Chemically dry hair should be brushed while wet

[Sylvanas]

Or so this Norwegian article about how to brush your hair says: http://www.klikk.no/mote/skjonnhet/article574717.ece

I've added the link so those who understand Norwegian can read it, but for those who don't, I'll do my best to translate.

Brush while the hair is wet

Hair is at its weakest when it's wet, and therefore many people will tell you not to brush until it's dry. However, this is not true for all hairtypes.

If the hair is chemically dry, it should be brushed while wet, with a deep-treatment hair mask or a leave-in product applied. Chemically dry hair is crispy(porous), and will break if brushed when dry.

I'm not sure what to make of this. On one hand it makes sense, cause if the hair is wet and slippery enough, I can slide a comb through it no problem. No matter how carefully I brush when my hair has airdried, there are still a few tangles, and the brush only glides through easily after I've already brushed it to get the tangles out.

It would be interesting to hear your opinions and thoughts on this, as I've never heard anyone mention brushing while wet as the best and least damaging option.

[Burgundyhair]

I always use a wide tooth comp or my denman when my hair is wet and full of conditioner. I don't touch it other wise. I also finger comb/detangle when wet only.

I have curly and porous hair. Double whammy!

[Quixii]

I don't know about chemically dry hair, but a lot of curlies only brush/comb when wet/with conditioner because combs or brushes rip apart curls, which probably causes more damage than detangling while the hair is wet and straight-ish.

[Sylvanas]

Yes, I've read that most curly girls (and gents) brush while wet, as brushing while dry is almost impossible for some, and ruins the curl pattern for others. I've just never heard anyone say "I do this because it's less damaging", it's always more along the lines of "I know brushing while wet is bad, but it's the only way I can get a comb through my hair".

I've decided to experiment with this a bit, and see what happens if I stick with wet combing for a longer period of time. Maybe I can end up saying "I brush while wet because it's less damaging"

I'm very interested to hear from people with different hairtypes. The article said it's not the best option for everyone, so I'm guessing there must be people who feel brushing while wet does nothing for their hair.

[Underlig]

I comb my hair when it's wet with conditioner in it. It's not because I can't comb it otherwise, I can and I do. And I wouldn't really call my hair dry either. It's just one of those things I prefer to do. I guess maybe it feels like the conditioner coats all my hair better if I do? Either way, it does eliminate the tangles I'd have when it dries, even though they're not many either way.

[Nera]

Definately makes sense to me! I always brush my hair when wet, and i have dry porous hair.

[Snowcold]

I always brush when wet, my hair just dries so much prettier when doing that. Besides, it never caused me any damage. It causes me more damage to dry the whole tangled thing and then brush it! Ouch!

And yes, my hair is chemically died, so that could be it.

[SimplyViki]

What do they mean by "chemically dry" hair?

[Sylvanas]

What do they mean by "chemically dry" hair?

I assume they mean hair that is dry due to chemical damage, as opposed to virgin hair that is a bit on the dry side naturally. They did specify "chemically dry" in the article, but I'm not sure if it's really that different from naturally dry hair

[Kathie]

I wouldn’t! My bleached hair is kind of stretchy when wet. If I brushed it would stretch and break... The mental image sends shivers down my spine. Its much stronger when its dry.

Overall it doesn’t get brushed much- just combed with a wide-tooth comb.