Hair should be brushed carefully: strength of hair comes from the root;
brushing will not give them more strength yet can increase the creation of forks (split ends) and may uproot the hair. Therefore, for the purpose of detangling, many will find wide tooth combs (at least 4 mm spacing, some have 8 or 10) a better option. Also, exercise caution when working with wet hair. Never brush wet hair; if one must detangle, use a wide tooth comb on both sopping wet and damp hair. To detangle hair, whether damp or dry, begin from the bottom for the health of the hair. Comb only the bottom few centimeters, gently working out any tangles. Then move a few centimeters higher and repeat the process until the entire
length of the hair has been combed. Never force a detangling tool through the length of the hair as this will definitely break down the protective sheath, the cuticle and this can lead to heavy
damage such as various forms of
splits. Not to mention it is painful to the scalp skin and can cause early breakage of otherwise healthy
hairs that have not reached their full life span in the hair follicle.
Brushing: the old notion that 100 brush
strokes a day produces beautiful hair is false. Too much brushing may injure the hair, especially with brushes that pull the hair or scratch the scalp. Detangle the hair and then leave it be. The 100 strokes may only be applicable, perhaps, if using a Boar Bristle Brush to polish the hair by distributing sebum and/or applied oils. It remains a possibility that the dictum of 100 strokes a day derives from the era when Boar Bristle Brushes were more commonly used, well before the invention of plastics and a time when more organic materials were used to create hair
care tools. Usually in conjunction with the idea of 100 strokes a day was the suggestion that hair will ''shine'' and be ''soft'' to the touch. This is the usual result of Boar Bristle Brushing.
When hair is damaged, the only solution is to cut it and use a hydrating treatment to protect the new ends. This may be accomplished by cutting hair from the length, or by examining individual sections of hair and cutting off only the hairs that contain damage. The latter process is more time-consuming, but allows for the retention of length. Splits are not the only kinds of damage. There are white dots (where the cuticle has burst, and the hair bends at a 90 degree angle); there are splits that have yet to break apart in the traditional Y but if the hair is held between the two hands and pushed together from either end, the hole will reveal itself. Such damage can occur anywhere in the hair and in quality hair care activities will tend to be only on the tips of hairs or on the ends of length for the most part, it can also be on the youngest hair, close to the scalp -- in short, anywhere. Do not split the hair up the shaft while it''s on the head and then leave the hair in tact on the head. This can result in damaging other fellow hairs and further contributes to tangle issues as this is now a stressed hair (hair that has been stretched beyond its elasticity).
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