100 Brush Strokes a Day

[Tehillim408]

The more you brush your hair, the better?

I noticed some of the users on LHC brush their hair using numerous strokes per day. I've heard brushing with a BBB is healthy for hair because it pulls the natural oils down to the ends.

So...the more brushing one does, the better? Or is this only the case for certain individuals?

I love to brush my hair, and I'm hoping it isn't too bad for it!

[krissykins]

I think it varies. 100 brush strokes would be too excessive for me, but it works for a lot of people.

[IanB]

Brushing dosen't seem to work for me at all, I prefer a wide tooth comb, or indeed finger combing

[celebriangel]

I think it depends on the hair. For thick or medium or coarse type hair, I am sure that would work great. However with F/M type hair myself I find a BBB eats my hair slightly.

I use my fingers in a "preening" method to distribute my natural oils, even though I am a CO person not WO. I find it keeps my length in good condition and helps me to stretch washes.

[torrilin]

I like my boar bristle brush, and I do use it but not for 100 strokes a day. Not even 100 strokes a week. I've got fine hair, so the less I handle my hair the better. The brush helps if I'm trying to cut down on how often I get my hair wet, since a good brushing can help with an itchy scalp.

[ZeppHead]

I have very fine and thin hair so I believe the less brushing the better for my own hair.

[Zesty]

Echoing what others have said, it seems to depend on the hair type. My hair is delicate, so I think 100 strokes a day would be overkill for me. That being said, I know there are some LHCers who actually do the 100 strokes a day thing (Madora comes to mind) and it works great for them.

[QMacrocarpa]

Brushing that much would exacerbate my splits. I comb, or brush with a tangle teezer, and usually try to keep it to just once a day. For me, I think the less handling, the better.

[Anje]

My hair's fine and a bit on the fragile side. I think 100 stokes a day is just too much cumulative friction. My BBB tends to be reserved for de-linting my hair.

[Madora]

Avid 100 strokes a day boar bristle brusher..for more than 40 years!

I had (over 10 years ago) very, very thick, long hair and I've always brushed 100 strokes a day (right after I get up, the best time to brush), per the George Michael method of long hair care (which I've been practicing since 1960).

The best brush is a natural, 100 pure boar bristle brush. BBBs are a natural product, not a synthetic, and the structure of the boar bristle understands your hair's structure.

Brushing not only exercises your hair follices, it distributes your hair's natural sebum down your strands, removes dirt, lint and stuff from the atmosphere and gives your hair incredible softness and shine.

HOW you brush determines how your hair will turn out!

Mr. Michael's method always worked for me..as well as countless of ladies (and men) in the US and around the world! Thick haired, thin haired, long or short, his brushing method works!

While he endorsed 100 strokes a day with a pure boar bristle brush (as did my maternal grandmother, who had a thick head of beautiful red gold hair), it is NOT a number etched in stone!

If you want to brush 50 strokes a day..or 25..then go to it..BUT be CONSISTENT! Do it EVERY day!

Also, start off slowly at first, don't do the entire 25, or 50, or 100 right away! Work up to it. Start with 10 and add a few strokes a day until you reach your goal.

Always, always, ALWAYS, DETANGLE your hair with a wide tooth comb first, before touching the brush! Brushes are NOT detanglers!

I brush all my hair in front of me like this: bend at the waist, detangle all hair, then do my 100 strokes. I have no troubles with tangles as I handle my hair in a certain way to make tangles just about non existent when brushing.

Also, remember when you brush to follow each swipe of your brush with the palm of your other hand. This cuts down on the static electricity engendered by your brush (a natural thing).

For the sake of your hair, AVOID using plastic, synthetic, rubber on your hair! These materials generate HEAT, and heat is NOT good for your hair.

Curlies can brush also...but must take extra precautions and go s l o w l y when they brush.

It only takes me 5 minutes to detangle and brush my thick, 43 inch hair.

Your hair benefits in so many ways from brushing!

The type of boar bristle brush varies greatly...from long, thick, stiff bristles, to softer bristles that are thinner and shorter. The stiffness in the bristles will fade with time.

