Never brush the hair. Brushing the hair causes friction that can damage the cuticles by lifting them.
If you wish to have long hair, never over layer the hair. By doing that the perimeter will be thinner.
Never friction the hair when drying it with a towel after shampoo. It can cause lifting of the cuticles with split ends to follow
Always use water base products. The hair composition is: Protein, Water, Omega-3. Anything else ( Oils, Wax, Silicon ) has only a coating and build-up effect.