Whenever we’re faced with a hair problem — whether it be static, grease, limpness — we tend to switch our shampoos, styling products, even the way we blow dry or straighten our hair. But the real trick may be changing how you brush your hair. Although brushing our hair is as natural as washing our hands or pouring a cup of coffee in the morning, it’s not as straightforward as you would believe. Find out what you’re doing wrong — and change your ways.

Starting at the root and pulling the hair down to the tip pulls the hair out of the follicle, snapping it. Instead, work your way up by starting to comb a few inches up from the bottom, taking out tangles, then moving up a few inches, removing more tangles and working up to the root in these small sections.

Brushing when wet.

The hair fibers get filled with moisture, causing them to stretch. Because the strands are now weaker, breakage is much more common. Allow your hair to air dry before detangling.

Detangling with a paddle brush. 

A paddle brush is too harsh to detangle, whether dry or wet. You want to use a wide-tooth comb, but first apply a detangling product. Use a spray for fine hair, a lotion for medium thickness and a cream for thick or coarse hair. The hair will then be slippery and the comb will go right through.

Brushing too much. 

If you’ve seen any old movies or TV shows, you may remember women sitting in the front of the mirror counting every brush stroke until they reached 100. However, over brushing can actually cause more breakage. Instead, focus on the quality of the brushing, not the number of strokes. Eliminate the knots and you’re done.

Causing static with your brush. 

Brushing too often can also cause static from the friction. Before brushing, pit hair serum on the hair strand to control flyways. You can also rub a few drops of hair oil between your fingertips and run through the hair

#TIP to clean the brush: First remove any hair caught in the bristles and then run the brush under warm water. Add shampoo or hand wash and work it into the bristles, creating a foam. Then rinse the brush off completely and set on a towel to dry.

Story by Shannon Farrell for Daily Makeover.