Your bbb should be kept squeaky clean and all hair removed from it after you finish using it.

I love my Goody bbb! There's a picture of it in my hair album.

[*Rose Red*]

I only use a comb for my hair, brushing causes damage for me, even when it gets more shiny :(

[LunaMoon]

I love brushing (BBB) my hair and I have learned to do it from Madora's advices. My hair is in much better condition now and I have a cute baby's goat brush to use as well if I want just to spread some oil for shinning. Works great. The baby's one is great to add extra shine to a pony tail, for example. It is very soft and doesn't "penetrate" the hair.

[ArienEllariel]

I try to brush my hair when I remember. Obviously, like Madora said, detangle first! BBB aren't for detangling. They're for smoothing, cleaning, and spreading oil/sebum down the length of your hair. I don't really count the number of strokes I use. I know it is probably more like 30-50 rather than 100. I do what feels good for my fine hair. In the future I may work up to 100 strokes a day. We'll see.

I adore my BBB! I just got a new giant paddle BBB from Sally's. It's WONDERFUL. Stiff but not too stiff bristles, goes through my hair (I'll admit perhapse not quite like the tangle teezer which reaches my roots better) and in general feels soo soo good!

[Tehillim408]

Avid 100 strokes a day boar bristle brusher..for more than 40 years!

I had (over 10 years ago) very, very thick, long hair and I've always brushed 100 strokes a day (right after I get up, the best time to brush), per the George Michael method of long hair care (which I've been practicing since 1960).

The best brush is a natural, 100 pure boar bristle brush. BBBs are a natural product, not a synthetic, and the structure of the boar bristle understands your hair's structure.

Brushing not only exercises your hair follices, it distributes your hair's natural sebum down your strands, removes dirt, lint and stuff from the atmosphere and gives your hair incredible softness and shine.

HOW you brush determines how your hair will turn out!

Mr. Michael's method always worked for me..as well as countless of ladies (and men) in the US and around the world! Thick haired, thin haired, long or short, his brushing method works!

While he endorsed 100 strokes a day with a pure boar bristle brush (as did my maternal grandmother, who had a thick head of beautiful red gold hair), it is NOT a number etched in stone!

If you want to brush 50 strokes a day..or 25..then go to it..BUT be CONSISTENT! Do it EVERY day!

Also, start off slowly at first, don't do the entire 25, or 50, or 100 right away! Work up to it. Start with 10 and add a few strokes a day until you reach your goal.

Always, always, ALWAYS, DETANGLE your hair with a wide tooth comb first, before touching the brush! Brushes are NOT detanglers!

I brush all my hair in front of me like this: bend at the waist, detangle all hair, then do my 100 strokes. I have no troubles with tangles as I handle my hair in a certain way to make tangles just about non existent when brushing.

Also, remember when you brush to follow each swipe of your brush with the palm of your other hand. This cuts down on the static electricity engendered by your brush (a natural thing).

For the sake of your hair, AVOID using plastic, synthetic, rubber on your hair! These materials generate HEAT, and heat is NOT good for your hair.

Curlies can brush also...but must take extra precautions and go s l o w l y when they brush.

It only takes me 5 minutes to detangle and brush my thick, 43 inch hair.

Your hair benefits in so many ways from brushing!

The type of boar bristle brush varies greatly...from long, thick, stiff bristles, to softer bristles that are thinner and shorter. The stiffness in the bristles will fade with time.

Your bbb should be kept squeaky clean and all hair removed from it after you finish using it.

I love my Goody bbb! There's a picture of it in my hair album.

Thank you for explaining the method! That's just what I needed. My hair is nice and thick, so I think brushing it with my BBB will benefit it greatly.

How do you clean your BBB, btw?

[Keller1128]

I used to brush my hair several times a day but now that I've seriously started to try to grow it out and make it healthier, I've found that it's happier just combing with a wide-toothed comb twice a day. I usually wear it up anyway. I worry that brushing causes too much damage.

[pepperminttea]

My hair is nice and thick, so I think brushing it with my BBB will benefit it greatly.

