week's wear. So I use a TT for dry detangling prior to a wash. Easy to get the gunk out of that brush. My wet brush I reserve for wet detangling. It works!

[spitfire511]

Oh lapushka I dunk my TT completely all the time! Though it's VERY old and was dropped and 'broke' in half years ago - and snaps back together very well, so I just open it up to let it dry! lol

But yup - these things. I keep mine (combs and brushes) in a drawer and they still get lint. Regular cleaning is just part of the deal!

[lapushka]

I am using a dupe TT, and this one doesn't break apart, so that's why I'm only dunking bristles. :)

[eresh]

My brush is out on the dresser all the time.
So it gathers dust, but I think it is mainly lint coming from my hair.
I recently switched from a regular paddle brush to the Tangle Teezer wet detangler.
And oooohhhhh heaven!! It is so easy to clean! Rinse under hot water and the lint is gone!

[Joules]

I use a Tangle Teezer which I wash once a week (I oil my hair once a week and then brush it with a TT, so cleaning it afterwards is necessary), it's very easy to wash, so I don't mind it at all. Back when I used regular paddle brushes I would pick out shed hairs and lint/dust with a picky end of a rat tail comb.

[meteor]

My Tangle Teezer does attract lint and dust, so I wash it after every use with soapy water, toothbrush and toothpick. I keep it in its original box. My wide-tooth comb doesn't seem to attract lint/dust, but I still clean it after every use and keep it inside a baggy.

[akurah]

If your detangling and styling tools are collecting lint, and you either can't clean it out, find it too tedious to clean out, or otherwise don't want to clean it out, if you have an alternate tool, switch to your lint free tool.

Lint will ruin your hair and can cause damage that can only be cut out.

[lapushka]

Lint will ruin your hair and can cause damage that can only be cut out.

I've had fluff and well, "lint" come out my hair every week. I have never had to cut that out, not ever. And my hair isn't damaged either. I wonder what you base this on? Experience?

[akurah]

I've had fluff and well, "lint" come out my hair every week. I have never had to cut that out, not ever. And my hair isn't damaged either. I wonder what you base this on? Experience?

I think experience might be a good word for it.

[eresh]

Hmmm I've always had some lint, but it never has damaged my hair.

[EdG]

Lint will ruin your hair and can cause damage that can only be cut out. This is very true. :agree:

I am regrowing a section of my hair that became matted due to lint. The lint accumulated over many years. This can happen if one's detangling routine does not remove airborne lint as fast as it settles in the hair. Eventually one's hair ends up matted.

In my case, I did not have to cut the hair because it broke as I combed out the mats. In hindsight, cutting would have led to a faster recovery by removing the lint all at once. :(

The difference in people's experiences is due to the amount of lint. A few pieces of lint will not damage hair. A large amount of lint will cause matting.
Ed

[lapushka]

This is very true. :agree:

I am regrowing a section of my hair that became matted due to lint. The lint accumulated over many years. This can happen if one's detangling routine does not remove airborne lint as fast as it settles in the hair. Eventually one's hair ends up matted.

In my case, I did not have to cut the hair because it broke as I combed out the mats. In hindsight, cutting would have led to a faster recovery by removing the lint all at once. :(

The difference in people's experiences is due to the amount of lint. A few pieces of lint will not damage hair. A large amount of lint will cause matting.
Ed

Doesn't it also have to do with your washing routine? Aren't you WO, Ed? I thought so, at least. Might be a problem in that sense. In the sense of not getting the lint out (washing with shampoo usually takes care of that really well, for me).

[EdG]

Doesn't it also have to do with your washing routine? Aren't you WO, Ed? I thought so, at least. Might be a problem in that sense. In the sense of not getting the lint out (washing with shampoo usually takes care of that really well, for me).Yes, I have been water-only for three years. The switch from diluted shampoo to water-only caused the lint and their mats to come out.

Washing does not remove lint (in my experience). Lint can only be removed mechanically by combing. This is because the lint fibers have wrapped themselves around the hair. Mats caused by lint survive many washing/detangling cycles.
Ed

[akurah]

Doesn't it also have to do with your washing routine? Aren't you WO, Ed? I thought so, at least. Might be a problem in that sense. In the sense of not getting the lint out (washing with shampoo usually takes care of that really well, for me).
I use shampoo and had similar problems as Ed. The only difference is I got lucky and caught it before the matting was too severe.

[RadioactiveLily]

I have the same problem, stardreamer. My combs accumulate less dust, but honestly I still use my wet brush more anyway because for me and my hair type, I feel it damages my hair less. Maybe it’s a sign of a good thing, that your brush is removing so much lint from your hair instead of letting it accumulate and cause mats? Would a brush remove lint better than a comb?

