You're Doing It All Wrong: You pull through your tangles with your trusty paddle brush, or try leave-in conditioner and detangling spray, ripping through your hair when you really need to tackle that nest. Then (once it gets painful), up in a top knot it goes.

The damage: When you rake through that tangled heap with a paddle brush, you break strands of your hair, which is like pulling a thread loose on a sweater, says Liz Cunnane-Phillips from Philip Kingsley Trichological Centre in NY. Flowers adds, "Use a wide-toothed comb or something with wide, plastic bristle to minimize damage. The most important thing is to start at bottom and work your way up. Starting from the top can increase the amount of tangles."

The fix: Tangle Teezer

How it helps: Ergonomically designed to allow a firm, wrap-around hold, giving you full control of your style. Uniquely structured teeth flex over feisty tangles without any unruly pulling or tugging. Our intern Allie admits, "Nothing sends my hair to rat's nest territory faster than lathering and rinsing. But the little brush put up a valiant effort against my tangles, and managed to get through them without causing me to tear up. I was also able to detangle my hair in about half the time it normally takes me (I scientifically measured this by seeing how far into an episode of "The Vampire Diaries" I got before my hair was smooth). Bonus: it didn't make the ends of my hair break off, something that is inevitable with other brushes."

You're Doing It All Wrong: You prefer a little product and a standard, everyday synthetic brush with ball-tipped bristles.

The Damage: Synthetic brushes can increase breakage and fragility of hair follicles because they're not as porous as natural brushes. This means it'll take more brush strokes to achieve the same shininess and smoothness that happens with a natural bristle brush. "Stay away from plastic or metal brushes that can cause static and breakage," says Atkins. "Boar bristle brushes are best for getting smoother, shinier, especially the Mason Pearson."

The fix: Mason Pearson Boar Bristle Brush

How it helps: Natural bristles stimulate the scalp and increase blood flow, but the key to getting shinier hair is to start brushing from the root. "When you brush your hair, you're moving oil from the scalp down through the shaft of your hair. You're working with the cuticle, encouraging it to stay flat and coat your hair with natural oils from your roots," says Flowers.

You're Doing It All Wrong: You use a teasing comb starting from the roots of your hair.

The damage: Aside from being less efficient, teasing your hair with comb means continuously stroking through your hair from the roots to the very ends. Since combs have fewer bristles than bristles, this technique takes more effort and more time, increasing damage.

The fix: Marilyn Tuxedo Teasing Hair Brush

How it helps: Since you can stroke through your hair less with a brush than a comb to achieve volume, bristle brushes don't cause as much damage when teasing, says Atkins. Flowers says, "Back brushing gives you a light base for your hair and creates volume, movement and separation." You get all over soft, fluffiness with a brush while a comb gives you volume, but more so in a solid, structured and centralized form. Gueldner adds, "Don't start so close to the base of your head -- start a little farther out and softly bring the comb or brush to the scalp to minimize damage." All over, damage-free volume? We're down.

You're Doing It All Wrong: You say, "Hairspray, hairspray, and more hairspray." When that doesn't work, ponytail.

The Damage: Hairspray can pull moisture out of hair and most of them are alcohol-based, which actually encourages static," says Flowers.

The fix: Cricket Centrix Premium Carbon Brushes (and ... water?)

How it helps: The carbon acts as a conductor, accepting the negatively charged electrons that cause static electricity. Static happens when there's a lack of moisture in your hair, so a little water (yes, water) can help, says Flowers. She recommends spritzing your hairbrush with water and smoothing your hair from the ends to the roots to smooth the cuticle.

You're Doing It All Wrong: You try frizz-taming serum, a little styling wax and, of course, lots and lots of hairspray.

The Damage: Lots of product (particularly hairspray) sucks all of the moisture out of your hair and weighs it down -- a great recipe for frizzy, out-of-control hair.

The fix: Sonia Kashuk Hair Brush

How it helps: Flowers says this brush gently smooths the edges of your hair and frizz. "Nylon and boar bristle combination brushes can really grab onto the hair when you're blow drying and can help get the frizz out. The nylon bristles separate the hair and the boar bristles give you a strong grip."