source: Reddit
Okay so… have you ever looked at your hairbrush and wondered what the heck it is? That weird, grayish, cotton candy looking mess hanging off the bristles. I mean, it’s not cotton candy, obviously! But you know what I mean. It’s like this dull, fuzzy, kind of gross mess that just hangs on to the bristles like it’s rent. And if you’re like me, the first time you notice it, it’s almost like it ruins your day for a hot second. You start thinking, wait, how long has THAT been there? Have I been—oh god—brushing that back into my hair every day? Yup, you have.
And it’s not just hair. Ugh! I wish! That would at least be manageable. What it actually is—and brace yourself for this—is it’s basically like a catchall for your scalp. A combination of shed hair, yes, but mostly it’s a mix of scalp oil, skin flakes (dead ones of course), dust, remnants of your styling products, and possibly even stuff floating in the air of your washroom. Which sounds dramatic, but… yeah. It is dramatic. Basically, your hairbrush has become a disgusting collector of whatever your head is shedding or whatever is catching onto it when you brush your hair. And we just keep on brushing away, like that’s fine.
Also, it doesn’t magically appear! The accumulation is stealthy. It builds up on your hairbrush slowly over time… which is probably worse because you don’t realize it until it’s like…. visible visible! And if you brush your hair every day—which most people do—or put a ton of products in your hair that helps the process. Mousse, hairspray, dry shampoo… all those are materials that work like glue traps for dust. They hold onto the bristles then that grabs on to everything else. It’s a whole ecosystem.