I feel like this should be a “you know you’re a long-hair when” ........ your mane accumulates so much dust, it fuzzes up your hairbrush.

[meteor]

I use shampoo and had similar problems as Ed. The only difference is I got lucky and caught it before the matting was too severe.

How did you manage to solve this, once you caught it?


Maybe it’s a sign of a good thing, that your brush is removing so much lint from your hair instead of letting it accumulate and cause mats? Would a brush remove lint better than a comb?

Yes, I think so. It's a bit like "dry cleaning" hair, so to speak. Higher density bristles will lead to higher coverage, so they'll pull out more lint/dust/stuff from hair, but the flip side is that they'll also be in closer contact with hair, which could potentially cause a bit of damage from friction, depending on the material, micro-cracks, etc and how gently the tool is used.

[akurah]

How did you manage to solve this, once you caught it?

I solved it by switching to a comb.

EDIT TO ADD: Ed and I both live in the same climate, so the humidity levels in this area (or lack thereof, depending on perspective) along with other local climate factors may play a part in our experience. But I'm not really WO, I shampoo maybe once a week, and Ed is WO. I still have lingering damage from my lint, and I waffle between cutting it out or not.

[Zesty]

Lint is my main source of tangles, there's almost always a bit of it at the center when I pick apart the stubborn ones. I use a wood bristle brush and it does remove lint from my hair, I just pick the lint out as soon as I see it in the brush so that it doesn't get re-deposited. I'm pretty particular about my brush, it's never left with hair in it so I don't get the accumulation that so many people seem to.

[lapushka]

Lint is my main source of tangles, there's almost always a bit of it at the center when I pick apart the stubborn ones. I use a wood bristle brush and it does remove lint from my hair, I just pick the lint out as soon as I see it in the brush so that it doesn't get re-deposited. I'm pretty particular about my brush, it's never left with hair in it so I don't get the accumulation that so many people seem to.

Same here. Always keep the tools clean! IMO that helps hugely.

[EdG]

EDIT TO ADD: Ed and I both live in the same climate, so the humidity levels in this area (or lack thereof, depending on perspective) along with other local climate factors may play a part in our experience. But I'm not really WO, I shampoo maybe once a week, and Ed is WO. I still have lingering damage from my lint, and I waffle between cutting it out or not. I believe that low humidity makes it easier for particles to become airborne.


Same here. Always keep the tools clean! IMO that helps hugely.Cleaning combs and brushes seems to be a common practice around here. This should go under "You know you are a longhair when..." :)

I think that people will be okay as long as they prevent tangles from forming in the first place. My mats were next to the scalp, which is an easy place to miss when detangling.
Ed

[lapushka]

I think that people will be okay as long as they prevent tangles from forming in the first place. My mats were next to the scalp, which is an easy place to miss when detangling.
Ed

See, I don't see how you can "miss" that. I detangle all over, carefully, twice even on wash day. Prior to the wash, and afterwards. Maybe it's because I'm that thorough that I don't have any issues with it.

[EdG]

See, I don't see how you can "miss" that. I detangle all over, carefully, twice even on wash day. Prior to the wash, and afterwards. Maybe it's because I'm that thorough that I don't have any issues with it. It is easy to miss a mat that lies flat against the scalp because the mat does not move. The hair seemed to be tangle-free, but the reality was that I had not been combing underneath the mats. I got the mats out by forcing my comb and fingers underneath them and combing in the perpendicular direction away from the scalp (rather than parallel to the scalp as is usual for combing the length).

I found that this kind of combing is best done when lying down with my head over the edge of the bed. I probably looked ridiculous. :rollin:

I know that some LHC'ers experience tangled nape hairs that a comb cannot pass through, or sections of hair that can be combed in only one direction, or a stubborn wave that does not go away. These are warning signs that the hair is matted.

I now know that in properly detangled hair, a comb should pass freely through the hair from all directions, and do so from the roots to the tips. My hair now feels like normal free-flowing hair. It will look nice too once the damage grows out. :)

lapushka, you know your hair better than anyone else. I thought that I knew my hair, but it turned out that even this long-time longhair had something to learn. :)
Ed

[lapushka]

lapushka, you know your hair better than anyone else. I thought that I knew my hair, but it turned out that even this long-time longhair had something to learn. :)
Ed

Gosh Ed, quite a story! :D I'm glad it's OK now; it is... OK now, right? LOL!