Just so you know, fine hair doesn't equal thin hair. Fine/medium/coarse indicates the thickness of individual strands, whereas thin/thick (i/ii/iii) refers to the amount of hairs.

My hair's fine-ish in terms of the strands, but I have quite a lot of them so my hair overall is on the thick side of average. I find BBBs don't work for me, manipulation does more harm than good, so once I've detangled I try and leave my hair alone. Reducing manipulation for me has meant less splits and my hair getting oily more slowly, which suits me down to the ground. :)

Different things work for different people though, and the differences even within people with similar hairtypes can be vast.

[Slinks]

I think it varies. 100 brush strokes would be too excessive for me, but it works for a lot of people.

I like to brush my hair too but I'm with Krissykins 100 strokes a day is too much for me too .. and I don't brush everyday either .. BUT when I do brush I really love the feeling of a good scalp scratching :-)

[Kyla]

I once read in a pre-teen's hair care book when I was younger that brushing for 100 strokes was bad for your hair, as often broke strands....but this book was aimed at kids who didn't really have time to delicately brush, and some of the tips in there are a little off anyway. PLUS that book came with hair ties that had bits of metal! So I can't really trust it.

[Keepitgrowing29]

I believe it may be great for individuals with straight hair, but for curlies like me...brushing your hair can cause breakage. I have a wonderful Mason Pearson bbb that I haven't used since learning how to properly care for my curls.

[Slinks]

I once read in a pre-teen's hair care book when I was younger that brushing for 100 strokes was bad for your hair, as often broke strands....but this book was aimed at kids who didn't really have time to delicately brush, and some of the tips in there are a little off anyway. PLUS that book came with hair ties that had bits of metal! So I can't really trust it.

lol !! too funny :-) take care of your hair but wear these ties ..

I certainly know how damaging these ties can be .. I used to wear them all the time, one day I was at the salon getting a trim and I had all this shortish hair sticking up at my crown, the lady said "do you wear ties with metal joinings" me "yes" her "it's breaking your hair" me "oh, is that what that is" lol .. this was 10 years ago ..

[<3OnHerSleeve]

I brush more than 100x a day actually. Very fond of brushing, especially before a shower because my curls form beautifully but without tangles :) I also take inspiration from my mother, who although she doesn't brush her hair because she doesn't have the time now, when she was my age went from Shoulder/APL to Tail length hair in one year after she began brushing her hair 100x a day.

[linnepinne]

I just bought my first BBB, and I can't believe the difference!
The reason I got it was because I wanted to try if I can use it to strech washes by distibuting the oils from my scalp. I wasn't sure if it would work for me, because I have read about alot of finies here on the board saying that it just made their hair greasier or causing brakage.
But so far this is working out great for me! The real test comes tomorrow though, sisnce I'm having trouble streching my washes to more than every other day. And normally my hair is really greasy on wash day, to the piont where I don't feel comfortable even with a nice updo.
I don't do a hundred strokes a day, but maybe 30-50, but not all in one go. I brush some in the morning, and some in the evening, and maybe one time midday sometimes. Another big plus is that it makes my hair super shiny and full of volume :joy:

[AcornMystic]

I love my Goody bbb! There's a picture of it in my hair album.

Oh my gosh!! We have the exact same BBB! I had to look when you said the brand Goody. I was a pre-teen when my mom came home with it for me and didn`t know a thing about good hair care, but boy, I contribute that to my silky hair back then that made hair dressers relish in running their fingers through my hair. She said she`d heard they were good for distributing oils. The place she got it from no longer exists even it`s so old. Gotta be about... *counts on fingers* 10 years old now since I was about 12 when she got it for me if I remember right. Even the varnish is fading off. It was one of the best things she could have ever given me. I still have it and use it. A few months ago I bought another one that is paddled and for longer hair, but I could never give this one up, too many memories and I LOVE the spacing. I`ve had to start using this one now because I left my paddle one in my husband`s vehicle so it`s all the way down in Idaho Falls now. I`m remembering why I love this one so much. I want to use this one on my animals when I get mine back. It`s what I was using for them before mine was taken away haha. It works wonders on them. I`ll have to put pics up of my brush too, though probably my paddle one when I get it back. Just thought that was so cool. :)

