I have heard that brushing your hair while it is wet stretches and damages the hair. I plan to grow out my hair, but have been brushing it wet for a while now. Have I ruined my hair?

Hi Lady of the Wood,

Your hair is not "ruined" by any means... but it's likely you'd have caused a small but significant amount of breakage or warping. Brushes don't encourage good detangling habits. If you want to detangle wet, you'll want to invest in a seamless wide tooth comb e.g. from Rachael Stephens, Mason Pearson, etc..

Do go through your hair though, when dry, and do a good search-and-destroy with sharp scissors. That way you can get rid of any damage that may have occurred, and start fresh without a brush.

Happy growing and brightest blessings :D.
Anais

Well, I've looked at my hair very closely, since I posted, and I havent seen any weak looking or stretched out looking srtands, they all look healthy, my hair has always been very supple and strong. So, is it ok? And, by the way, whenever I put hairsticks into my hair, I hear strands of my hair break, is it because I put the sticks into wet hair? If not, what am I doing wrong while putting them in to break hairs? Please reply!

Wet hair is vulnerable to stretching and breaking.  Brushing wet hair is not advised for this reason.  Using a smooth wide tooth comb or hair pick is the best method for detangling wet hair.  (using a bit of conditioner on the length of your hair will help with the detangling as well.)

wrote on Jan 9^th, 2005 at 7:41pm:

Well, I've looked at my hair very closely, since I posted, and I havent seen any weak looking or stretched out looking srtands, they all look healthy, my hair has always been very supple and strong. So, is it ok?

Yes, probably.  I also have strong healthy hair and used to occasionally brush it wet a couple years ago, and now I have no obvious damage.

wrote on Jan 9^th, 2005 at 7:41pm:

And, by the way, whenever I put hairsticks into my hair, I hear strands of my hair break, is it because I put the sticks into wet hair? If not, what am I doing wrong while putting them in to break hairs? Please reply!

 If hair breaks when you put hairsticks into it, the reason is you have it pulled too tight.  (Wet hair is more susceptible to this, but it can also happen to dry hair.  My hairsticks usually break before my hair does :))When doing an updo you want the tension evenly distributed among your hair.  To avoid breakage, make sure that when you put your hairsticks (or anything else) in, your hair doesn't feel like it's being pulled out.  Oh, and don't force hairsticks in!  If it's being stubborn and won't penetrate your bun or something, wiggle it or try reinserting it somewhere else, or make your bun looser.
  it's probably safe to put hairsticks in wet or damp hair, as long as you don't pull it too tight.  This may mean you should do your bun or whatever a bit looser than normal.