Stop brushing wet hair: How it damages your strands and the best alternatives instead

Don’t want to show up at work looking like you swam your way in? So, you grabbed the nearest brush and ran it through your wet hair, thinking it would make you look presentable for your next meeting. But guess what? You’ve just set the stage for hair breakage.

While brushing wet hair might seem like a quick fix, it’s one of the worst things you can do to your strands, worse than showing up with damp hair. Brushing while wet can lead to excessive breakage, weaken your strands, and cause long-term damage.

Wet hair and weakness

Healthy hair gets its strength and flexibility from the various chemical bonds within its protein structure, explains Arunima Roy, a Dubai-based trichologist. One such bond, the hydrogen bond, temporarily breaks when hair comes into contact with water, making it more elastic, before reforming as it dries. For those with straight or wavy hair, this increased elasticity makes hair more prone to breakage when wet compared to when it’s dry.

For curly and textured hair, however, the extra elasticity can be helpful. Curly hair naturally has weaker points where it bends, curls, or coils. When dry, these “snapping points” are more prominent. But when wet, the curls soften, reducing the number of weak spots, which makes detangling easier and results in less breakage compared to brushing dry hair.

Arunima Roy further explains that wet hair is more fragile, because water weakens the hydrogen bonds that provide strength and elasticity. "As the hair shaft swells, it becomes more susceptible to stretching and snapping, similar to a rubber band stretched to its limit. Any added force, like brushing, can easily cause it to break."

Different hair types react differently to being wet. Fine hair is particularly delicate, while curly hair can become even more prone to frizz and damage if handled incorrectly. Regardless of your hair type, brushing wet strands aggressively can strip away the protective cuticle layer, leading to split ends, frizz, and dullness.

What happens when you drag a brush through wet hair:

Emily Kelly, a Dubai-based hair stylist and expert breaks it down:

Increased breakage: A brush creates tension on fragile, swollen hair strands, causing them to snap and split.

Frizz and flyaways: The damaged cuticles make your hair rough, leading to unmanageable frizz and dullness.

Weakened roots: Wet hair puts extra stress on the scalp, pulling at hair follicles and potentially leading to thinning over time.

Split ends: The more you stress your hair while it’s wet, the more you’ll find yourself battling split ends, leading to more frequent trims and an inability to grow longer, healthier hair.

So what should you do instead?

For all hair types, preventing tangles and breakage begins in the shower. Rather than brushing hair while wet, experts suggest focusing on avoiding tangles during shampooing and conditioning. “Detangling with your fingers is a gentler approach, as it allows you to feel and carefully remove knots without causing damage,” explains Kelly.

For those with straight hair, it’s best to wait until the hair is dry before brushing further. Curly hair, on the other hand, benefits from detangling before shampooing. Pre-shampoo treatments can also make this process smoother. Shampooing naturally raises the cuticle to properly cleanse hair, but this can lead to increased tangling, especially in hair. After rinsing out the shampoo, the hair will remain mostly detangled

When you're done, apply conditioner to seal the cuticle back down, and gently brush through one last time.

Tips for gentle detangling:

Use a wide-tooth comb: Unlike brushes, wide-tooth combs glide through wet hair with less tension and pulling. Start at the ends and gently work your way up to avoid snapping strands.

Apply a leave-in conditioner: A lightweight detangling spray or leave-in conditioner helps smooth knots and makes combing easier, reducing friction.

Pat dry with a microfibre towel: Regular towels create friction that can roughen the hair cuticle. A microfiber towel or cotton T-shirt absorbs moisture gently, helping prevent frizz.

Let hair air dry before brushing: Ideally, wait until your hair is at least 70-80 per cent dry before using a brush. If you must brush, opt for a boar bristle or detangling brush designed for delicate strands.

Detangle before washing: Gently brushing or finger-combing dry hair before you step into the shower helps prevent severe tangles afterward.

Brushing wet hair might seem like an innocent habit, but over time, it can weaken and damage your strands. By using gentler detangling methods and waiting until your hair is mostly dry before brushing, you can protect it from unnecessary damage and keep it stronger, smoother, and healthier in the long run.