Lesson 5: How to Brush Hair

Brush out those tangle monsters in the morning and before bed. Start on one side and work your way around, or start in the middle and work through one side at a time--it doesn't matter. But if there are lots of snags, it will be easier to smooth out the ends and work your way up rather than trying to push a rats nest down from the top. Try to be gentle; you don't want to make her cry. Little heads are tender and sensitive especially above the ears. When you are working out a big tangle, pinch the hair with one hand and brush it out with the other to take some of the pressure off her scalp. Or if her hair is long enough, you can wrap the hair around your finger and pinch it. As I said in lesson 2, the right brush is important. Don't yank out any tangles with the brush because it will break the hair at the knot (and hurt). If the brush isn't working on a particular spot, try to locate the knot and work it out with your fingers.

Hair is harder to brush when it is wet. A wide comb or pick will work better on wet hair.

Little girls are really good at getting sticky stuff in their hair. Don't try brushing out sticky spots because you will probably just break the hair. Wash it out first. You don't need to wash the whole head for one little spot of lollipop; just lean her head over the sink and wash out the end of the sticky strand. If the sticky stuff happens to be gum (oh dear), massage some peanut butter into the gum. It will soften it up so you can get it out. It may take a few shampoos to get it all out. (I speak from experience here.) Keep trying. It will take a lot longer to grow the hair out if you cut out the gum than it will for you to wash it out.