Mythbusters: Does Brushing Hair 100 Times A Day Really Help?

We’ve all heard it before: to get the smoothest, shiniest, and most beautiful hair, all you have to do is to brush your hair 100 times a day.

Now, while we do believe that brushing your hair regularly has a lot of benefits, we can’t help but admit that brushing your hair 100 times a day does sound like overkill.

On today’s ZALA Mythbusters, we’ll explore if brushing your hair 100 times a day is really as beneficial as they say.

According to the myths

The myth originated from the pre-20th-century eras when shampoos and other artificial products weren't very popular yet. During those times, women would just wash their hair once a week or every fortnight, thus making their hair more prone to dirt and build-up from all the products they used. Even back then, women were already fond of using naturally-made oils and powders for their hair. With their infrequent bathing and love of products, it was easy to see how their hair could get very dirty, very fast.

To combat this, they invented the practice of brushing hair 100 times a day with a boar-bristle brush. Doing so literally brushed away all the dirt from their hair and scalp, preventing many hair problems that we encounter today. Aside from that, it helped distribute their scalp's natural oils on their strands, stimulate their roots, and combat the development of frizz. Boar-bristle brushes are also naturally much gentler than other types of hair brushes, which make them the best brush type for those who like brushing their hair often.

Benefits of brushing hair often

(c) Unsplash

Brushing hair has many benefits. Although it's not that obvious, you shouldn't overlook the things that it can do for your hair's overall condition. This includes the following :

1. Improves blood circulation. Stimulating the scalp helps improve your blood flow which, in turn, provides extra oxygen and nutrients for your hair. This nourishes your hair roots and promotes healthy hair growth.
2. Distributes natural oils. Natural oils are normally found on your scalp, which is why some people may have oily roots but dry ends. If you've got dry hair, it only becomes more important that you brush your hair often so as to distribute the oils to the shafts and ends of your strands.
3. Removes dead skin cells. Dead skin cells can also build up on your scalp, which can clog your hair follicles and hinder the growth of new hair. By brushing your hair thoroughly, you're removing this source of the clog.
4. Activates sebaceous glands. Our sebaceous glands are the reason why there are natural oils on our scalp. It's important to activate these glands to make your scalp well-nourished and healthy.
5. Fights frizz. Frizz is, most of the time, caused by extreme dryness. When you moisturize your hair's shafts and ends, you'll be able to prevent or at least reduce the chance of frizz.

Can we do this in modern society?

If you're someone who doesn't wash your hair often, hates heavy shampoos, and has rather thick strands, yes, you could try it. But if you have thin hair, washes your hair often, and likes using dollops and dollops of shampoo on your hair, it's better to find another hair care trick that actually works for you. That's because washing your hair often, using a large amount of shampoo, and having thin hair means that your hair is probably already weak, to begin with. Brushing it 100 times a day could just be too much for your poor strands.

Just because it's a tradition passed on from generation to generation, but it doesn’t mean that it’s entirely true. One, it's only applicable for those who don't brush their hair frequently, and two, it only really helps if you use a much gentler boar-bristle brush on your tresses.

For more hair care tips and tricks, don't forget to check out our ZALA blog now!