Skin & hair · 3 min
A slow brushbefore bed
Three minutes with a brush or a wide comb, from the ends upwards, done slowly enough to feel like rest.
Brushing is usually done fast, in front of a mirror, on the way to something else. Done slowly at the end of the day, it becomes something different: three minutes of gentle, steady movement that settles the hands and the head together.
The steps
Four small steps,in your own time.
Sit down somewhere comfortable with a soft brush or a wide-toothed comb. Let your shoulders drop.
Start at the ends. Hold a section of hair just above where you are brushing, and ease out any knots from the bottom up, a little higher each time.
Once it runs smoothly, brush from the roots to the ends in long, slow strokes, breathing out with each one.
Finish with a few strokes of your fingers instead of the brush, then tie it loosely or leave it free for the night.
The reason
Why it helps
Starting at the ends and working up stops the brush pulling at knots, so the hair breaks less and nothing hurts. Slow, repeated strokes have the same calming effect as any gentle rhythm: they give the hands something to do while the mind slows down. For many people it also brings back a memory of being looked after, which is a good thing to take to bed.
A gentle variation
If your hair is short, very curly or thinning, use your fingers or a wide comb and go even more gently, or simply move your fingertips slowly over your scalp. Curly hair is often happier combed when damp, so this can move to wash day.
WE · TRIBE
Try itwith someone.
Some of the kindest care is someone else's hands in your hair. Offer to brush the hair of someone you love or look after, slowly and from the ends, and ask them to tell you if anything pulls. Then ask for a turn.
Try it today
Tonight, sit down with a brush or a wide comb, ease out any knots from the ends upwards, then brush slowly from root to tip for three minutes.
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