It’s the 21st century, so by now you would think that combing hair would be a fairly simple concept, but there are actually some things to avoid doing when taking care of your luscious locks.
With the number of beauty magazines and Instagram accounts dedicated to hair care and styling, it’s no wonder some of us get confused when taking care of our locks.
From avoiding breakage and detangling to brushing wet or dry, it’s enough for a person to get lost trying to remember the dos and don’ts! Luckily there are some things hairstylists everywhere can agree on, making it easier for us to stress less. We’ll break down the biggest mistakes you may be making and how to easily fix them.
Brushing and Combing Mistakes
Read on for what to definitely avoid for a beautiful and healthy head of hair:
1. Brushing From The Top Down
Brushing your hair beginning from the bottom and working your way up is especially true for people with long hair. Often referred to as the “bottoms-up method,” combing from the bottom up helps avoid breakage.
Breakage is when the hair shaft is literally broken, resulting in those pesky split ends we all try so hard to avoid. Starting your combing from the top will only result in a tangled mess at the bottom.
Make your combing time shorter and add health to your locks by using a hair detangler. Check some great hair detanglers for black hair at hotstylingtoolguide.com.
2. Combing Hair When Wet
According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, brushing hair when it’s wet can make it more prone to breakage. Brushing hair when it’s dry or almost completely dry is key.
Depending on your hair type, it’s in your hair’s best interest to avoid combing it when it’s wet. If you absolutely have to comb or you have tangles after swimming, try to use a Wet/Dry Brush or a wide-toothed comb.
3. Going Too Long Without Combing
Unless you are aiming for dreadlocks, not combing your hair for extended periods of time is not a good idea. Coming to your hair every day is a good rule to follow; it’s the number of times you comb your hair in a day that you need to watch out for (see #4 for our advice on this).
Besides the possibility of dreadlocks, not brushing your hair every day will lead to more tangles, knots, and even oil buildup.
The oils that form in our hair are actually good ones, as long as you don’t let them build up by not brushing every day. For healthy hair, make sure you swipe that comb through your locks at the beginning and end of every day.
4. Not Using Helpful Hair Products
As mentioned above, a hair detangler is a helpful and sometimes even necessary product to have. The benefits of using a hair detangler and/or a leave-in conditioner aren’t just that it makes hair easier to comb.
These products also oftentimes include healthy stuff for your locks to keep it shiny and healthy, even preventing those split ends!
Not sure which hair product to use? The next time you stop in to see your stylist for a cut, ask them for their opinion – they are the professionals!
Products like these also don’t have to be costly; a small bottle of conditioner or detangler can start at just $5 and when you consider the fact that you’re investing in good hair, it’s a small price to pay!
5. Brushing Too Often
We get it, you want to look amazing and maximize those good hair days. But brushing hair throughout the day can do more damage than good. The truth is you only need to comb your hair about twice per day. Any more than that and you risk friction (frizz) and damaging the hair cuticle.
If you’re really feeling the need to run a comb through your hair mid-day, just use your fingers to comb it out. It’ll be less hard on your locks.
6. You Don’t Clean Your Hair Brush
We bet you’ve never even thought about cleaning your hair brush. Most people only gather the hair out of their brush to toss it, but giving your comb a good cleaning regularly is necessary to prevent nasty bacteria formation.
Once a week, soak your hair brush in a bowl of warm water and shampoo, then leave to air dry. It’s that easy!
Conclusion
So, how many of these hair mistakes were you making? It’s okay, there are so many hair advice articles out there and conflicting information between stylists that it can be difficult to know what the “right” answer is for your head of hair.
As long as you’re washing your hair and combing regularly, you’re probably safe. But the six mistakes above are good things to watch out for so you can rest easy knowing your locks are taken care of.
