As a hair stylist, I often concentrate on the hair cut or the color of hair, but I was reminded recently by one of my clients about the positive effect that proper brushing can have on the hair. This client told me that brushing your hair is very important and the results are so impressive that back in the late '50s and '60s women used to brush their hair at least 100 times on each side everyday! Now, in this day and age, we women don't have that much time on our hands, but what is most important about this little known fact is that it's not how many times you brush your hair, but the quality of the brush that you use that is the most important element in keeping your hair healthy and vibrant.
Brushing the hair properly cleanses and stimulates the scalp and distributes your natural oils along the entire hair shaft, which in turn will keep the hair soft and shiny, and although a good quality brush can't correct any long term damage, it will help prevent any new damage to the hair.
Hair Brush Tips to Remember
- Don't brush your hair when it is wet. This is because wet hair tends to be weaker and stretches more easily than dry hair and the stress of brushing can actually do more damage than good. Only brush your hair when it is completely dry as you will get the full effect of using a brush on your hair without damaging your hair.
- Try not to brush your hair if it's curly. Unfortunately the only effect you're going to get is frizzy curls. You can, however, brush your curls out just before you are about to wash your hair as this will help to take out any excess products.
- A good paddle brush with soft bristles and a wooden frame is the perfect hair styling tool as the plastic and metal brushes we use today can sometimes tear the hair away from the cuticle. THS recommends a pure bristle paddle hair brush from Denman in London, which will set your back about $100. It's worth it!
