Hair Brushing for a Healthy Scalp

Brushing your hair correctly is vital to keeping your hair healthy and in good condition.

Taking a few minutes to brush your hair thoroughly each day is a simple ritual that can make a big difference in the health and appearance of your locks. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it! Proper technique with the right brush stimulates circulation, distributes oils, minimises breakage, and leaves hair detangled with a smooth, shiny finish.

Be gentle. It is important to remember not to brush your hair too roughly and make sure you have a good quality brush. I often get asked questions about hair brushing including  "does brushing your hair make it thicker" or "does brushing your hair make you go bald" So here is my guide to brushing your hair correctly and brushing hair benefits.

Follow these top tips to maximise the benefits of your daily brushing sessions.

The Best Way to Brush your Hair

The best way to brush you hair is to use light gentle strokes regardless of your hair type.  Invest in a good, natural bristle brush and keep it clean by removing dead hair after each use.

If you have long hair always start brushing gently from the bottom up, to get rid of any tangles.

The Golden Rule is : Always start brushing your hair gently from the ends towards the roots, to get rid of any tangles prior to brushing through.

Just take a couple of cms of hair at a time and work your way up to the roots. A good detangling spray can be used before brushing. This will prevent friction and add freshness to the strands as well as assisting with removing tangles. 

With your head upside down

Brushing your hair with your head upside down is the best way to increase blood flow to the scalp. This may promote hair growth by increasing blood flow to your hair follicles.

Once you’ve removed any tangles whilst upright. Bend from the waist and gently brush from the nape of the neck, upwards. Make sure you brush to the sides of the crown and work through to the front of the head. Then, stand up straight and brush as normal.

Invest in a great hair brush

A good quality hair brush is a great investment towards great looking hair. There are a number of fantastic brushes available for everyday use and smaller ones for travelling.

With the array of hair brushes available, it can be tricky to select the right one for your hair type and needs. Natural bristles like boar bristles are ideal for smooth, glossy results but can be rougher on fine or damaged hair. Nylon bristles are softer and more flexible. Look for a combo brush boasting a mix of bristle types.

Wider spaced bristles work best for thick, textured, or curly hair that needs help detangling. Those with fine, thin hair do better with more closely spaced bristles to provide tension and add body. Paddle brushes have wide surfaces to straighten, while round brushes excel at creating volume and bounce with curling motions.

Vented brushes, like Denman’s are great for blow drying roots, creating volume and speeding up the drying process. In general, aim for flexible silicon bristles if your hair is fragile and prone to splitting. Also look for cushioned and rubberised bases - this helps the brush glide while preventing excessive scalp irritation.

Choosing Styling Brushes

The type of brush you use when styling dry hair also matters. Round brushes excel at creating bend, lift and volume with curling motions. Smaller round brushes help shape tighter curls while larger barrels give loose waves with lots of body at the roots. Brushes with ceramic coating give a smooth and sleek finish when blowdrying.
 
Vented brushes allow rapid airflow, making them ideal for blow drying roots. The widely spaced plastic pins massage the scalp as you direct the warm air.
 
Paddle brushes have flat surfaces perfect for straightening hair shaft fibres. The short densely packed bristles provide light tension to smooth and defrizz the tresses. When used correctly, styling brushes take your look to the next level.
 

Avoid aggressive brushing

Always take your time and be gentle when brushing your hair - work in manageable sections rather than haphazardly.

A quality brush paired with a gentle touch will prevent excessive pulling and damage while thoroughly detangling stands.

When encountering knots, hold hair above with one hand while gently brushing through ends first before moving up toward the scalp. This minimises stress on strands. Take your time working through knots. Aim for smooth, flowing strokes following the follicle direction.

Section clean, dry hair first.

Start underneath at the nape of your neck, brushing downward from mid-shaft to ends. Work all the way around the back and sides before moving to the top and front.

Once thoroughly detangled, now work in organised sections to make sure that your hair is brushed thoroughly from root to ends.

Then, move to vertical partings, separating hair from ear to ear and working each section from mid-length to ends. This ensures the underneath layers don’t get missed.

Finally, brush hair following its natural growth pattern from scalp to ends.

How often should you brush your hair

I would recommend brushing your hair twice a day, once in the morning and before bed. 

Brushing your hair when wet

Avoid brushing your hair when it is wet as a rule. Brushing your hair when it is wet stretches hair fibres by up to 70%, up to three times its length, beyond this it will snap!. Particularly, if you have fine, textured or dry hair.
 
When applying conditioner you can use a wide toothed comb, to comb the conditioner through your hair - I would recommend using your fingers to do this since, a good conditioner detangles without the need for brushing and or combing .

Improving circulation

You can improve the nutrition of your scalp by encouraging blood flow and circulation of your scalp. Give yourself a gentle head massage with your fingertips (pads) around your scalp in circular movements. Do this for for 5 to 10 minutes daily. This will help to improve the blood circulation and stimulate the hair follicles.

Here at TrichoSynergy hair and scalp clinic a professional head and scalp massage is also part of our restorative hair treatment.

Healthy hair starts with a proper brushing foundation. Select the right brush, take a systemic sectioning approach, brush gently yet thoroughly from mid-shaft to ends, and use styling brushes to perfect your look. Happy brushing!