Best Brush/Comb for VERY thick hair?

**Roseate** · June 16th, 2011, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by UltraBella

Make sure the string, yarn, or whatever you are using is not stretchy - I personally use a shoe lace - and make sure it is pulled tight.

Yes, this is important! I crank mine down as tight as possible to compact the hair. The great thing about this is that you can get an accurate measurement and track changes. I see people on here all the time saying that their circumference changes based on how frizzy is is that day or something: if you pull it really tight, that shouldn't happen. Then you can see real variation based on shedding or thickening, not just random fluctuations in texture.

/random rant

And for the OP: I have a big horn comb, which is very sturdy and goes through my thick hair with no problem. I also love my Denman brush, and I have a big plastic comb for the shower. Plastic is not the devil as long as it's smooth, with no rough seams.

My mom has a tangle teezer and it won't reach through my hair, it just does the top layer: I'm not a fan.

**Kristin** · June 16th, 2011, 10:36 PM

I have a bohn (fake bone) comb from HairSense. It seems to be the best thing most days. I have a Tangle Teaser and it's nice and seems gentle, but you have to section your hair extensively to get through thick hair and it's kinda a pain. I've tried wood combs, but I feel like they always have little snags and the teeth are either too close together and rip hair, or too far apart making the comb ineffectual.

**Madora** · June 16th, 2011, 10:43 PM

@Amber Maiden...

I've been using a Goody pure boar bristle brush on my thick, long hair for years. This pic dates from the 1980s:

A pure boar bristle brush is the gentlest brush to keep your hair looking healthy and beautiful. It's HOW you brush that makes all the difference!

And while it is true that very thick haired folks can't feel the bristles penetrating down to their scalp when they brush, you can feel the bristles penetrating if you do the following:

1 Hold the brush with 2 hands. One hand on the top of the base, one hand on the handle.

2 Press down firmly with both hands and move the brush slowly up then down your scalp..for about an inch.

3 Lift the brush up and AWAY from the place you just "scritched". Put it down in a spot adjacent to where you just "scritched". Repeat # 1 and 2.

4 Repeat all over the head until all the scalp has been scritched.

5 WARNING - before "scritching" detangle thoroughly. Detangle again after you're done (just to make sure there are no tangles.

Leaves your scalp feeling wonderful! I love my Goody pure boar bristle brush (purchased in the 1970s)!

**UltraBella** · June 16th, 2011, 10:46 PM

Madora, that is the most awesome photo ever !

**Madora** · June 16th, 2011, 10:51 PM

Thank you, UltraBella. For some reason all I see is a tiny red X in a box.

Oh, well, the pic is in my hair album (the length shot where I'm wearing black slacks).

I found the "scritching" method to be a great alternative to always wondering if my follicles were receiving enough exercise from my 100 strokes a day. Of course I always did my 100 strokes a day anyway..but the scritching felt wonderful too!

**xoxophelia** · June 16th, 2011, 10:59 PM

Definitely useful to have an accurate hair measurement (you can see that I ballpark mine by half an inch though.. I figure I have error so if it says 4.8" it could very well be 4.5"). I had a massive shed over a long period of mono that needed a long hospital stay as well as vegetarianism. I'm not totally sure what the cause was because I didn't even notice it happening! It probably got around 2" or possibly less honestly...
I measure every now and then and it is nice to see my hair's thickness growing back down the length

**Catlover** · February 6th, 2012, 03:40 AM

@ Madora your hair is beautiful and thank you for sharing how to scritch. I bought a boar bristle brush today and am severely disappointed with it - until I read your post on scritching - just tried and it felt amazing - so maybe my brush is not such a waste of money - it was a budget priced one, but did not feel much different to the more expensive one.

**Mesmerise** · February 6th, 2012, 03:54 AM

I am not thick haired myself, but I am not sure the Tangle Teezer will work well for your hair! I bought one for DD who has fine but thick hair, and it really doesn't get through her hair as well as the old Mason Pearson brush (would would be better if it were a new MP brush, but it still works pretty well considering I've had it since my teens).

So... it may be worth a try, but don't be disappointed if it doesn't work for your thick hair

. I know there are some with thick hair who report it works well. It may work better if you section the hair really well first?

**Madora** · February 6th, 2012, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by Catlover

@ Madora your hair is beautiful and thank you for sharing how to scritch. I bought a boar bristle brush today and am severely disappointed with it - until I read your post on scritching - just tried and it felt amazing - so maybe my brush is not such a waste of money - it was a budget priced one, but did not feel much different to the more expensive one.

Thanks, Catlover! I'm glad you found you could use your bbb after all. I'm afraid that's the trouble with bbbs...some are too stiff/too soft, and you keep your fingers crossed when buying one.

**pink.sara** · February 6th, 2012, 11:16 AM

I'd second a vote for a denman brush.

My hair measures 5.5. Which for a 1b is lots of hair, and I find I just can't get a boar bristle brush through it unless I comb until I'm tangle free then section into teeny sections as I go. That takes about 10 minutes maybe even more if my underlayer has decided to deadlock itself! Sadly this means I've now wasted a small fortune on mason & pearson brushes.

A denman is gentle enough to not rip my hair but big enough and firm enough to let me brush with only about 6 sections. Love that thing

Good luck with your brush hunt!