The Dos and Don'ts of Brushing Your Hair

Brushing your hair may sound like a simple enough task. As long as you have a brush, you can run it through your hair to remove knots and tangles while simultaneously creating smoother and silkier-looking hair. There's a right way and a wrong way to brush your hair, however. Below are a few important dos and don'ts to follow when brushing your hair.

Do Brush At Least Once a Day

Try to get into the habit of brushing your hair at least once a day. Daily hair-brushing is good for many reasons. For starters, it allows you to remove knots and tangles before they turn your hair into a mess. Daily hair-brushing will also stimulate your scalp so that more nutrient-rich blood flows to your hair follicles

Don't Use a Wide-Tooth Brush

When choosing a hairbrush, make sure it bristles are relatively close together. There are fine-tooth brushes, and there are wide-tooth brushes. Fine-tooth brushes have many small bristles that are close together, whereas wide-tooth brushes have fewer bristles that are spaced farther apart. Of those two types of hairbrushes, fine-tooth is typically the best choice. If you use a wide-tooth brush, it may catch and damage your hair with its small and fine bristles.

Do Wait Until Your Hair Is Dry

You should wait until your hair is dry before attempting to brushing it. Some women make the mistake of brushing their hair immediately after getting out of the shower. With wet hair, though, there's a greater risk of damage when brushing it. Brushing your hair while it's wet may cause it to break. By waiting until your hair is dry, damage such as this shouldn't occur.

Don't Brush in the Wrong Direction

Another mistake to avoid is brushing your hair in the wrong direction. The correct way to brush your hair is to start at your scalp and move down towards the tips of your hair. If you brush in the opposite direction, your hair may lose its original and natural shape. Brushing from the tips of your hair and working your way upwards to your scalp can change the shape of your hair. You can retain your hair's original and natural shape by brushing in the right direction.

Do Condition Beforehand

You may want to condition your hair before brushing it. Conditioners, of course, are moisturizing agents. They'll coat your hair in a protective layer so that it's less susceptible to friction. You can then brush your hair after conditioning it without fear of it succumbing to friction-related damage.