To Comb or Not to Comb? That is the Question

[healthyhairin07]

Hello Ladies,

I've been detangling my hair in the shower with a widetooth comb every morning, but I read that some of you refrain from combing or brushing your hair more than once a week.

I feel like if I go more than three days without combing my hair, it'll be a tangled mess. But I just started my hair journey, so I'm not sure what is right.

So, how often do you use a comb and/or brush in your hair? What do you think is best for retaining the length of your hair?

Note: I've updated this thread to include a poll.

 

[Divine Inspiration]

I comb my hair on wash days and finger comb for the rest of the week. This is the best way for me to keep manipulation & breakage to a minimum.

I'm not sure what to tell you if you're CO washing daily because my hair MUST be detangled after any kind of wash or it'll be tangled/matted and unruly.

There are plenty of ladies here who CO wash daily, and I would imagine that some of them detangle daily with no problem. I think the larger issue with detangling is to do it with conditioner in the hair & maybe under running water and for naturals (and even some texlaxed heads), to not detangle or comb dry hair.

HTH
{DI}

 

[Nonie]

I don't think everyone can pull off the "no comb" regimen. The only way I've been able to go w/o combing my hair is when I'm wearing braids. I redo them when needed but never use a comb to undo, and don't comb hair when out. I do one at a time so no parting needed. When I wore twists w/o braids, again I didn't comb my hair. I'd touch up my twists one at a time like I did my braids ie never taking them out. I would undo with fingers, detangle with fingers and then re-twist. So I could go w/o ever combing. Undoing shortly after a wash made it easier. I washed hair in twists.

I have not yet tried going w/o combing hair when wearing it out. Since my BC I found I needed to comb it to style (I wore an afro puff); but I'd make sure I had lots of SCurl in it. I probably will try twist-outs when I get out of braids and see if I can pull it off.

So do whateve works for you. Just be very gentle. Stretch hair out with one hand before running comb through. Make sure hair is drenched in sth so comb glides through. The aim is not to yank hair out.

 

[healthyhairin07]

Thanks for the comments ladies. DI, I was just stalking your fotki. Your hair is beautiful. Nonie, your right about braids. I think they are the only way that I could avoid combing my hair.

 

[guesswho]

I finger comb during the week and comb once a week, I can't comb my hair whilst soaking wet I loose a lot of hair I finger comb in the shower and when I get out the shower I add my leave-ins which is lacio lacio or salerm21 it works best on my hair and I proceed to comb out in 4 sections despite not combing my hair for the week I barely loose any hairs this way, everyones hair is different a lot of ladies detangle in the shower with conditioner if I do this I loose balls of hair, so I never do this, everyones hair is totally different you have to experiment and see what works best for you to prevent unwanted breakage hth

 

[healthyhairin07]

everyones hair is totally different you have to experiment and see what works best for you to prevent unwanted breakage hth

Thanks for the comment, guesswho. I thought I had found what works for me, which is detangling every day in the shower, but I've recently been losing hair doing this. Most of the hairs are long pieces (i.e., shedded hair), so I don't know if I should stick to this. It worked in the past and I wasn't losing hair, but it's not working now.

I think I may try finger combing though.

 

[Divine Inspiration]

Thanks for the comments ladies. DI, I was just stalking your fotki. Your hair is beautiful.

Thanks!

 

[Isis]

Thanks for the comment, guesswho. I thought I had found what works for me, which is detangling every day in the shower, but I've recently been losing hair doing this. Most of the hairs are long pieces (i.e., shedded hair), so I don't know if I should stick to this. It worked in the past and I wasn't losing hair, but it's not working now.

I think I may try finger combing though.

I decided to learn finger combing when I first started my hair journey here. I only comb on wash days when my hair is wet (I use a Jilbere comb) with only minimal shedding.

Since you are natural, have you visited Nay's hair album? She has waist-length 100% natural 4a hair and stays away from combing except on wash days. I believe Chicoro (also a WSL natural) also does this and the result is much less manipulation and longer hair.