As for the topic. I LOVE brushing my hair. Unfortunately I have fine hair so I don`t know what it is doing to it on a microscopic scale. My hair feels glossy though so I must be doing something right. :D I think I only do about 30-40 strokes though. I just basically keep doing it until it feels right. I could never fit to a number since I`d always either go over it or under and the OCD in me wouldn`t want to stroke any more afterwards. XD


EDIT: Oh, and most of my boar bristle brushing is done in the morning and at night, when I transition my night style to my day style and vice versa, so I guess technically it`s 60-80 because I do that amount for each session. (I`ll have to get some pics up of my night time style, you guys will laugh your heads off... I`ve already had family stare at me with bulging eyes dead in their tracks when they`ve seen me for the first time XD The things we do for healthy hair though.. *sigh* .. hehe)

[nellreno]

Brushing with a BBB damages my hair more, so it only gets used when I need to smooth my greasy hair back for an updo.

I only use a regular brush when my hair is clean. When it's clean it's conditioned and knots less, and then I love how my hair feels being brushed out. I might get up to 100 strokes on a clean day but I've never really counted. When it's dirty the ends tangle more so I just focus on combing my hair rather than brushing it.

[Sweetie]

I learned from Madora's advice too, now I brush my hair before styling it, in the early morning. I detangle it with my tangle teezer (the best detangler I've every bought in my entire life) and then brush it slowly with my BBB brush, around 60 times!
I noticed my hair stays clean much longer, and this has increased my growth a bit, too!

[jojo]

Another Madora fan! I have fine, medium thick hair and do the madora style brush twice a day 50 strokes each time and my hair has less splits and more shine than ever. A BBB is not meant to penetrate or brush hair and should not cause damage as its the notion of hair on hair which prevents this. As somebody who's hair is baby fine and fragile although I bought a mason pearson brush its the best investment by far I have ever made for my hair plus my hair has jumped from growing 1/4" a month to 1/2"!plus it will last forever, its the only brush I use on my hair.

[AlannaMaria]

Brushing usually just makes my hair really frizzy, unfortunately. : (

[Juneii]

Not for me, my hair gets tiny tangles if I detangle too much. Much more of a pain to detangle than if I just let my hair be. Not to mention the strands twists within themselves within a few minutes anyway.

[Gulbahar]

I just bought my first BBB, and I can't believe the difference!
The reason I got it was because I wanted to try if I can use it to strech washes by distibuting the oils from my scalp. I wasn't sure if it would work for me, because I have read about alot of finies here on the board saying that it just made their hair greasier or causing brakage.
But so far this is working out great for me! The real test comes tomorrow though, sisnce I'm having trouble streching my washes to more than every other day. And normally my hair is really greasy on wash day, to the piont where I don't feel comfortable even with a nice updo.
I don't do a hundred strokes a day, but maybe 30-50, but not all in one go. I brush some in the morning, and some in the evening, and maybe one time midday sometimes. Another big plus is that it makes my hair super shiny and full of volume :joy:
I too really liked how the BBB made my hair look - in the short run. After a while though I realised that it did more damage than good. My hair is very healthy overall, no dry ends and such, but it is extremely fragile. So no brushing for me. :( And I soooo loved the massaging the brush did on my scalp!

[Syrena]

Not for me neither...my hair would not survive it:(

[OrchidRain]

Thank you for explaining the method! That's just what I needed. My hair is nice and thick, so I think brushing it with my BBB will benefit it greatly.

How do you clean your BBB, btw?

I was wondering this too since I'm about to buy my very first BBB. I was at a beauty supply store and saw they have brush cleaners that look like a tiny rake with long thin metal teeth. The one I saw was about $7 or $8 USD. I'm definitely looking into getting one after getting my BBB unless someone else has a more practical way to clean it.

