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Thread: Brush vs Comb: I don't get it

  1. #21
    Member frizzinator's Avatar
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    Default Re: Brush vs Comb: I don't get it

    I fingercomb everyday, followed by combing with a wide tooth comb because it enables me to remove smaller tangles that escape my fingercombing. No matter which tool you use to do it, start at the hemline and work your way up toward the scalp, removing tangles as you go. The point is not to break hairs, which happens more with the brush than with the comb.

    Breaking hairs didn't bother me until I was in my 40's, when I noticed that my smooth, straight hair started getting frizzy as I aged, but the age related frizz combined with years of broken hairs made it impossible to wear my hair up without my head looking like a ball of frizz, which completely obscured the updo.

    The broken hairs also mattered because my hair started becoming more thin with age, and when combined with broken hairs, when my hair was down you could see through it. Broken hairs tend to wrap around longer hairs and cause more broken hairs.

    For two and a half years I have tried not to break hairs and have worn my hair up everyday to prevent tangles. The circumference of my ponytail has increased by an inch. But I estimate it will be at least another 3 years before the full length of my hair reflects my effort to not break hairs.

    If you intend to keep your hair long for many years, it may be a good idea to treat your hair very gently now so that it will always be as gorgeous as it is now.

    All boar bristle brushes are not the same. There are different qualities of bristles. I think the difference is if the bristle comes from the part of the shaft that is closest to the boar's skin (stiff), or if the bristle was cut closer to the end of the shaft (softer).

    Stiff bristles work for long thick hair and soft bristles work for fine, thin short hair. Mason Pearson sells a wide variety of boar bristle brushes for different types of hair. I own a couple, and the bristles on their B1 extra stiff brush are much stiffer and longer than the bristles on their other brushes, and it penetrates through my hair all the way to my scalp, whereas the other Mason Pearson bbb I own does not reach to my scalp.

  2. #22
    Member frizzinator's Avatar
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    Default Re: Brush vs Comb: I don't get it

    The way to prevent breaking hairs with a comb, is to comb with the prongs tilted up, instead of down. It sounds absurd, and it takes a lot longer to comb, but it doesn't grab the tangles, they slide off the comb, yet you can identify where the tangle is located so that you can gently pull it apart with your fingers.

  3. #23
    Member frizzinator's Avatar
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    Default Re: Brush vs Comb: I don't get it

    The 100 brush strokes a day is a myth.

  4. #24
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    Default Re: Brush vs Comb: I don't get it

    I stopped using a brush around waist length.

    Wooden combs DO NOT work for me though. They simply do not like my hair. I usually use a wide tooth, seamless plastic comb I got from Walmart 3-4 years ago. It quite pliable so it bends with my hair so I don't accidentally rip through knots which is what happens when I try to use a wooden comb or other stiff comb.
    I have fine toothed horn combs that I use for scalp combing, and a wide tooth horn comb for regular combing... but again, I don't like it as much as my wide toothed plastic comb.

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  5. #25
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    Default Re: Brush vs Comb: I don't get it

    Quote Originally Posted by Lunnafindel View Post
    Thanks, guys. I feel better now - my hair's not curly, and I think it's better off brushed. I'll look into those Mason Pearson brushes, they sound good.
    Bellebot, why are brushes with balls on the ends worse than other brushes? Do the balls catch on the hair? Does that mean that my old brush whose knobs had all fallen off was better than my newer brush?
    I think the problem a lot of people have with the ball-tip brushes is that the balls fall off to reveal snaggy ends of the bristles. In addition, they also often have a sort of "mini-bristle" next to each bristle -- you can kind of see what I'm talking about here -- which can catch hair.

    As for the Mason Pearson brushes, if you're talking about the boar bristle brushes that they are famous for, they're not designed for detangling. Some people manage to use them for that purpose, but in general, it doesn't work, and isn't meant to. BBBs are for smoothing your hair, distributing the oil (natural or otherwise), and making it look smoother and shinier. (I guess you could sort of say they're like a buffing block rather than a nail file >_o )

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    Default Re: Brush vs Comb: I don't get it

    Quote Originally Posted by spidermom View Post
    Maybe it comes down to individual technique. I have a much easier time working tangles free with a comb. With a brush, I hear too much POP! and know that I just broke another hair or 3.
    And it's just the opposite for me! Hahahaha. Funny, 'cause we have a similar hair type (and until recently, I think a sort of similar length). You're probably right. I split it in two, and do one or two strokes a brush-width from the ends, then move up a brush-width, and so on. I do basically the same with a comb. Or did, when I was trying to use one. It didn't go well.

  7. #27
    Member EtherealOde's Avatar
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    Default Re: Brush vs Comb: I don't get it

    I use a brush to smooth my hair. It is only used after careful detangling with fingers and a wide tooth comb. The only other reason I use my brush is to brush the ends after oiling them. I like to make sure the oil is evenly distributed, and I think the brush helps.
    Dye free since September 2010! Embracing my greys

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