Has no therapeutic value whatsoever. Hair, although the strongest natural fibre in the world will, like any other material eventually wear out. The more you brush your hair, the greater the damage you will cause to the outer layer (cuticle) and very greatly increase the risk of fracturing or splitting the hair shaft, particularly if the hair is long.

Brushing the hair gently into place after carefully combing out tangles is not likely to cause noticeable damage to the hair, particularly if a good bristle brush is used and may help to give greater volume to the hairstyle. Sharp brushes must never be used. It is better to avoid brushing the scalp because the oil glands are just beneath the surface of the scalp and brushing will only make the hair oily. Grandma's idea of a hundred brush strokes daily is fine if you want to have lank, oily, broken hair. Regrettably this type of information dates back to Victorian times when people washed their hair only three or four times a year on average. In those days half the population had head lice and about one in five had ringworm. Brushing with wire brushes set in vulcanised rubber helped to allay the chronic itching. Victorian women always wore their hair up as it was not fit to be seen worn any other way.

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