Bob sent this in and suggested that I post it. Thanks Bob-these are good tips:

One reason people tend to lose hair mostly at the crown and hairline is that those are the 2 areas that are brushed most often. The more you brush, the more the stress on the hairs, therefore, the most hair loss. And don't use brushes with ball tips. Hairs get snagged & wrapped around those ball tips and are pulled out as the brush moves through the hair. I always recommend a gap-toothed comb or a simple, cheap plastic vent brush. One more thing - when people complain about shedding, ask if the hairs they are losing are short and straight or longer with a kink in the middle. If the hairs are short, it's breakage - usually from brushing. If the hairs are long & kinked (where the knot was tied), that means the hairs are coming
un-knotted - and that is when conditioner may be to blame.

my hairdresser rekons that the whole oil and loosening knots is rubbish.
and its common advice to use a cushioned brush to avoid snaggin or tearing the base