Should I Comb Wet Hair? Prevent Brittle Hair

Fact or fiction? We all love that freshly shampooed feeling, but if you’re the type of girl who brushes her hair straight out of the bathroom, you might want to put that brush or comb down, if you don’t want to have brittle hair. So, are you unwittingly making your hair brittle with this habit?

Verdict: Fact

Brushing your hair right out of the shower might seem harmless, but you could be doing some damage to your locks. Because your strands tend to swell when wet, this makes the hair more fragile and prone to breakage. Swollen hair strands break more easily, leaving you with short “baby hair” strands.

The tools that you use on your hair can also contribute to the breakage. Most brushes and combs have closely-spaced teeth that snag and pull on the brittle hair, and this sort of repeated tension can cause the strands to break.

How should you brush your hair post-shampoo?

First, make sure it’s partially dry before you have a go at it. Don’t rub with a towel. Instead, pat your hair with a towel to soak up the moisture, and let hair air-dry naturally for about three to five minutes.

Once it’s partially dry, you can now detangle the strands carefully with a hair pick or a wide-toothed comb. Work the comb through your strands slowly, making sure you don’t tug at it. And don’t be tempted just yet to pick up a brush—use that when your hair is almost totally dry.

If you want to finish drying and styling your hair with a blow dryer, use a vented brush, and dry in sections. Avoid tugging at your strands to prevent breakage.