Brushing And Combing

Stop teasing or back combing your hair. This is the most damaging type of brushing. It pulls up the scales of your hair and when you comb/brush that section again the scales break off.

Find a hair friendly comb and/or brush. If you have thicker hair you may need to use a pick or wide-toothed comb. Combs in general are more gentle. Your brush or comb should aid you in untangling your hair, not pulling it out.

Never over brush. 100 brushstrokes is not necessary, and may lead to more splits than anything else.

Comb the hair gently. Start at the bottom and work your way up. When you encounter a tangle, don't rip the comb/brush through it, stop and untangle with your fingers and then proceed. You have to be extremely gentle while untangling wet hair. Curly hair types may require combing the hair when it is still wet.

Use hair friendly accessories.
• The black band is the most hair unfriendly in this group because of the metal connector. Smaller versions of this are even more harmful.

• The big green band is joined together by what appears to be glue and is much more friendly.

• The little yellow band is a smaller version of the green one and friendly for thinner hair types. They can also be made of clear plastic. These little bands are ideal to tie off the ends of braids.

• The big blue scrunchie is the most hair friendly. These are easy to make, but you can buy them at any place that sells hair care products.