Is it permissible to suffice with wiping the head backward only during ablution, without returning forward, to avoid hair breakage?

Scholars have differed regarding the obligation of wiping the entire head. The majority of them do not consider it obligatory. Those who do consider it obligatory require wiping it only once. If your wipe backwards covers the entire head, then you are not obliged to return your hands to the front; that is only recommended. Imam Ahmad explicitly stated that whoever fears disheveling their hair should not return their hands when wiping, so there is no blame upon you for not returning your hands. The recommended way to wipe the head is to place the hands at the front of the head and pass them to the nape of the neck, then return them to the starting point, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did. However, if there is hair that one fears will become disheveled by returning the hands, then it is not obligatory to return them, and this is what Ahmad explicitly stated.