To finally put the nail in the coffin of the “How often should I wash my hair?” debate, let's move on to the question of how often one should wash his or her hairbrushes. The answer: more frequently than most of us are probably doing now. (This conclusion was drawn from a poll taken around the office in which 100 percent of respondents said they have never cleaned their hairbrushes.) This calls for a tutorial—and a product recommendation to boot.

To clean a hairbrush, first fill the sink or a shallow bowl with lukewarm water, add a few drops of shampoo (no need to get fancy here, but use something gentle), and swirl the brush around the water. For more serious cleaning, add the shampoo directly onto the bristles, and do a little scrub. Then rinse with more lukewarm water. Do not—repeat—do not leave your hair brush to soak. This is generally a terrible idea. Once you're finished, leave the brush to dry—bristles-down and on a towel for about a day.

Shampooing a brush, though, won't do as much good if there's still strands of hair and lint stuck between the bristles. Philip B. makes a very nifty Hairbrush Cleaner that looks like a miniature rake and works to remove all the gunk built up in there. However, a thin comb or other pick-like object will work just as well.

Photographed by Tom Newton.