Teasing Your Hair

A: Teasing your hair isn't inherently bad, but like any styling technique, it can definitely cause damage if you're not careful about how you do it and how you undo it afterward. The key is understanding what you're actually doing to your hair and taking the right precautions.
Here's how to tease your hair safely: Start by holding each section of hair very lightly between your fingers, allowing the comb to gently pull the strands down onto themselves rather than forcing them. Work with small sections at a time instead of trying to tease large chunks all at once. Think of it like building layers gradually rather than creating one big tangled mess. The motion should be gentle and controlled, almost like you're coaxing the hair into position rather than wrestling with it.
The real danger often comes not from the teasing itself, but from how you remove it later. This is where many people make critical mistakes that lead to breakage and hair loss. At the end of the day, you absolutely must take the time to carefully comb out all that teasing before you go to bed.
Start by applying a detangling spray or leave-in conditioner to add slip to your hair, making it easier to work through the tangles. Then, using a wide-tooth comb or a brush designed for detangling, work very slowly from the ends of your hair toward your scalp. Never start at the roots and drag down through the tangles, as this puts maximum stress on each strand and can cause breakage or even pull hair out by the roots.
Think about it this way: if you treat your hair with the same care you'd give a silk blouse, you'll be on the right track. Both hair and silk are protein fibers made up of amino acids, and both can be damaged by rough handling. You wouldn't yank and pull at an expensive silk blouse, so don't do it to your hair either.
When teasing goes wrong, you'll typically see two types of damage. Hair loss can occur when you're too rough during either the teasing or removal process, literally pulling strands out at the root. This is usually temporary unless you're consistently damaging the same areas, but it's still something you want to avoid. Split ends, on the other hand, usually develop from overzealous brushing that whips and snaps at the hair tips, or from breakage that occurs at weak points along the hair shaft. Since the ends of your hair are the oldest and most fragile parts, they're particularly vulnerable to this type of damage.
To further protect your hair, consider using a volumizing mousse or texturizing spray before teasing, as these products can provide some cushioning and make the hair more manageable. Also, try not to tease the same sections of hair day after day, as this repeated stress can weaken those areas over time. If you notice increased breakage or thinning in areas where you frequently tease, give those sections a break and focus on other styling methods for a while.
©Hairfinder.com
See also:
How to backcomb or tease hair
How to repair split ends