The one surprising thing you should never do to your hair first thing in the morning

Of all the bizarre beauty tips and hacks, this might be the most surprising yet.

On a weekday morning, the struggle is real and getting out the door in one piece is a task in itself, especially if your hair is giving you grief. Along with washing your face, getting dressed and even getting up, hair-brushing is pretty standard early in the morning. However, according to one hair professional, this is something best avoided first thing. George Northwood, who counts Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Alexa Chung among his impressive clientele, says that brushing your hair in the morning pretty much ruins your look. This basically means I (and presumably many others) have been doing things all wrong. Speaking to Vogue, George explained his reasons for vetoing hair-brushing first thing:

"Never, ever brush in the morning. For one thing it leads to frizz, and secondly, there's always an element of mechanical damage. "Use your fingers and you'll be able to feel out any tangles".

If you're looking for a sleek style with George citing Veronica Lake as his go-to for shiny coiffed hair inspiration, you can use a brush but barely. He recommends sleeping with your hair in a bun at the nape of your neck which should be pinned to keep it in place. In the morning, take your hair out of the bun, run a little oil through it and run a brush over it. Again, his tip is very specific and he advises:

"running the brush across the hair's surface just once".