Brushing your hair is just one of those mundane necessary tasks in your morning (or night) routine like cleaning your teeth or washing your face.
But, is it possible that the act of brushing your hair can actually help improve the general health of your hair and scalp?
Below, we will cover why brushing your hair enough can be good for your overall hair health, review when brushing can be too much, and let you know how to help find a good brushing balance.
Studies have shown that a scalp massage can help increase scalp blood flow and stimulate increases in hair thickness by putting those light stretching forces on the scalp cells.
And, while brushing your hair is not exactly a massage, the light stimulation of the scalp and follicular cells using a gentle brush may also help enhance blood flow to the scalp.
Optimal hair growth is closely tied to the health of the scalp, and good blood may help provide plenty of oxygen and nutrients to make your scalp healthier.
While this doesn’t mean that your should be brushing your hair non-stop (there can always be too much of a good thing), a gentle regular brushing may help with light growth stimulation. You should not expect your hair to grow any faster than the normal hair growth rate, however, just think of it as helping your hair reach its full growth potential. Also, if hair follicles are damaged or have gone dormant due to patterned hair loss, brushing the area more will not bring those follicles back to life.
Brushing your hair can also help improve the shine and appearance of hair to some extent as well. Your scalp produces scalp oils that can be brushed down the lengths of your hair to coat your strands. This oil is nourishing and may make hair look silky, shiny, and generally healthier. Brushes with natural bristles like boars hair may work better for scalp oil distribution than other types.
It is possible to go overboard with brushing your hair, however. Even though the old recommendation of “brushing your hair 100 times” may sound cute, that is likely way too much for most people.
Brushing your hair too much or too roughly can end up causing more hair loss from the extra strain on the root, or from breaking the strand mid-length from the harshness. For most people, a quick brush in the morning and before bed should be enough to stimulate the scalp and detangle the hair, without bringing about negative effects.
Take extra care with how you are brushing your hair as well. Tearing through the hair from top to bottom with wild abandon can lead to breakage and split ends -- especially if your hair is wet as this is its most fragile state.
Start brushing your hair a few inched up from the bottom, get that portion detangled, then work your way up to the root before giving all the hair a few good brushes to finish it off. If your hair tends to get extra tangled, spritz in a detangler or slippy leave-in conditioner first to make things slide through easier.
As you now know, brushing your hair gently a few times a day can help improve scalp blood flow, stimulate your hair follicles, and help distribute healthy oils. But, you can go too far with brushing and deal with increased hair loss and brittle or broken strands.
Pick a gentle brush, brush starting from the bottom, and brush twice a day to start. Talk to your hairstylist about the best products and hair brushes for your hair type if you are still dealing with tangling issues.
While regular hair brushing can mean good things for your general hair health, you should expect combing your hair to work miracles like reversing hereditary hair loss or growing your hair like Rapunzel.
If you are dealing with excess hair loss and shedding, there is a good chance you may be experiencing androgenetic alopecia. Androgenetic alopecia is also known as male pattern and female pattern hair loss, and it is the cause behind most hair loss situations. While you can’t completely shut down this hereditary process, there are medications that may help slow the progression and help you keep more of your hair long-term.
Here at Strut, we specialize in medications for androgenetic alopecia, including oral and topical options that can be customized to suit your needs, goals, and preferences. We utilize medications like Finasteride, Dutasteride, Minoxidil, and Spironolactone, which can be combined together in certain formulations for optimal results.
If you are interested in seeing if a Strut hair loss medication is the right next step for you, simply select a medication category from our website, and complete a free online questionnaire and image-based telemedicine consultation with our U.S. licensed doctors. If you are a good candidate for treatment, your medication will be put together at a U.S. compounding pharmacy and shipped to your front door with our free shipping.
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