Philip B.'s 4 Bad Hair Habits

Hollywood's preeminent hair treatment expert, Philip B. gives us his four most unthinkable BAD HAIR HABITS and his advice on how to break them. I know I am guilty of two (1 & 4--feast or famine)...:

1. Brushing wet hair - Your hair is weaker and more elastic when wet, so brushing it can lead to breakage and split ends. Make sure to follow this styling commandment: Comb hair when it's wet and brush when it's dry.

2. Overdrying - If you have color- or chemically-treated hair and flatiron it often, beware! Heat styling tools and chemical treatments burn precious moisture out of your hair. Unless you replace that moisture with frequent botanical oil treatments (2-4 times per week), eventually it will start breaking off. To keep hair healthy, turn down the heat as much as you can and treat your hair to frequent oil treatments. I love my Rejuvenating Oil for this, but plain olive oil can work in a pinch.

3. Not protecting bleached hair - While it was tempting to dive in the pool during the hot summer, I’m sure it left your bleached strands looking a lot like greenish straw. Bleach is drying and makes your hair more porous, and chlorinated water also strips moisture from your hair – plus, it contains metals that can seep into your hair and leave a greenish tint. Now that summer is officially over, treat your hair by soaking it in a vinegar-and-water bath to help eliminate some of the remaining chlorine molecules. After that, an oil treatment is key to restoring moisture and shine.

4. Neglecting to brush - A good brushing is an exfoliation treatment for your scalp. It stimulates cell turnover to make your hair stronger and healthier, drags the natural conditioning oils from your scalp to your ends to keep them shiny and moisturized and also buffs the hair cuticle to boost overall glossiness. But forget the old wives’ tale about brushing your hair 100 times each night – it's excessive and might be damaging. Instead, aim for 10-20 strokes, depending on the thickness of your hair. Tip: Use a pure boar bristle brush if you have fine, wispy hair; if your hair is normal to thick, look for a brush that contains a mix of natural boar's hair and nylon bristles. I use my own Philip B. brushes. You can also find good boar's hair brushes in fine department stores or salons.