 

[janeemat]

I will have to admit, when I first joined this board, I could not figure out for the life how these ladies did not comb their hair but once a week. But I got it now. I comb on wash days (Wed & Sat). I do a rollerset and usually sleep in those hard magnetic rollers. The next morning I will remove the rollers and finger comb my curls. At night I put a few rollers in the top of my head by using my fingers only to gather the hair. I pull the rest of the hair back and pin it up. The following moring I remove the rollers and finger it all in an up do. No combing until next wash. With all the ng that I have at 10 wks, I would not dream of pulling a comb through my hair. I'm not losing any hair except when I detangle on wash day.

 

[Blackberry7]

The no combing thing did not work for me when my hair was loose. I kept combing to the minimum by wearing braids and/or twists most of the time. I used a knitting needle for braiding or twisting. I did not use a comb for that. But for wearing my hair loose I had to comb it or I just had way too much tangling and hair loss to contend with. Also the shower combing didn't really work for me either no matter what conditioner I used. I combed gently when semi-dry and that gave me the best results. (My hair is type 4bish).

 

[imstush]

I try not to bun my hair at the most once a week, so I don't brush my hair too often. I wear my hair in wash and go, I comb once a week on full wash days (shampoo and dc). The most maybe two times.

If you co wash daily or every other day maybe you can do it in the shower. The force of the water may be enough to get your hair detangled with no problem with some finger combing in the process. How do you wear your hair?

 

[Missi]

I comb my hair in the shower under the water as it washes out my conditioner. My conditioners give my hair a lot of slip...so mah comb slips right thru. I do comb my hair during the week unless i'm baggying. I do believe if you wear protective styling....you don't need 2 comb IMO. HTH P.S. I NEVER brush

 

[preciousjewel76]

Thanks for the comment, guesswho. I thought I had found what works for me, which is detangling every day in the shower, but I've recently been losing hair doing this. Most of the hairs are long pieces (i.e., shedded hair), so I don't know if I should stick to this. It worked in the past and I wasn't losing hair, but it's not working now.

I think I may try finger combing though.

If you're losing shed hairs, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Those are supposed to come out, and you actually want them to come out so they don't tangle up the rest of your hair. Hence, why the 'no-comb' ladies usually fingercomb throughout the week (I do this). However, if you're losing an excessive amount of shed hair, there could be an underlying problem. Personally, I find that using my fingers instead of a comb (on wash days) greatly reduces hair breakage. My shedding is normal.

 

[Tenejita10473]

I wear a twist out pretty often and I feel I need to brush and comb my hair. I have no problem- no hair comes out, excessively. I would like to try not to comb but I feel like maybe it wouldn't look as nice. idk. Does anyone have pics of a twist out done with finger combing?

 

[MissFallon]

I comb once every two weeks. when I wear my hair down I use sylver's method for not combing with the scarf and a bonnet and when I wear my lacefront I braid my hair in cornrows and take them down every other week. I will admit I'm horrible with the no combing thing I believe I'm addicted to the comb. I don't really use a brush. I've tried finger combing and it is ok. if u don't want to comb do not wrap your hair. Learning how to take keep your hair straight and nice without wrapping it hard but once u figure it out not combing comes easy

 

[Cichelle]

I detangle my hair with a seamless comb every day, once a day, in the shower with conditioner and under the shower spray. I tried going the no-comb route and it was not good for my hair. If I don't get the shed hair out regularly, my hair gets very tangled and I lose and break too much hair try to get the knots out. I really wish I could go a week without combing. So far, it hasn't been successful. But I'm hoping to figure out how to do it one day.

 

[deontaer]

I only comb my hair once a week when I wash. I don't bun my hair any more, but I do keep it loosely pinned up so it's not pulling on my edges and my ends aren't exposed. Every night when I get home, I let me hair down and spread it out with my hands like a fan a couple of times and shake it to loosen up the loose hairs. Then I run my hands down the length of my hair and pull out whatever is lose, then finger detangle my hair, twist it and pin it up for bed. This has helped me a lot. I'm getting my hair braided today so I won't have to worry about it again for 4 weeks

 

[Ms Lala]

I comb to detangle my hair about 1-2x per month. For the rest of the month I just finger comb while damp as needed (if my hair is loose)

 

[ShaniKeys]

For me it depends, I don't "fight" with my hair, sometimes I'll put on a conditioner and my hair is manageable, but other times my hair just won't cooperate (even with conditioner), than I just fingercomb it

 

[healthyhairin07]

Since you are natural, have you visited Nay's hair album? She has waist-length 100% natural 4a hair and stays away from combing except on wash days. I believe Chicoro (also a WSL natural) also does this and the result is much less manipulation and longer hair.

