Mythbusters: Does 'teasing' Your Hair Damage It?

One of the oldest tricks in the book to instantly add volume to your tresses is to 'tease' it. Also known as backcombing, teasing your strands gives your hair the appearance of vivaciousness and fullness.

However, have you ever stopped to think: does teasing your hair damage it? In today's post, you'll find out whether this age-old practice has adverse effects on your precious locks.

The magic of hair teasing

Not everyone is blessed with thick, full locks. Those who have to make do with thin strands, most especially, usually have to resort to other tricks in order to lift their hair and make it look a lot more lively.

Ever since the late 80's and early 90's, backcombing or teasing has been one of the go-to tricks for instantly adding volume to dull and lifeless hair.

How exactly does it work? Simply put, the act of teasing your hair chafes your strands enough to lift up the cuticles. Since they're no longer lying flat against your hair follicles, your strands will now look much fuller. Unfortunately, doing this often enough will damage your strands, leading to weak hair that's more prone to split ends and breakage.

To tease or not to tease

Teasing is certainly a helpful trick, but it does come with a caveat.

Still, this doesn't mean that you should avoid it altogether. If you'd like to employ this trick for future uses, you have to take some precaution and ensure that you're mitigating as much damage as possible.

And the best way to do it is by familiarizing yourself with the right process to teasing your hair.

Teasing your hair the right way

1. Dry your hair fully. Wet hair is always much weaker than dry hair, so make sure that you fully dry your hair first before attempting to tease it.
2. Comb your hair first. Before you backcomb your hair, you should first comb through all your strands to ensure that your hair is all smooth and ready. Backcombing tangled hair is bound to damage your hair and even cause breakages.
3. Use the right teasing brush. Don’t use a regular brush for backcombing. In fact, there’s a special brush made exactly for this purpose.
4. Divide hair into small sections. Teasing your hair properly is not an easy task, so don’t make it even harder by trying to tackle big sections all at once.
5. Spritz some hairspray. It’s best to spray before and after teasing, for two reasons. One, spraying before will help reduce excessive damage. Two, spraying after will help retain the teased look, which reduces the need for you to do it again.

Alternatives to hair teasing

If all you want is a fuller head of hair, teasing isn’t your the only way to achieve it. You can actually choose other less harmful or damaging options, depending on your preferences.

You can try using hair serums, for example. While most serums are created to smoothen the appearance of hair, there are some serums that specialize in adding volume to your locks. Using serums, in the long run, can also promote healthy hair growth, though that does take some time to show the effects.

Lastly, if you really need to have fuller hair now, consider using hair extensions. Our extensions here at ZALA are 100% human Remy hair, guaranteed to give your crowning glory an instant and natural-looking lift.

Patient enough to see long-term results? Check out our post on how you can make your hair thicker! Of course, for more hair tips and tricks, feel free to check out our ZALA blog.