"I just learned how to brush my hair like last week."

Mary-Kate Olsen

Perhaps you got caught up in the mini-media frenzy surrounding this recent admission from the MK camp of the design duo of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen?

I know I did. After all, it was pretty hard to miss - The story was picked up by just about everywhere from the Star Magazine to Huffington Post, who I believe called the revelation 'gross'.

While we're on the subject of hair brushing, I feel as though MK's revelation makes it ok for me to come forward now and let absolutely everyone know that I didn't brush my hair for at least 5 years. Possibly close to ten.

That definitely trumps MK.

During that time, I remember sitting with a (so-called) friend who asked matter-of-factly what kind of brush I used on my hair and saying something back like 'Oh I don't use a brush on my hair. I use my hands.' This revelation sent my friend into a tailspin of (first) disbelief and then, disgust and outrage. She even went so far as to call her hairdresser (a mutual friend) and tell her I didn't use a brush on my hair. As I sat there quietly mortified. Good thing this was before social media as I'm certain she would happily have 'shared' my response with a few hundred people via FB, setting me up to be mocked on a much larger scale.

Thankfully, the hairdresser said something about how I had gorgeous hair and if I wanted to brush my hair with my hands instead of a brush, then what did it matter? Truth is when it comes to hair, I've hit the genetic lottery, inheriting thick hair (that so many people wish they had) from the Italian side of my family. And I'm lucky enough to be able to breeze past all those pricey thickening hair products and scroll over all those 'how to get beautiful thick hair' ads online. I've got 99 problems, but thinning hair - Thank Gosh! - isn't one of them.

In retrospect, neither my hair shaming friend nor I could have ever realized that the artfully messy way that I wore my hair back then would be the precursor to the big bed head hair trend of the 90's and early 2000's. Think TIGI's Bed Head line, started in 1993 and still going strong today. 

Full Disclosure: A few years ago, I did have a brief but costly fascination with Mason Pearson hairbrushes. The one I bought retailed for around $125 and is still sitting in the drawer of my nightstand. I paid too much to toss it and love owning it, but rarely use it ever. You don't need a Mason Pearson, but you should invest in a good sulfate free shampoo from a line like It's A 10 Miracle and a salon quality straightening iron for when you want your hair smooth and pretty.

Photo Courtesy: Mary-Kate Olsen photo; Olsens Anonymous