Nature determines the texture, natural bend and growth rate of your hair. The rest is up to you and depends largely on how — and how often — you use hairbrush, shampoo, conditioning cream and other aids to gloriously healthy hair.
Of course, all sorts of conditions can affect hair health and, as always, prevention is easier than cure. Generally, if you eat to keep your skin healthy, you will find your hair is healthy too. From then on, correct care will help maintain the hair and scalp in a healthy state for looking and feeling young.
Brushing: You should aim to brush your hair every day. Brushing stimulates the flow of blood to the scalp, removes dirt and debris from the hair and helps spread sebum, which is produced at the base of the hair, along the hair shaft. In addition to that brushing also smooths down the scales of the cuticle, the outer layer of each hair thus gives your hair a glossy sheen. It also helps to subdue ‘static’. All hair types benefit from brushing.
Choosing your hairbrush: The correct brush shape for your hair will depend on its texture, i.e. fine, average or coarse. The right bristle consistency will depend upon whether your hair is thick, average or thin. For coarse hair, it is suggested to use a semi-radial shape — one with a ‘half-moon’ of bristles. For average hair, try a complete radial brush — one with bristles all round. If you have fine hair, choose a paddle (flat) shape or a radial brush. For thick hair, a mixture of nylon and bristle is best. An all-bristle brush is good for thin hair.
How to brush: Always brush (or comb, for that matter) from the roots of the hair to the ends. And always brush your hair dry — never wet. Brushing wet hair can cause cuticle damage which results in split ends. Brush before shampooing to distribute the natural oils right through the hair.
If you have long hair, use two brushes rather than one. Put your head down and brush from the nape down towards the ends of the hair, to coax much more volume into your hair. As you brush, you will find that the bristles penetrate more and more easily until you are touching the scalp each time with the bristles. Don’t hack at your hair and don’t flatten it down to your head; lift it in wide curves. Brush as rapidly as you like but don’t flick the brushes harshly when you reach the ends of your hair. Finally, bring your head up again and brush down from the top of your scalp.