[EdG]

Gosh Ed, quite a story! I'm glad it's OK now; it is... OK now, right? LOL! Yes, the worst is over. I just need to regain length. In two years, I won't need to wear a bag over my head during LHC meets. ;) :rollin:
Ed

[lapushka]

Yes, the worst is over. I just need to regain length. In two years, I won't need to wear a bag over my head during LHC meets. ;) :rollin:
Ed

I'm glad you have a sense of humor about it! :)

[GRU]

I can't imagine having a mat that I don't know is there.

I brush with a Tangle Teezer (both wet and dry) and if there's dust in the brush afterward, a toothbrush will take care of that.

I've never found lint/dust to be a threat to anything but my allergies....

[EdG]

GRU - Curly hair is likely different than my experience with straight hair.

For my hair, the Tangle Teezer does not look like it would be effective in getting out mats. It lacks the ability to get the tines under the mats and to pull the mats away from the scalp. I used a wide-tooth wooden comb for that.
Ed

[zmirina]

Maybe use a Tangle Teezer, as it is easy to clean out. Back of a rattail comb to get hairs out, and some soapy water to clean the rest (don't dunk it in completely, of course, just swish the bristles in).

A lot of lint and dust comes out my hair after a week's wear. So I use a TT for dry detangling prior to a wash. Easy to get the gunk out of that brush. My wet brush I reserve for wet detangling. It works!

I'd never say that TT is easier to clean than other brushes. I repurposed my hairdye brush to clean it, since it has long soft bristles that reach everywhere


I use a Tangle Teezer which I wash once a week (I oil my hair once a week and then brush it with a TT, so cleaning it afterwards is necessary), it's very easy to wash, so I don't mind it at all. Back when I used regular paddle brushes I would pick out shed hairs and lint/dust with a picky end of a rat tail comb.
Ok, now I feel attacked. I don't wash it that often, or on any schedule at all. I only wash it if I spill something white on it

[GRU]

GRU - Curly hair is likely different than my experience with straight hair.

For my hair, the Tangle Teezer does not look like it would be effective in getting out mats. It lacks the ability to get the tines under the mats and to pull the mats away from the scalp. I used a wide-tooth wooden comb for that.
Ed

I can't imagine a situation where the hair would mat at scalp level, and certainly can't imagine not realizing that my detangling device wasn't reaching my scalp (because of a mat blocking access).

[GRU]

Ok, now I feel attacked. I don't wash it that often, or on any schedule at all. I only wash it if I spill something white on it


Don't feel bad -- I rarely clean my TT at all, and I don't store it in a sealed environment or anything -- it just lives on my bathroom counter.

[EdG]

I can't imagine a situation where the hair would mat at scalp level, and certainly can't imagine not realizing that my detangling device wasn't reaching my scalp (because of a mat blocking access). I have spent the past two years removing such mats. The amazing thing is that the mats and the lint holding them together were older than the hair itself. One would expect mats to get pushed away from the scalp by the growing hair, but what happens is that given enough lint, the mats keep reforming near the scalp because combing is redistributing the lint.

I know of only a few LHC'ers who have experienced matting like this. It is an uncommon problem.
Ed

[lapushka]

I'd never say that TT is easier to clean than other brushes. I repurposed my hairdye brush to clean it, since it has long soft bristles that reach everywhere

Compared to the Wet brush, it is far easier, which is appropriate in my situation of course.

[GRU]

I have spent the past two years removing such mats. The amazing thing is that the mats and the lint holding them together were older than the hair itself. One would expect mats to get pushed away from the scalp by the growing hair, but what happens is that given enough lint, the mats keep reforming near the scalp because combing is redistributing the lint.

I know of only a few LHC'ers who have experienced matting like this. It is an uncommon problem.
Ed

Well, just like everything else around here, every head of hair is unique! Just goes to show that there is no one "holy grail" brush, comb, shampoo, conditioner, leave-in, or whatever. Each head likes what it likes, and there's nothing that we can do about it!

[EdG]

Well, just like everything else around here, every head of hair is unique! Just goes to show that there is no one "holy grail" brush, comb, shampoo, conditioner, leave-in, or whatever. Each head likes what it likes, and there's nothing that we can do about it! Yes, not only are hair types different, but also the hair retains a years-long history of its care which is different for everyone. I think that the science and mathematics of how large systems behave in the steady-state could be applied to the 100,000 hairs on one's head. We could award a LHC Nobel prize for such work. ;)
Ed

[GRU]

Yes, not only are hair types different, but also the hair retains a years-long history of its care which is different for everyone. I think that the science and mathematics of how large systems behave in the steady-state could be applied to the 100,000 hairs on one's head. We could award a LHC Nobel prize for such work. ;)
Ed

Too true: I introduced my son's GF to CO-washing, and she's to the point now where she's had enough growth that she can "feel" the difference in the new growth and where it changes to the damaged parts from her old shampoo days.