[Madora]

I was wondering this too since I'm about to buy my very first BBB. I was at a beauty supply store and saw they have brush cleaners that look like a tiny rake with long thin metal teeth. The one I saw was about $7 or $8 USD. I'm definitely looking into getting one after getting my BBB unless someone else has a more practical way to clean it.

The tiny rake brush cleaners are great for extracting those pesky short hairs caught among the bristles! I've been using one for over 40 yrs.

How to clean your bbb:

1) Remove all hairs from between the bristles
2) Fill a tall, large cup with about 10 oz of warm water and add a tiny bit of your favorite shampoo. Mix thoroughly
3) Immerse your hairbrush so the bristles (not the handle) are fully covered with the soapy water and let it soak for 7 minutes
4) Rinse well under cold water
5) Shake well and fan the bristles several times with your fingers to remove excess water
6) Towel off all parts of the back and handle
7) Place the brush, with the bristles facing downward, on a micro fiber towel. Do NOT put it in the sunlight.

For a quickie clean:

Use a nail brush with a dab of hand soap (I use Neutrogena) and brush vigorously between the rows of bristles and rinse and dry as above.

[swearnsue]

I've bought 2 bbb over the last 10 years or so and don't like either one of them. I'm going to Sally's sometime in the next few weeks and see if they stock the Mason Pearson brushes you guys are talking about. If I find one I like I could be an early Christmas present. How will I know though if I will like it without running it through my hair? Wait until the clerk isn't looking and do it real quick?

[Madora]

I've bought 2 bbb over the last 10 years or so and don't like either one of them. I'm going to Sally's sometime in the next few weeks and see if they stock the Mason Pearson brushes you guys are talking about. If I find one I like I could be an early Christmas present. How will I know though if I will like it without running it through my hair? Wait until the clerk isn't looking and do it real quick?

Running a brand new brush thru your hair just to "test it" while the sales person is not looking is unethical and revolting. I am surprised you'd even consider such an inappropriate behavior.

[Bambi]

Ooh this sounds interesting! I am so going to invest in a high quality BBB:)

[Mina_Harker]

I have tried the 100 strokes but never consistently for Long enough that I could see any positive results. I am a believer but I stopped doing it because it madey hair se really oily much sooner than usual and I ended up having to wash my hair more than I like to.

[spidermom]

It would be too much brushing for me. I don't like the boar bristle brush, either. It seems to shred my hair.

[QueenOfTheSkye]

I dunno...I have super-thin hair already, and considering I can already go days without brushing, I don't think it'd work for me--but go for it!

[julierockhead]

Running a brand new brush thru your hair just to "test it" while the sales person is not looking is unethical and revolting. I am surprised you'd even consider such an inappropriate behavior.

I think she was joking!:p

[Madora]

I think she was joking!:p

I hope so~! But I've seen people do it! Which just goes to show that you should always wash any hairbrushes that aren't protected by blister packaging. Ditto for combs!

[Bambi]

I invested in a Mason Pearson last week when I was in London and all I can say is....LOOOOOVE! It is so good for my hair, it feels silky and shiny and stays like it the entire day:) I am in total bliss and are actually happy and proud of my hair(which says a lot)!

Whooophieeee!

[Bantam]

It massages the head, relaxes the body, and gets the blood circulating, so for me, I would say yes. Even better if someone else does it for you!:p

[longhairedlady]

The only time I brush is before I wash it, which is about once a week. I use a cheapo paddle brush. in between washings I will comb it with a wide tooth comb in the morning when before I put it up. Thats it! :) I do just enough to detangle and then put it up. On the very rare occasions I wear it down I will brush it but that is not very often at all.

[Amber_Maiden]

I think less brushing is better. Sure over combing my hair makes it shiny, but it also pulls at my hair more.

[KwaveT]

I use the Conair BBB that I bought every morning after detangling with my comb. I certainly don't do 100 strokes with BBB. Probably more like about 50. I start with comb, then tangle teezer, and then BBB.

[raehysteric]

I can't. My hair tangles too easily (its highly curly.) Even when I get it in suitable straight, or just wavy, its still too impressionable. I can twist my dry hair into a curl very easily, and just about anything can leave indentations after only a minute, so even bumping over a shoulder can cause it to curl up and tangle again.

