What is the purpose of hand stripping a West Highland Terrier?

Hold up your Westie's hair between your fingers. You should see two layers. The bottom layer is white, growing, live hair. The top layer is the dead hairs. Just pull out the dead hairs. Do this all over the body until he/she looks even. This may take an hour or two. Wearing surgical gloves makes the job a lot easier because you get a better grip on the hair. This does not hurt them, you are just pulling out the dead hairs. You should do this every week or two to keep them looking neat and non-shedding.