today i was thinking about hair in general and realized that since doing my hair, i have stopped brushing my hair altogether. i'm just curious to know who brushes and who doesn't. i think it may be good to start brushing again to stimulate the scalp but at the same time, i'm not sure if it will be more damaging than beneficial. also, i'm interested in finding out if anyone knows of any good brushes -- apparently, there are tons of bad ones out there.

thanks for you imput!

I don't think that anyone really needs to brush the length of their hair.  Especially anyone with curls.  A wide toothed comb does the job of taking tangles out.  There are less damaging ways (scalp massages with the fingertips) to get stimulation.

However, brushing can help you to achieve certain styles.  I use a brush just to get those little baby hairs around the hairline to lay down.  I can see someone brushing their hair into an updo to get a smooth result.  Or for men to get their waves.

I personally use a regular goody brush to keep my baby hairs in check.  For an updo I use a softer boar bristle brush.

taggi wrote:  i know brushing supposedly rips out your hair and isnt good for it, but my hair is to thick and kinky to just comb. when i finish washing and airdrying my hair i need to brush it down to make it flatter,because just using a comb just heightens the fro. i hate using a brush for this but i feel like i have to.

Edited to correct:Try combing your hair while its wet and full of conditioner.  

cmesweet wrote: taggi wrote:  i know brushing supposedly rips out your hair and isnt good for it, but my hair is to thick and kinky to just comb. when i finish washing and airdrying my hair i need to brush it down to make it flatter,because just using a comb just heightens the fro. i hate using a brush for this but i feel like i have to.   Try combing and styling your hair while it's wet and full of conditioner.

but isnt there a bigger chance of ripping your hair out with the brush if you do this?

cmesweet, why would you style your hair when its full of conditionor? arent u suppose to wash the CO out? i just let my hair dry before i do anything to it,except moisturize. that just saves me from breaking anything with a brush or comb. i usually finger comb while its wet and use a wide tooth brush only if it is really tangled.

wow, you guys are full of so much information.  cmesweet, i'm starting to think that i'm missing the feeling of brushing rather than its actual results.  i may get one simply for the nape area. I comb it out when I'm in the shower, but a few hours later, it's rolled up tight. Since my hair is thinner and shorter back there, it looks patchy when it rolls up. Ms Mocha, I know you said you were thinking about getting a Denman one -- I've heard a lot of good things about this (although, I'm not sure what makes it so great).

thanks for all of your help guys!

CoconutShy wrote: I don't think that anyone really needs to brush the length of their hair.  Especially anyone with curls.  A wide toothed comb does the job of taking tangles out.  There are less damaging ways (scalp massages with the fingertips) to get stimulation. However, brushing can help you to achieve certain styles.  I use a brush just to get those little baby hairs around the hairline to lay down.  I can see someone brushing their hair into an updo to get a smooth result.  Or for men to get their waves. I personally use a regular goody brush to keep my baby hairs in check.  For an updo I use a softer boar bristle brush.

 excellent point about the fingertip scalp massages...I forgot all about that. also, what type of wide toothed comb do you have? i have a mini jilbere comb that is okay but it's sorta awkward to hold. i heard their large shower comb is amazing and works much better. and you just use a goody brush? i always walk by their ouchless combs and think they look really awesome.

I also use a goody comb.  I just went to the bss and found the widest, seamless comb that they had... happened to be by goody.  It's about 1/4 an inch wide.  I does a very good job.  For me, the most important thing is that they are wide AND seamless.  I'm not sure if it's an ouchless comb though. 

I also was thinking of getting a shower comb to see how that works out. :)

I use a regular old (hard) goody brush because the little baby hairs don't grow long anyway, so I'm not very worried about brushing them everyday or damaging them too badly.  They also are a lot more loosely curled than the rest of my hair, so I just brush them into place really quickly. 

That brush would NEVER touch the rest of my hair though.  Only soft brushes occasionally.  I can see how some paddle brushes work well, because they also have wide teeth, but I like the combs much more.   

taggi wrote: cmesweet, why would you style your hair when its full of conditionor? arent u suppose to wash the CO out? i just let my hair dry before i do anything to it,except moisturize. that just saves me from breaking anything with a brush or comb. i usually finger comb while its wet and use a wide tooth brush only if it is really tangled.

Yes you comb your hair while conditioner is in and wash it out.  I detangle my hair while in the shower with conditioner in it...sometimes with my fingers but usually with a wide tooth comb.

princess8907 wrote: cmesweet wrote: taggi wrote:  i know brushing supposedly rips out your hair and isnt good for it, but my hair is to thick and kinky to just comb. when i finish washing and airdrying my hair i need to brush it down to make it flatter,because just using a comb just heightens the fro. i hate using a brush for this but i feel like i have to.   Try combing and styling your hair while it's wet and full of conditioner.   but isnt there a bigger chance of ripping your hair out with the brush if you do this?

If you reread my post, I mentioned nothing about using a brush on wet hair.

canopy44 wrote: [QUOTE=CoconutShy] I don't think that anyone really needs to brush the length of their hair.  Especially anyone with curls.  A wide toothed comb does the job of taking tangles out.  There are less damaging ways (scalp massages with the fingertips) to get stimulation. However, brushing can help you to achieve certain styles.  I use a brush just to get those little baby hairs around the hairline to lay down.  I can see someone brushing their hair into an updo to get a smooth result.  Or for men to get their waves. I personally use a regular goody brush to keep my baby hairs in check.  For an updo I use a softer boar bristle brush.

For me, the paddle brush that I use occassionally to stimulate my scalp has caused no damage. The bristles are wide, smooth and coated so as not rip or tear at the hair. I also do the fingertip massages as well, but alternate frequently.