Am I supposed to brush my hair or not?

[Marchpane]

I'm getting some conflicting advice, as well as conflicting issues, that's making this a tough question for me. I have curly hair, so if I do brush my hair, of course it ruins my curls. Also my hair is extremely tangly pretty much always (it tangles two minutes after I brush it), so finger detangling, then combing, then brushing, is a long and arduous process. However I've read that brushing is important to stimulate the scalp, minimize shedding (I shed soo much), save your hair from breakage from the shed hair, make it less tangly, etc. My last trip to the hairdresser, after repeatedly raking her claws (her nails were long enough to warrant this term) and then yanking a comb through my hair, I actually had to ask her to be more gentle because she was hurting me so much. She told me that my scalp was just sensitive (which it is, but what that had to do with the part where she started bludgeoning me with the hairbrush I'm not sure :shake:), and aaanyway the point to this story is that she said I needed to brush my hair more to avoid all this long list of bad things, including leaving the hairdresser's with a headache. :undecided

I think it probably is a good idea to brush my hair more, but having curly hair makes this really difficult, and as far as using a BBB, I love it but I have to first detangle extensively, and then my hair is pretty poufy afterwards. I can get away with detangling in the shower while wet, but then I get none of these benefits of brushing.... any tips or advice?

[Faepirate]

Personally, I would say no, you don't have to brush it. It's fine for straight hair but curly hair generally doesn't respond well to brushing, as you say. Mine certainly doesn't! I just get frizz if I brush. (Have you seen the "boom" thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=7003)? :D) You can stimulate the scalp with the pads of your fingers, by massaging gently. Don't need to brush to have healthy hair and scalp. :)

BBB can actually be more damaging than beneficial to some hair types...

[HairColoredHair]

If you'd rather not brush, don't! Combing can have all the same benefits, or combing in the shower only when coated in conditioner, or even fingercombing (for some!)

I've converted from brush only to comb only and I just LOVE my horn comb. :D

[Speckla]

I comb with a widetooth comb. I stimulate my scalp by massaging when cowashing or by rubbing my scalp at night before bed.
________
Chrysler Turbine Car (http://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Chrysler_Turbine_Car)

[boomygrrl]

ITA...you don't have to brush hair. You can detangle with a comb in the shower (with conditioner)...and if you really need to, use the comb outside of the shower. I still like to brush my hair, but I was told by my hairdresser that it's not a good idea to use a brush.

[Arctic]

I don't think anyone needs to brush, you can stimulate the scalp in many other ways like with scalp massage, head stands (;)) or essential oils. A lot of info here and in real world too is conflicting, everyone has their own preferencies and the numerous different hair types/ hair care routines/ lifestyles/ climates/ opinions/ etc make it difficult to give advise that applies to everyone.

Also often hidden behind the advice is a wish to gain monetary profits (selling products, brushes, combs, oils, hair dressing services...). These people and companies make money of your confusion, they have noticed it makes their products sell.

My best advise is to look for people who have similar hair to yours and see how they take care of it: do they comb, brush, with what and when.

[boomygrrl]

I comb with a widetooth comb. I stimulate my scalp by massaging when cowashing or by rubbing my scalp at night before bed.

Yecky!
LOL...sorry, inside joke.

[Heidi_234]

I haven't brushed my hair for years (I don't even own a brush), and I only finger comb my hair in the shower and little bit right after.
From my personal experience, not brushing or combing doesn't have anything to do with hair loss. I had so heavy hair shedding all the time, and now my hair loss decreased into mere few hairs! And I'm still not brushing or combing. Also, just because you have curly hair, I would heartily recommend you to put down that brush and use the comb maybe only in the shower, because as you saw they ruin your curls otherwise.
If you want to stimulate your scalp, you could to scalp massages instead. So there you go, no reason to brush your hair, and don't listen to hairdressers - they are evil! ;) :evil:

[Speckla]

Yecky!
LOL...sorry, inside joke.


Sometimes I use Boomy's toothbrush....ok, back to topic. :cheese:

You don't have to brush to distribute oil because a comb or your fingertips will do just as well.
________
NEVADA MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY (http://nevada.dispensaries.org/)

[Clytemnestra]

Agree with everybody here, no need to brush your hair. My hair is very fine and sorta wavy, so I just comb it once in the morning after I CO and put in a bit of Shea Butter as a leave in, and only with a wide toothed seamless comb that I got from tenderheaded.com.

I get the urge to brush it a couple of times a month, but I use an extra soft bbb, and then after it's lightly oiled, just sort of smooth it over from top to bottom. I braid it in two very loose braids for bed, but I only finger comb the sections.

The first thing I learned when I started reading this board was to treat your hair like fine old chantilly lace, so I just sort of operate off of that idea.

