Does Brushing Damage Your Hair?

If you have long hair, you‘ve probably heard two very different opinions on whether or not you should brush your hair to keep it healthy.  One group says that in order to stay healthy, hair must be brushed a minimum of 100 strokes a day.  The other says that long hair should never be brushed, only combed, and only enough to keep it from tangling.  So who‘s right?  Does brushing damage your hair, or does it stimulate growth? 

The short answer is —it depends. 

Using the wrong kind of brush, brushing your hair without detangling it first, and brushing your hair when it‘s wet can all lead to broken and damaged hair.  Similarly, brushing hair that has been permed or colored can sometimes damage already fragile hair. 

But using the right kind of brush, detangling your hair before brushing, and making sure that you only brush your hair when it‘s dry ensures that you won‘t damage your hair by brushing.  And, when done properly, brushing can actually stimulate hair growth by strengthening the follicles at the base of each hair and spreading your scalp‘s natural oils through your hair. 

If you have fine or medium hair, you should use a natural boar–bristle brush when brushing your hair.  100 strokes may be too many; start with 25 or 50.  Begin at your natural part line, and run the brush from your scalp all the way down to your ends.  Try not to brush the same section twice in a row.  Instead, brush one side, then the other, then the back, then the first side, and so on. 

If your hair is thick or curly, a boar–bristle brush isn‘t going to do you any good.  Instead, look for a brush with individual bristles set a good ways apart; 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch is generally good.  Get the kind with coated tips.  The tips on a cheap brush are bad about coming off (and the brush should be replaced when that happens), but they are important for protecting your hair.  Uncoated tips may break hairs (leading to split ends) or damage the hair follicle (leading to thinning hair).