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Avoid Hairstyling No-Nos

You spend a good amount of time keeping up your appearance, but sometimes things that are meant to make you beautiful cause more harm than good. Case in point: hot hair tools and damaging brushes. The result you want is smooth, shiny combed hair. What do you get? Split ends and damage. Here's how to get the best of both worlds.

Do: Deep Moisturize

Even if you have ultra-fine hair that gets weighed down
easily, there's a deep moisturizing masque or conditioner on the market that suits your needs. Moisturizing the hair with protein-rich conditioners is the first step to preventing damage, as the hair will be too healthy to break and split. You don't have to spend a fortune, either. There are great drugstore options available.

Do: Use A Heat Protectant Spray

If you style your hair every day with hot tools like a flat
iron or curling iron, make sure you prevent damage before it
ever starts. Applying heat to the hair makes it brittle, so
spritz on a heat protectant that will prevent the heat from
getting the best of you. Spray all over your hair, focusing
especially on the tips. Style as normal.

Do: Use The Right Brushes

There are countless brushes on the market, from the drugstore to the department store. You can spend a little or a lot, but make sure the brush has bristles that round at the ends, rather than spokes that can rip apart hair and cause breakage.

Don't: Pull When You Brush

If you have long hair, you know this situation. You're faced with a rat's nest of hair after a long day, and you want nothing more than to comb it out. Don't start from the very top. Slowly brush out knots starting from the bottom. That way, you work out the toughest knots before you ever get to the top. Once you work your way up, you'll be able to comb all the way through with ease.

Don't: Use Damaging Accessories

During a long day at work, it's tempting to toss your hair up using the rubber band that came around the newspaper. When it comes time to pull that torture device out, your hair will get tangled and damaged in it. Use accessories that won't pull or break hair, like cloth-covered ponytail holders and bobby pins with rubberized tips.

Don't: Go Cheap With Heat

There are some great, inexpensive heated tools on the market, but some are just straight-up cheap. Look at online product reviews before you invest. The wrong tool will cause damage. The right tool will make you look your best with minimal effort.