Reader question: I have really fine hair that gets tangled easily. Can you recommend some good hair brushes for hair loss? —Lenora Lopez Brushing your hair might seem like a scary undertaking when you’re facing hair loss, but don’t flinch at the thought of bristles. Even though seeing the amount of hair loss on your brush can be an unnerving sight, experts agree that brushing finer hair is beneficial to encourage growth. “When it comes to brushing thinning hair, some clients think they need to be super-careful with brushing their locks so they don’t cause more hair loss; however, the opposite is more true,” says Shelly Aguirre, hairstylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago. “You want to stimulate the scalp to encourage MORE hair growth.” But before you brush with abandon, you don’t want excessive tugging to yank precious strands out, so let’s talk technique. First up, make sure to brush with gentle strokes. Start at the bottom of your hair and work on small sections. “When brushing, you want to make sure to hold onto the hair closest to the scalp to gently detangle without causing pressure,” says Jenna Marie Shafer, a hairstylist in New York City. This will help you remove snarls without yanking on your roots. Another important thing: Never brush your hair when it’s wet. Wet hair is the most vulnerable to stretching while being pulled, so you’re risking unnecessary breakage if you brush straight out of the shower. As for how often to brush your hair with hair loss, most stylists seem to settle on once in the morning and once at night. Excessive brushing can also strain your scalp, so try to keep the frequency to no more than twice a day. If you consistently struggle with tangled hair, try using a detangling spray on damp hair (and letting it fully dry!) prior to brushing. Now that you know how to brush your hair with hair loss, let’s talk about the type of brush you should be using, which is just as important. “Make sure to use a brush with soft or flexible bristles, like a natural boar bristle brush, as opposed to one with stiff bristles, as this will help you brush through without applying too much stress,” notes Shafer. Aguirre adds that natural boar bristles will help the oil evenly disperse from scalp to ends, while nylon bristles can help stimulate the scalp. In other words, an ideal hairbrush is one with a mixture of nylon and boar bristles, plus a large surface area to make the job as effortless as possible. And just so you don’t have to comb through (ha) the overwhelming throng of hairbrushes on the market, we did the vetting for you—from drugstore to high-end—with some of our top picks below.
