Salon Hygiene: Tips for Sanitizing Your Beauty Supplies

The Importance of Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Salon

As a hairdresser, your main priority (next to making your clients look and feel beautiful) is their safety and well-being. And because many clients are still taking extra precautions when it comes to spending extended amounts of time outside their homes, now is the perfect time to refresh your knowledge of best salon hygiene practices. Are you following the guidelines below? Read on to find out.
 

How to Clean and Disinfect Your Beauty Supplies

Firstly, if you don’t already know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting, here’s a refresher: (and remember, to completely sanitize your salon and barber tools, you need to do both!)
 

Cleaning: removes dirt, germs and impurities. Cleaning involves using soap, water and a mechanical action to physically remove germs from the surface of an object.
 

Disinfecting: actually kills germs. Disinfectants should be used AFTER cleaning and drying an object.
 

How to Clean Hair Brushes and Combs

Why is cleaning and disinfecting your combs and brushes between clients so important? When using your combs and brushes, hair, product, dead skin cells, dust mites and natural hair oils build up, and that buildup can turn your brushes into a breeding ground for bacteria. Maintaining a proper cleaning and disinfecting routine will keep your clients safe and will extend the life of your tools!
 

The best way to clean your brushes and combs? Use Ship-Shape Comb & Brush Cleaner first. Ship-Shape removes lotions, oils, hair color, gels, sprays and dirt from combs and brushes, and complies with state laws and EPA requirements for pre-cleaning tools before immersing them in a disinfectant. You can also use it to clean sink basins, head and neck rests, vinyl upholstery, chrome, chairs and tables.
 

Before I found Ship-Shape I actually used to clean product buildup from my combs with shampoo which never really did the job,” says stylist Josh Demarco. “Trying to refine a line on dry hair with a gunk-covered comb is not easy to do or recommended. Luckily I discovered Ship-Shape, which brings my combs back to life in minutes. Just throw them in the solution, let them soak and follow up with Barbicide for cleaned and disinfected combs.”
 

Ship-Shape, which brings my combs back to life in minutes. Just throw them in the solution, let them soak and follow up with Barbicide for cleaned and disinfected combs.”
 

You can also save time while keeping your space sanitized by using Barbicide Wipes. These easy-to-use, economical wipes have a 2-minute contact time and meet the EPA's criteria for use against COVID-19 to ensure your salon, spa or barbershop meets disinfection guidelines in just a few short minutes.
 

How to Make Barbicide Spray

Pro tip: Have an empty spray bottle laying around? Make your own Barbicide Spray for easy cleanup! It’s super easy and fast to mix. Grab a spray bottle with oz printed to make it even easier, then mix 16 oz of water with 1 oz of Barbicide Concentrate.
 

How to Use Clippercide Spray

Don’t forget your shears and clippers! As you know, shears and clippers are expensive, so you want to treat them well. To ensure they stay sharp, make sure to clean and disinfect them after each use. Here’s how:
 

Cleaning Tips for Nail Salons

All non-porous nail supplies (including nail tools, clippers and nail drill bits) should be cleaned and disinfected the same as combs and brushes - this means cleaning with Ship-Shape first, followed by 10 minutes in Barbicide solution.
 

You can also use a sanitizer box like the Fanta Sea UV Sterilization Box. This ultraviolet sterilizer can be used to sterilize brushes, combs, manicure implements and other salon tools - just place your tools inside, set your timer and remove them once the time is up.
 

Cleaning Tips for Makeup Artists

Quick reminder about cleaning makeup: you can only disinfect non-porous objects (think stainless steel, plastics, rubbers, ceramics). Makeup, however, is porous, meaning it can’t be disinfected. So as a makeup artist, your goal isn’t to decontaminate makeup, it's to AVOID contaminating it in the first place.
 

So before you arrive at a job, outside of makeup brushes, try to remove all porous, reusable items, including cosmetic bags, canisters, brush rolls and fabric chairs. Remove all non-porous packaging that is difficult to clean and disinfect, such as pencil sharpeners or complicated packaging. Repackage items in non-porous packaging that is easy to clean and disinfect. For example - a fabric kit bag can be replaced by plastic bins with lids. Then, separate makeup brushes - one brush set per person - in individual bags that can be sealed.
 

Here are some additional tips for makeup artists before you arrive to a job, while you’re working and what to do after you’ve finished the job.