[wintersun99]

I comb with a widetooth comb. I stimulate my scalp by massaging when cowashing or by rubbing my scalp at night before bed.

I do this, as well. No brushes

[spidermom]

Do what you want; it's your hair. Personally, I love the feel of a good brushing. I thought it might be causing split ends, so I quit for almost a full year, but I didn't see any change, so I recently resumed brushing. The best time for me is before I oil it, which I do the day before I wash it. It's very soothing. My favorite brush currently is the Goody Jojoba Infused paddle brush. The bristles are very soft and flexible; I'm sure they couldn't rip through a tangle even if I wanted them to. However, I have to watch out for the groove between the brush and the handle.

[spidermom]

The first thing I learned when I started reading this board was to treat your hair like fine old chantilly lace, so I just sort of operate off of that idea.


I find it impossible. I'd never drape old chantilly lace over my head and wear it that way 24/7.

[harpgal]

I brush daily, but only my scalp and I do not have any split ends because I do not whip the brush quickly off my ends. A brush is a good tool when used properly.

However way you brush, just go slow and do not detangle with a brush. Fingers first, then a wide tooth comb work best for me.

[Curlsgirl]

First if you still want to go to a salon, find a new hairdresser. That is ridiculous to be treated like that and then told you have a sensitive scalp. YOU are the paying customer. I detangle before I go and if I don't get to, she is very understanding and is very gentle and never uses a brush. I have a LOT less breakage since I quit brushing. You can do scalp massage and scritching to stimulate your scalp, no need for a brush ever.

[Chromis]

I only ever use the brush as a smooth tool nowadays and if anything my shedding has decreased.

I would have walked out on the stylist who was being too rough though. It does not matter if your scalp is "sensitive" if the customer tells you that you are hurting them, you need to respect them and knock it the heck off!

[Speckla]

I find it impossible. I'd never drape old chantilly lace over my head and wear it that way 24/7.


Than you haven't really started to live yet. :D:cheese:
________
Uhwh (http://uhwh.com/)

[Marchpane]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I never thought of that, but I'll try the scalp massaging idea along with combing only while wet. But I also heard that shed hair can get kind of stuck in your regular hair and tangles it up and causes breakage. Does simply combing take care of that?

[Speckla]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I never thought of that, but I'll try the scalp massaging idea along with combing only while wet. But I also heard that shed hair can get kind of stuck in your regular hair and tangles it up and causes breakage. Does simply combing take care of that?

I finger detangle with conditioner in my hair while bathing and that gets rid of a lot of the loosen hair and tangles. I haven't noticed any extra breakage or damage when I comb *after* I add my leave-in condish.
________
GRAND MARQUIS (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Mercury_Grand_Marquis)

[spidermom]

Every time I comb, shed hairs fall free. I especially see them if I comb over the bathroom sink.

[Faepirate]

But I also heard that shed hair can get kind of stuck in your regular hair and tangles it up and causes breakage. Does simply combing take care of that?

Hmmm. I don't comb often, but fingercombing actually seems to take care of a lot of the shed hairs.

[zen_oven]

If brushing doesn't work well for you, I wouldn't do it. I actually like brushing--it helps work the oil through easily and helps with smoothing and getting rid of "strandiness". I try to minimize how often I do it though--I do it on wash day once my hair has dried completely and I usually do it before oiling. Other than that I stick to combing.

[salamander]

I comb my hair with a seamless horn comb right before I put it up or before I wash it. I let it dry without touching it, so I have curls, which I leave when I'm wearing it down. It's important to comb before showers, though, or it will really tangle! I only use my BBB on my crown, to subdue the frizzies a bit. Basically, no brush, comb only when I don't care if I have curls.

[Ryanne]

I only brush my scalp, otherwise the little hairs stick out. The rest I fingercomb when it's dry, and use a seamless comb when it's wet.

[Vijikanth]

I have exactly the same problem. When my hari was short, it was more curlier and the brushing or combing did not affect it. Nw it is 6 months old and i can see that when i comb it i'm afraid the curls get spoilt. I lose the wavyness.. This bothers me a lot. I take head bath daily and apply coconut oil when the hair is slightly wet. and when I brush it then ...its ok...

[LovingLife]

try using brushing (BRISTLE OR BABY BRUSH) as an exfoliater... but for hair!

[Spike]

Eh? Why would one want to exfoliate one's hair? Scalp, scalp I can dig, but muck with the cuticle of your hair and its Split Ends City.

[redtea]

I wear my hair back most of the time, so my curls are mostly gone after a day unless I wet my hair or wash it again. The night before I wash my hair I apply jojoba oil to the ends, massage my scalp, and gently use a BBB on my hair. The rest of the time I use a wide tooth comb. BBB's can also be useful for smoothing out updos when you're trying to get all your hair back neatly.