It would be a complete waste of money to buy new hot combs from beauty supply stores every time they get dirty. That’s why you need to know how to clean a hot comb. In order to make them last longer and work properly, you need to take good care of hot combs and wash them once in a while. It depends on how often you use it or if you use many hair products.
In this article, we will show you how to clean your hot comb easily and cheaply. Follow these steps and your hair comb will always be clean and ready to use.
Table Of Contents
How To Clean A Hot Comb

If you want a healthy scalp, you must wash and maintain your hot tools on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter if you have straight or curly, blond or dark hair; it’s important to keep your hot comb regularly clean in order to use it long-term. Normally it’s recommended to wash it once to twice a month, but it really depends on how often you use it.
If you use it rarely, it may be enough to clean it just once a month, but if you use it quite often or you use other hair products like oils, it might be necessary to clean it more than twice a month.
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What You’ll Need
This solution will cost you nothing because everything you need for cleaning you already have at home. Palmolive dish soap or shampoo that you use for cleaning your hair is enough for these tools. Besides that, hot water, a little bit of time and the cleaning process can begin.
If your comb has accumulated a lot of dirt and black gunk, you’ll need materials like mini brushes, baking soda or vinegar for deeper cleaning.
1. Remove The Hair Build Up
If there is a lot of hair, you can try removing it from your hot combs first. Usually, you can easily remove them with your hands, but if there is still some hair stuck on your electric hot comb, you should try using a pen or, if it is not possible, cut it with scissors. The fewer hairs that are stuck to the comb, the easier it will be to clean once it is immersed in water.
This method will save you money on new combs and reduce your workload while washing your comb.
2. Use Hot Water & Soap

If you cannot reach all the dirt or hair in your hot comb, you should wash it with water and soap. This will surely remove any remaining hair from it.
- Fill a sink with enough warm water
- Don’t use the high temperatures of boiling water that can corrode your tools, reducing their lifespan significantly
- Soak your hot comb in a mixture of water, soap or shampoo
- Make sure your pressing comb is completely moist by letting it sit in the mixture for 15 to 30 minutes
Any hair product dirt stuck on your metal comb will be released.
3. Use An Old Toothbrush

Use a toothbrush to scrub your hot comb and remove any dirt that may still be there. If your high-heat comb needs more cleaning, keep using a toothbrush to clean the bristles. Doing this allows you to swiftly brush any hair and debris while also ensuring that your hot brush is clean.
If your hot comb bristles are nylon, go slowly and gently through this step to avoid cuts because they are harder than natural boar bristles. This is one reason why boar bristle brushes are recommended for black hair; nylon is too harsh on our delicate strands.
4. Scrub With Your Fingers
If it seems possible, you can try to scrub the hot comb with your fingers. It might be harder to get to those gaps in between, but be patient and continue cleaning as long as you see the dirt and hair. Then rinse the hot comb continuously to remove the shampoo. This will remove any remaining hair dirt.
Always rinse thoroughly with clean, warm water to ensure no soap or shampoo remains.
5. Let It Dry
Use a clean, dry towel to pat your hot comb dry after rinsing it. In order to keep your hot comb cold, make sure to eliminate any remaining water by doing this. You can let it dry overnight on a paper towel. This ensures that it is completely dry and ready for the next use.
Visit our blog if you are not sure how to use a hot comb.
5 Things You Shouldn’t Do
Frequently Asked Questions
What Do Hairdressers Use To Clean Combs?
Hairdressers use hot water and soap to clean combs. This way, they can be sure they removed all possible hair and dirt over there. It is necessary as they use many different products for the hair styles they make and a little bit of it always stays on the combs. That’s why it’s important to properly clean the hair tools.
How Can You Remove Carbon From A Pressing Comb?
You can remove carbon from a pressing comb by using baking soda. In order to eliminate the carbon buildup from the metal portion of your hair straightening or curling irons, use a mixture of baking soda, a little bit of Palmolive dish soap and hot water. After that, you just need to rinse the baking soda mixture and let a pressing comb dry.
How Do I Clean A Hot Comb With Vinegar?
You clean a hot comb with vinegar by putting your brush in a mixture of white vinegar and warm water in equal parts. Next, you should clean the bristles with mini brushes. After that, just rinse your hot comb with clean water and let it air dry. A vinegar solution is an excellent technique to clean hairbrush bristles without causing damage.
Conclusion
As you can see, cleaning the hot comb is easy with the right supplies and over time, you will gain more experience. Now that you know how to clean a hot comb, it is up to you to clean your hair and take the necessary steps to keep it looking beautiful. To avoid heat damage to your natural hair, use a heat protectant spray.