I'd love to be able to do that, my roots get too gready, and ends too dry in between washing.. even when I'm careful with oil.

[Modarunner]

I've just really started using my bbb everyday. I used to just use it before I showered to pull the oil down to my ends, but now I'm using it everyday after I detangle with my wide tooth horn comb, then I scritch with my fine tooth horn comb and then I use my bbb. I'm loving it so far as my hair feels really soft afterwards and my hair is big and voluminous.

[LadyLongLocks]

I started using a BBB again in 2010 after consulting with a past GM salon owner who was trained by George Michael. I had a blonde Mohawk brand BBB for 30 years but did not like using it much. He explained to me the benefits of distributing natural oils and scalp stimulation and how the BBB works best for this.
I now own 3 more BBB.
I have a GM one that works great for scalp stimulation and distributing oils, the design is perfect for reaching the scalp and its not bulky, but it is a wood base and the bristles are very stiff.(may soften in time) It does work good to penetrate my thick hair at the scalp.
(Madoralonghairheaven.com)
I have 2 large paddle BBB that are much softer and I use these a few times a week for general brushing.
Brands are: Life therapeutics and whirlers.
There is a BIG difference between BBBrushes and I use mine differently. I use my original blonde stiff Mohawk BBB for adding a few drops of jojoba oil to my length. With 62" hair it is not easy to get the oils to the tips.
I keep the general brushing to about 20 strokes a few times a week with the softer big paddle brushes.
When I use my GM brush do more like 40 from scalp to tips once a week,usually before I wash my hair. I bend at the waist and brush using the GM method.
I always detangle with a wide tooth comb before BBB. My BBB varies a lot and I am still working on what works best and how often. I don't overdo the brushing, I do the minimum.
I never realized there was such a difference between BBBrushes.
The wood base seems to be stiffer and the paddle is softer....this may vary between brands of course. If possible, buy a BBB in person so you can feel it, hold it as the handle is important.
But don't use it before buying!
I have noticed smoother glossy hair after I use a BBB.It feels wonderful on the scalp too.
It also catches the shed hair better than a comb, so don't think it is pulling out your hair!

Here is a photo (http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i172/JJJLonghair/LHC%20Forum%20pix%20for%20linking/3BBBpb.jpg) of 3 of my BBB

[Madora]

LadyLongLocks, your blonde Mohawk brush looks wonderful! And yes, the differences in bbbs are amazing! I love what a bbb does for my hair and your awesome locks blow me away.

[jacqueline101]

I don't brush my hair I use a wide tooth comb. I like my combs.

[LadyLongLocks]

I don't brush my hair I use a wide tooth comb. I like my combs.

I switched to wide tooth combs in 2005 and ditched my brushes. Now use both.
I still use a comb most of the time.
When I told the salon owner I had not brushed my hair in 5 years he had to actually go outside and get some air!He then explained the benefits of a BBB.
I realize it is not for everyone.
The RIGHT brush makes all the difference and this will of course vary from one person to another. If you can find a soft BBB this would be a good start to work brushing back into your routine.
I LOVE wide tooth combs and have at least 20.
The BBB smooths the hair like nothing else.
A little gentle brushing is good for your hair and scalp.
But my hair is straight and not baby fine so I don't have much difficulty.
I never thought I would go back to brushing...but I did and I love it.
Just my:twocents:

[LadyLongLocks]

LadyLongLocks, your blonde Mohawk brush looks wonderful! And yes, the differences in bbbs are amazing! I love what a bbb does for my hair and your awesome locks blow me away.

Thank you Madora :) You are very kind!
I am going to peek in your album to see your brush.

I have noticed more and more BBB in stores in the past year.
Seems to be a good selection where I live in Chicago.
I even got my Mother one. It was a nice one made by conair.It was a paddle style
with medium/soft 100% boar bristles. Pretty good quality for about 10.00
The handle was nice as well. Her scalp is very sensitive so she needed the softer bristles. She likes it a lot.