:) Hey! So I use a boar bristle brush (a cheap one from meijers) which is pretty good for my hair but what about the brushing rules? Not when wet, before showering. But how often should you brush your hair? Isn't it bad to brush it over and over throughout the day? But my hair gets tangly...

n e ways, is there a such thing of over conditioning? I only condition ears down and jojoba more often then I should and sometimes only use a little conditioner in place of shampooing. I heard somewhere (stupid internet) that over conditioning will weaken and string out your hair. How often is often enough?

Thanks, thanks, thanks,! I made the mistake of chopping my hair to my ears last year and now am kind of obsessed about long, healthy hair. Something about mermaids.

I only brush very rarely, and never condition! :-)

I don't own a brush.  ::)  So obviously I never brush.  I only use a wide toothed comb to detangle my very fine hair.

As for conditioning...... you are right to only condition the length - not the scalp hair.  Your scalp provides a natural conditioner - sebum or oil.  If your hair looks stringy, then you are over conditioning.  If your hair has a natural shine to it, then you are not over conditioning.  Some hair needs more moisture than others - curly and processed hair are two examples of hair that will need more moisture than others.  Also, the longer your hair gets, the more moisture the ends will need.  Those ends can get to be pretty old!  My ends are probably about 8 years old.  That's a long time!  So, take care of your ends - they really need it if you plan to grow long hair.

I'm a comb user too.  I've occasionally borrowed my husband's boar bristle brush but I don't find that it's very good for my hair.  Conditioning needs may very much from person to person.  My hair is very porous and coarse so I use a lot of conditioner and deep condition three times a week.  Oiling doesn't seem to decrease the need for conditioning either.  Maybe I'm doing something wrong.  I'm probably not the right person to give advice but unless your hair's very dirty, conditioner alone may be all you need to remove any dirt so you don't strip your hair of oils.  Just an advice I read some where.

My hair is naturally very oily (read: greasy), so I cannot use conditioner or it looks very flat and oily. I often use soapwort to shampoo as well, which keeps the natural oils, so I don't ever oil my hair either.

Hey there, Babymac.
Nice to see another mermaid lover on the boards.  ;)

As to how often your hair should be brushed, that's really up to you. Everyone's hair has different tolerance levels. I personally use only seamless combs to detangle. Most days, I will comb through my hair once or twice before braiding it. After that, I don't have to worry about it. But on the days that I wear my hair down, I detangle whenever I feel the need. My hair is very fine and thin, so it tangles easily. I have to comb every so often to keep the tangles and the "stringy" look at bay.

And yes, there is such a thing as over-conditioning. Clarifying once a week helps a lot. My hair requires tons of conditioning for protection (oiling doesn't work for me), but I clarify once a week, so it's no big deal.

Of course, there is no real "rule of thumb." You'll just have to learn through trial and error what your hair likes and doesn't like.

All the best.  :)

mermaids rule!!!!!!!


sorry, had to say it. perhaps it's the lounging-on-a-rock-in-the-sun-at-the-beach-combing-the-hair mental image?

                                                      ;D
                                                              Ophelia

Well.. ;)hi!! I am new to the forum :o, nevertheless i used to have rather long hair(about knee high) and the only thing i can tell you for sure is that as your hair grows you must brush it a lot more often, esp if it is coarse and wavy or curly!!! Gently and with a good quality -whatever-suits-you- brush/comb/etc, be careful and sometimes you might consider using a cream or oil of some sort(cocconut was my favorite) in the ends, as a supplement, even when your hair is dry...like before going to bed, or in the midday combing, if there is one... ;D ;D

Hello and welcome to the forum hypnotic 8-)

Jerry

Hello to you too, ultra 8-)guy