How to Clean a Beard Brush: A Complete Guide to Proper Maintenance

Your beard brush is essentially the MVP of your grooming kit. Day in and day out, it’s in the trenches, distributing oils, taming those stubborn flyaways, and making sure you don't look like you just rolled out of a haystack. 

The good news? Cleaning the beard brush properly can extend its life significantly, and it’s actually simpler than it looks.  

Read on and see how to wash your beard brush and get ready to notice the difference.

4 Simple Steps to Clean Your Beard Brush

You don’t need a degree in chemistry to do this, but there is a right way and a wrong way to detail your beard brush. Here is the best way to clean your beard brush: ensure you remove all residue and buildup without ruining the bristles.

Step 1: Grab Your Gear

You likely already have everything you need in your bathroom cabinet. Basic soap is plenty. You don't need the high-end stuff to get a clean brush. Save your money and keep it simple. The results are going to be the same anyway.

• Mild beard shampoo or dish soap: If it’s gentle enough for your head, it’s fine for the brush.

• Warm water: Not boiling, you don't want to melt the glue or warp the wood.

• A small bowl: Or just plug your sink.

• An old toothbrush: This is the secret weapon for scrubbing the base.

If you’re a fan of natural fixes, adding a few drops of tea tree oil to the water is a pro move. It’s a natural disinfectant that smells great and kills any lingering bacteria.

Step 2: Clear Out the Forest

Before introducing any moisture, it’s important to remove loose buildup from the brush while everything is still dry. This step makes the rest of the cleaning process far easier and more effective.

• Remove shed hair first while the brush is completely dry

• Use a comb to rake through the bristles gently

• Don’t skip this step: adding water too early causes trapped hair to mat down

• Wet, tangled hair becomes much harder to remove later

• This process clears out dust, lint, and dead skin cells stuck in the brush

Step 3: Soak and Scrub

This is where the actual cleaning happens. A gentle soak followed by a careful scrub will break down built-up product, dirt, and oils without damaging the brush.

The Soak

Warm, soapy water helps loosen stubborn residue that dry cleaning can’t remove.

• Fill a bowl with warm water and add a small amount of beard wash

• Submerge only the bristles; keep the wooden handle out of the water

• Avoid soaking the wood, as it can absorb moisture and crack

• Let the bristles soak for about five minutes

• This helps dissolve old beard balm, beard oil, and product buildup

The Scrub

Once loosened, debris needs a light but thorough scrub to fully clear it out.

• Use a toothbrush to scrub between the rows of bristles

• Be gentle, especially if the brush uses boar hair

• Focus on removing dirt, grit, and dead skin

• Rinse thoroughly to remove all soap residue

• Make sure no suds are left behind before using the brush again

Step 4: The Drying Phase

This step is where most people go wrong. Drying your brush the right way is essential if you want it to last and perform properly.

• Never use a hairdryer or place the brush on a radiator

• High heat can quickly damage a boar bristle beard brush

• Gently shake out any excess water after rinsing

• Lay the brush flat on a clean towel with the bristles facing down

• Bristles-down drying prevents water from pooling in the base

• This helps stop moisture from seeping into the handle

• Proper positioning protects the wood and prevents the glue from weakening

• Allow the brush to air dry overnight

Why Maintenance Actually Matters

You might think beard brush cleaning habits are just for the overachievers, but it’s actually a hygiene essential.

Stop the Breakouts

Regularly exfoliate your skin to prevent clogged pores and breakouts. A dirty brush is a petri dish for bacteria. Brushing that into your skin is a one-way ticket to acne.

Better Distribution

Using beard oil with a boar bristle beard brush ensures better distribution of the product. Clean boar bristles move oil better, ensuring your beard looks its best. When your brush is clogged with dirt, it just moves gunk around instead of conditioning your hair and beard.

Saving Money

Good brushes aren't cheap. Properly cleaning your beard brush ensures that a $30 investment lasts you five years instead of five months.

How to Dry Your Beard Brush After Cleaning

Most guys think drying a brush is as simple as shaking it off and tossing it on the counter. Wrong. This is actually where you can screw up an otherwise perfect cleaning job.

The Golden Rule: Bristles Down, Always

After you've rinsed out all the soap, give the brush a good shake. You want to fling off as much water as possible before it even touches a towel. Then lay it bristle-side down on a clean, dry towel.

Why? Water naturally flows downward. If you stand the brush upright or lay it on its back, all that moisture seeps into the wooden base. Over time, this weakens the glue holding the bristles in place. You'll end up with a patchy brush that sheds more than your dog.

• Shake out excess water vigorously after rinsing

• Place the brush bristles down on a clean, dry towel

• Never stand it upright or lay it on its back

• Downward positioning prevents water from pooling in the base

• This protects the glue and wood from moisture damage

Air Dry Only, No Shortcuts

Don't even think about using a hairdryer. Heat warps wood and destroys boar bristles faster than you'd expect. The same goes for radiators, sunny windowsills, or any other "let me speed this up" trick you're considering.

Just let it sit overnight. Eight hours of air drying beats two minutes of heat damage every single time.

• Skip the hairdryer completely; heat ruins bristles

• Avoid radiators, heaters, and direct sunlight

• Let the brush air dry naturally for at least 8 hours

• Room temperature drying keeps both wood and bristles intact

• Patience here adds years to your brush's lifespan

Check Before You Use It

Before you reach for your brush the next morning, flip it over and feel the base. If it's still damp, give it more time. Using a wet brush won't clean your beard; it'll just redistribute moisture and whatever bacteria decided to hang around.

A completely dry brush feels room temperature and shows no moisture when you press a finger to the wood. That's when it's ready to go back to work.

• Always check the base for dampness before using

• Press a finger to the wood; it should feel completely dry

• A wet brush spreads moisture and bacteria, not oil

• The brush should feel room temperature to the touch

• When in doubt, give it another hour or two

Don't Let a Dirty Brush Ruin Your Beard

Here's the deal: a dirty brush doesn't just look gross; it actively works against you. Every time you use it, you're dragging old product, dead skin, and bacteria straight into your beard.

Ten minutes of cleaning once a week keeps your brush working like new. Your beard looks better. Your skin stays clear. And that $30 brush you bought? It'll actually last.

Clean tools aren't optional. They're the difference between looking sharp and looking like you don't care.