Isis, you are really helping me. I haven't seen Nay or Chicoro's album, but I will definitely look those up. Thanks.

 

[healthyhairin07]

If you co wash daily or every other day maybe you can do it in the shower. The force of the water may be enough to get your hair detangled with no problem with some finger combing in the process. How do you wear your hair?

Thanks for the reply, imstush. I've been detangling in the shower under cool running water, which feels so good to my scalp, but lately I've been experiencing a lot of shedding when I do this. At first it was working though.

I usually wear my hair in a bun, but I'm thinking about getting it braided soon in other to avoid combing my hair every day.

 

[healthyhairin07]

Bumpin' for more responses.

 

[sylver2]

I'm relaxed. 4a-b. I never comb. I comb once every 2 weeks now. Thats on wash day. Everyday..I leave hair out. I keep my scarf on it to keep it flat and smooth. Hair doesn't have to be untangled or anything. As long as it LOOKS smooth, flat.. then thats good enough for me. Even tho I can't even get my fingers thru it..lol. but u can't tell. No combing is the best thing thats ever happened to my hair.

 

[healthyhairin07]

sylver2, your hair looks strong and beautiful. Thanks for your comment.

 

[KiniKakes]

I comb once per week, but my hair is thin/fine/not a lotta strands, so it works for me. Not to mention, Im bunning most other days, so combing just isnt necessary. (If i con-wash, i dont need to comb, just let the water detangle my hair, then form one braid.)

 

[KiniKakes]

I'm relaxed. 4a-b. I never comb. I comb once every 2 weeks now. Thats on wash day. Everyday..I leave hair out. I keep my scarf on it to keep it flat and smooth. Hair doesn't have to be untangled or anything. As long as it LOOKS smooth, flat.. then thats good enough for me. Even tho I can't even get my fingers thru it..lol. but u can't tell. No combing is the best thing thats ever happened to my hair.

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kookie]

I've been detangling in the shower under cool running water, which feels so good to my scalp, but lately I've been experiencing a lot of shedding when I do this. At first it was working though.

I've actually been experiencing the same problem Healthyhair!

And I've been thinking about a solution to this problem even before this discussion...and decided that I would ONLY finger comb.
This way....normal shred hairs are still able to come out (thus, not sticking around and becoming tangled)--but I'm not pulling more hair than necessary out by combing it.

Before coming up with this idea of only finger combing...
I used to do just as you have done: Combing in the shower--but only with conditioner in my hair. Lots of hair would be found shed on the floors of my shower.

Thus far, with finger combing--I found LESS.

 

[healthyhairin07]

I seems like fingercombing seems to be the best way to go. I think I may detangle with a comb once a week though.
Thanks for the comment, Kookie.

I have fine hair too, Kinikakes, and I've seen your incredible progress, so I think staying away from a comb as much as I can is the best for my thin strands.

 

[Ayeshia]

No combing seems to work wonders with relxed hair....for me as a natural who does WNG's a lot I must do it often or I'll suffer more damage dealing with tangles and matting.

 

[Poohbear]

ShaniKeys, I've been battling this question myself throughout my natural hair journey. I think I have finally figured out what works best for my hair. About my hair: I have fine strands too, and my hair is very tightly coiled, clumped tiny springs, 4a/b mix, and very densely compacted and about 80% shrinkage after doing a wash n go.

Anyway, I have found that if I wear my hair in its shrunken state, I must wash/rinse in the shower daily. In order for me to finger comb instead of using a regular shower comb, I SOAK/DRENCH my hair with the water from the showerhead and smooth my hair out with the palms of my hands. I sometimes use conditioner (Aussie Moist) to help with smoothing my hair out. Then I gently pull any shedded hairs from my ends. Then I finger comb or finger rub through my hair to undo any tangles. When I get out of the shower, I just apply a mositurizer (or petroleum jelly <--something new I'm about to test out) and then shake my hair. Sometimes I might not shake, just depends on how I feel.

I really don't see the need for a comb unless I'm going to wear my hair stretched out.

Hope that helps!!!