Benefits of brushing?

[Kazazi]

Prior to finding this forum and deciding to grow my hair, I hardly ever brushed my hair. It's still shorter than shoulder length I don't heat style, and so I tended to mostly just detangle it with a comb or sometimes a comfy brush when wet, and let it be.

Only sometimes I'd brush it a bit to smooth the top or before putting it into pigtails.

Now I wonder if i actually *should* brush it more to help it grow? I have a Kent brush with boar bristles and protruding nylon bits and a cheapo all boar bristle brush from Boots? Should I use either or both regularly to stimulate my scalp and distribute oils down the length? Or would increasing brushing cause more damage than benefit?

I find that the Kent brush feels best on my scalp as the nylon pins massage it whereas the pure BBB tends to not reach all the scalp. Both are small handbag brushes.

Any tips for brushing? And/or should I be getting a different brush? Does brushing encourage hair growth?

Just really curious...

[embee]

You will find widely divergent points of view here on brushing. Some think it's good, and it spreads the natural oils down the hair. Others are convinced it breaks or damages the hairs themselves.

Personally I like to brush. I like the way it feels. I am careful to detangle before I brush and I only brush when my hair is dry.

My mom did "100 strokes" every evening before bed, and her hair was TB or classic all my life. So I grew up thinking it was ok, and plainly it didn't damage my mom's hair too badly! ;)

[spidermom]

I love the feel of brushing, too, and I used to think it was beneficial. Now I don't know. I get a LOT of split ends. Now I'm experimenting with a "no brushing" routine to see if my hair holds up better.

[Kazazi]

If/when you do brush, does it make a difference what kind of boar bristle brush it is? Is a cheap one as good as an expensive one?

[amaiaisabella]

I usually just brush my hair when it is a bit oily, so I can distribute the oils throughout my hair. This also adds a bit of shine!

I don't do this every day though. It's really up to you and how much damage your hair has. I would say the more damaged it is, to rely on finger combing or regular combing, and then brush every once in a while.

[ChloeDharma]

I'm a fan of brushing, but with some oil on my hair......here's something you might find interesting....
http://recedinghairline.blogspot.com/

If you find it causes breakage then scalp massage would probably do the same thing if you did it quite thoroughly.

[Raederle]

I hope this (http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l313/fanofpi/P4150326.jpg) link from pre crash LHC works for others.

My hair seems to benefit from very careful brushing with a BBB. I think that as hair goes beyond wavy into curly, a brush becomes more difficult to manage, and the results not so great.

[BrianaFineHair]

I run a brush through my hair maybe three times a day. If I do not brush my hair it looks like I've just rolled out of bed.

[Legend]

I don't brush through my hair at all. I actually can’t remember the last time I did… But whenever I wear my hair back, I like to use the side of a boar bristle brush (and a little gel) to smooth the edges.

[Riot Crrl]

Benefits to my hair: none.

Benefits to my scalp: ALL.

I quit brushing and now my hair loves it but it's all I can do to keep my scalp from being a sludgy mess. And that's with a multi-pronged attack. So to speak.

[Katze]

neither my hair nor scalp likes any but the most superficial brushing.

My hair gets weighted down really fast if I brush, causing that 'flat on top, puffy on bottom' look that is VERY unattractive. The flip side is that if I want my hair to stay put in an updo, I wait until it's dirty, then brush it as sleek as I can. But I only do this a couple times a month.

My scalp doesn't like brushing because it seems to make it itchier as well as oilier.

Brushing also destroys my pretty waves, turning them into weird bumps.

The only reason I brush is before a WO wash, to start spreading the sebum down, or, as mentioned before, if I need slicked back hair (for a French twist before a job interview, for example).

I was raised with the 'hundred strokes a night' idea, and when I brushed more, my hair never grew. That might have been all the chemicals and heat, or it might have been the brushing.

[Kazazi]

Thanks for all the replies :)

I think for now I will keep the brushing to the pre-wash evenings then (every other day) so oil gets distributed then and I don't get the greasies on the other days. My hair is not very prone to tangling, so if I make sure it's tangle free before starting any serious brushings I should be ok, right?

[ChloeDharma]

Yes, brushing and detangling should be 2 different things. If hair isn't thoroughly detangled before brushing then you are likely to break hairs. Also it should always be completely dry.