I recently got a boars hair brush from Sallys and I love it but I noticed that it is starting to smell a little funny.  I clean out the hairs with a comb after I use it and once I noticed the smell I washed it with gentle soap but it still smells.  Any ideas?

Sorry, I don't have any suggestions.  I've moved your question over here in hopes someone else has some advice for you.

I noticed that mine has a smell too. Other than removing the shed hairs, I haven't done anything else to clean it. Mason Pearson has instructions on washing brushes, but I don't know if their method takes the smell away. Hopefully someone else with a bbb has some suggestions.   ???

Actually I was at Sally's today and walked down the brush aisle.  I started smelling the brushes while the cashier was in the back with another customer and they all have a bit of an odd odor--I think it's the rubber base for the bristles.  Short of spraying my brush with parfume I can't think of anything else to do.  We are big on parfume at work--we'll spray it anything.

It's either the rubber (you know that tire smell) that'll go away by itself; or, it's that the bristles were not properly cleaned and sterilized, also not necessarily a disaster, but they shouldn't smell any more than say an extremely clean washed dog (one of my favorite smells  ;D).

If it's the cleanliness - it's the usual technique - wash, preferable with something anti bacterial, several times and condition (any cone free conditioner should do it), let it dry, if it doesn't help, do it again.  If you try that about 3-4 times and it doesn't get a whole lot better without shedding bristles - return the brush.

Another possibility, though rare, is the glue.  You'll find that out quick enough if the bristles fall out.

Good luck.  This does occasionally even with good brushes ...g

Those are good suggestions. I think mine just smells because I haven't washed it yet (ack), but I did notice a rubbery smell when I first bought it.

Aside from washing, perhaps a couple of times, might a drop or two of EO mask the smell?

Thank you for that suggestion, NR! The brush manufaturers say that EO can deteriorate the rubber pad faster so I guess the EO would have to be really diluted. Then again, they could be wrong.  :P

Yes, it is that rubbery tire smell.  I guess I just get nervious that my hair will smell like tires.  I am nervious that EO might ruin the bristles or make it smell worse...

I think one would have to use the bbb a lot in one sitting for the rubber smell to transfer on to the hair.  :P

I'm sure you're right.  I'm just a worry wart  ::)

I'd vote to give the BBB an ACV rinse if it persists.

Oooh, good idea, PreciousLocks. Another thing to try would be lemon juice; it works to get garlic and onion smell out of hands, why not a BBB?

You don't even have to wet it - just give it a good de-fuzzing with a fine tooth cheap drugstore comb.

wrote on Aug 26^th, 2005 at 11:59pm:

You don't even have to wet it - just give it a good de-fuzzing with a fine tooth cheap drugstore comb.

Oh great hair goddess Anais, please to describe for us poor mortals what a "de-fuzzing" treatment might be?  :D

"de-fuzzing"  ;D  Great term Anais!

I call it combing out the brush.  Use a comb to remove the hair and fuzz that has collected on the brush.

wrote on Aug 26^th, 2005 at 11:59pm:

You don't even have to wet it - just give it a good de-fuzzing with a fine tooth cheap drugstore comb.

Yes, I try to do that every couple of days if not right after I use it.