Why isn't ok to brush our hair when it's wet? HOW is it more vulnerable? I seriously don't get it. Women do it, and their hair seems perfectly ok.
And it's ok to detangle with a wide-tooth comb when it's wet AFTER the shower, or to detangle IN the shower WHEN I am conditioning?
thanks a LOT guys. sorry, ever since I went short hair, I had very little worries. But it's getting longer, and it's very important to learn from mistakes. Sometimes I feel like I've lost all my knowledge or something.
by the way...is it me, or is there a LOT more longhairs on this board now. It's real nice to see.
Hi Ein,
I'm not sure I know all the answers, but I can confirm that wet hair is somewhat less resistant to pull and tear than dry hair. Perhaps this is because the water also enters through little cracks on the hair surface and makes it softer, at least temporarily. If you want to brush it while it's wet, make sure you use a soft brush, and apply conditioner before brushing. In any case, make sure you start with the ends of your hair, i.e. the sections that are the farthest waway from the scalp.
About your next question:
Either way it's fine, but make sure you don't pull hard. If you detangle after showering, apply some leave-in conditioner before detangling. Alternative, some "anti-frizz" fluid (i.e. clear oily fluid consisting of dimethicone and cyclomethicone and not much else) will do the trick. Again, start detangling with the lowest ends of your hair.
I'm glad you do get away with growing your hair out at age 15. So many others (including myself) didn't have that chance. Stay strong, and stick with it, stay away from "trims", "thinning", or "layering". All these things are like a salami sausage where eg parents cut one slice after the other, and finally, the whole sausage (or: long hair) is gone. That's why it's called "salami tactic".
Best wishes,
Hans-Uwe
Thanks a lot. But, what do you mean by a 'soft' brush? Like a boar bristle brush? Are they known to be gentle? I prefer to detangle AFTER I shower, with a wide-tooth comb, starting from the ends to the top. This is ok, right? (I'm paranoid, once again.)
And by the way, it took a WHILE before my fam got used to it. Thanks again. I really appreciate it.
By "soft brush" I meant a brush with soft and very flexible bristles. If they feel soft when you go over them with your fingers, they should be o.k.
A wide-tooth comb should be great, too.
Happy growth!
Hans-Uwe
I didn't really understand this either when I had shorter hair, but after a certain length, I noticed that my hair became easier to pull off/break when it is wet; if you grow yours out more, you may see this yourself. I would think simply the added water adds more weight and pulls the hair more, which is noticeable at some critical length.
I still comb my hair when it is wet (dried as much with a towel), with a wide toothed comb, carefully.
Yeah, longer hair DOES seem more fragile. Makes sense. Thanks for the input.
Wet hair is weaker, more fragile, and more likely to snap if stretched too far, --- and brushes tend to rip through your hair in a more indiscriminate fashion than a comb does. AND, interesting that you should make that comment about women... because the first time I ever heard that advise of not using a brush on wet hair WAS from a woman!
I do BOTH; but I do it *carefully*!!!
I agree!!!!
- Ken in SF