Last updated on: January 24, 2026
If you’ve ever heard someone say, “Brush your hair 100 times a day for shine,” you’re not alone. My grandma used to say it all the time, and honestly, I always thought it was a cute old-school myth — like drinking warm water to make your skin glow or putting Vaseline on everything. But lately, I’ve seen this trend return all over TikTok and Instagram. Women are trying old beauty rules again, and many of them swear that brushing your hair 100 times a day makes it softer, healthier, and shinier.
So, like any curious woman who wants better hair, I thought, Why not try it myself? It sounded simple and kind of peaceful. Plus, I was in that “new routine” mood where you want to upgrade your self-care.
I decided to do it for 30 days. Every day. Count all 100 strokes. And write down what happened — the good, the bad, and the surprising. Here’s the full truth.
Why I Tried Brushing My Hair 100 Times
Before I started, I wanted to understand where this idea even came from. Turns out, this “100 strokes” rule goes way back — like, Victorian-era back. Women back then didn’t have leave-in conditioners or fancy hair masks, so brushing was their main way to keep hair smooth and spread natural oils from the scalp to the ends.
Today we have so many products that brushing doesn’t feel like a big deal. Some women barely brush at all. But I was curious — would something this simple actually make my hair healthier?
And honestly, I also wanted something calming. Something small I could do just for me.
My Hair Type (Because It Matters!)
I have medium-thick hair, a little wavy, sometimes frizzy, and oily at the roots. My ends get dry because I love heat styling. If your hair is similar, what happened to me might happen to you too.
I didn’t change anything else during the 30 days. Same shampoo. Same conditioner. Same styling habits. I wanted the results to be real, not mixed with other changes.
The Rules I Followed
To make the experiment fair, I kept it simple:
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Use the same brush every day — a boar-bristle brush
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Do all 100 strokes once a day, usually at night
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Brush in sections to keep count
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Never brush wet hair
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Don’t add extra oils or serums
The whole process took about 3–4 minutes. Easy enough.
Week 1 — Oil, Static, and Scalp Surprises
The first week was…interesting.
After brushing 100 times every night, my hair got oilier than usual. Like, way faster. I’d brush at night, sleep, and wake up looking like I hadn’t washed my hair in a week. This makes sense — brushing pulls all those natural oils down from your scalp.
My scalp also felt sensitive, almost like I was over-touching it. Not painful, just aware.
Another thing: static. My hair kept sticking to my face and clothes. If this happens to you, it’s normal. Too much brushing can create friction.
But on the bright side, my hair was already looking a little smoother.
Week 2 — The Shine Starts
This is when I finally saw something good.
Around day 12, I noticed my hair looking shinier — not oily shine, but actual “healthy shine.” The brushing did help move oils down the strands, and the boar-bristle brush added a polished look.
My ends looked a little better too. Not healed, not perfect, but more moisturized. If you struggle with dryness, you might notice this change as well.
But here’s something I didn’t expect:
I was shedding more hair. Seeing strands in the brush freaked me out at first, but then I remembered — we lose 50–100 hairs a day normally. Brushing just collects them all in one place.
Week 3 — Breakouts and Breakage
This week had the biggest surprises.
First: breakouts.
Not full acne, but tiny little bumps along my hairline. All the oils being brushed down were touching my forehead. If your skin gets clogged easily, be ready for this.
Second: breakage.
Brushing 100 times every day is a lot of friction. I started seeing short little broken hairs around my crown, especially where my hair is the weakest.
Third: frizz.
I expected brushing to tame my frizz. But doing it too much actually made my hair puffier on some days.
At this point, I wasn’t sure if the shine was worth the trouble.
Week 4 — My Hair Settles Into a Routine
By the last week, things finally balanced out.
My scalp didn’t get oily as fast.
My hairline bumps calmed down.
My hair felt softer and smoother.
And brushing became a quiet moment I actually enjoyed. Almost like meditation. Something about simple movements and the sound of bristles has a calming feeling that you don’t realize you need until you do it every night.
But even though everything felt more settled, I still saw breakage here and there. Not extreme, but enough to make me think about whether this routine is worth continuing.
What Experts Say (In Simple Words)
After doing my experiment, I read what dermatologists and hair experts say about brushing. Here’s the short version:
Good Things About Brushing
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It spreads natural oils
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It boosts blood flow to your scalp
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It keeps hair smoother
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It can help detangle gently
Bad Things About Over-Brushing
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It can damage the cuticle
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It creates breakage
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It can irritate the scalp
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It pulls on fragile hair
Most experts agree: You don’t need 100 strokes.
Just brush enough to detangle and smooth — usually 15–20 strokes.
So…Should You Try It?
This depends on your hair type.
Try it if your hair is:
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Straight or slightly wavy
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Medium to thick
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Naturally dry
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Not fragile
Skip it if your hair is:
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Curly or coily
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Very fine
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Bleached, brittle, or damaged
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Easily tangled
Curly and coily hair especially should not be brushed dry.
My Final Results
Here’s the honest truth after 30 days:
What I Loved
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My hair was shinier
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My ends looked healthier
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The ritual felt calming
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My hair felt smoother
What I Didn’t Love
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Extra oiliness
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Some breakage
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Small forehead bumps
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Slight frizz
The shine was real. The softness was real. But the damage was also real.
Will I Keep Brushing 100 Times?
No.
But I will keep brushing more than I did before.
Instead of 100 strokes, I now do about 20–30 slow, gentle strokes at night. Enough to spread oils and relax me, but not enough to stress my hair out.
And honestly, that feels like the perfect middle ground.
Final Thoughts
Trying this routine taught me something bigger than just hair care:
Sometimes your body (and your hair) just needs simple, slow care.
We’re always rushing, scrolling, multitasking, jumping from one product to another. But this little daily ritual forced me to slow down — and I loved that part more than the shine.
If you want healthier hair, brushing can help, but only when done gently and in a way that respects your hair type. You don’t need 100 strokes to feel good. You only need a routine that feels right for you.
And if you’re curious like me?
Try it for a day or two.
See how your hair responds.
Make it your own.
Your hair will always tell you what it needs — you just have to listen.
