Wood Combs and Fine Hair

[UP Lisa]

Hi. Wondering if any of you with Fine hair use a wood comb. I've never tried one. I don't normally use a comb, since they cause too much breakage.

Lisa

[natt i nord]

I do - I'm F-ii. Mostly I only use a wide-toothed, but I own another, fine-toothed comb too; I use that one to detangle my hair before I braid.

[goldloli]

I don't use combs as there's no give, even a light touch still snags ever so slightly on a knot and causes some mechanical damage... Then there's also the problem of it taking forever and one side of my hair dreadlocking itself by the time i'm done with the other. Most of my hair is pretty fine but even the coarse ziggly nape hairs dont like a comb.

It seems to be very ymmv with fine hair, many people use them just fine but then there was a thread about fine haired people not being able to comb without damage.
I'm sure i could make them work for me, by sectioning off hair and slowly going through it, using fingers to get out the knots, but this would take hours (not exaggerating). By the time I'm done it would be tangled again, some people here would say to put it up as soon as i'm done... but a life of endless combing and confining hair in updos the second im done, doesn't seem that great imo. If i were aiming for terminal or classic+ lengths then i might have a different perspective, as any damage can really hinder efforts and quality, so that painstaking process might be worth it.

Also take my experience with a pinch of salt as the detangling session i love the most and experience least damage or problems is finger combing/brushing with bbb while dampish wet. after i do any kind of dry detangling i always find splits or dots after, i actually loathe dry detangling, what it does to my hair is just horrible but it has to be done :(

[UP Lisa]

Sounds so much like me trying to untangle my hair. I can go through a section of it over and over, and it tangles right back up. I have been trying to use baby brushes on my hair, which is great except that they create static. That is bad.

[hafattack]

If you dont comb what is your alternative?

[Mishka_84]

I've had that experience as well. I usually just use my regular brush... Eventually I'll get a good quality BBB, but until then the regular brush does less damage than a comb does. More give to the bristles, and gentler.

[torrilin]

If you dont comb what is your alternative?

While my hair is straight, my hair care methods are most similar to curly techniques. I don't do a lot of combing period, and most of the time I finger comb wet, conditioner soaked hair to get tangles out, same as many curlies do.

A lot of what we see as "tangles" aren't necessarily tangles. In my case, about 95% of the time a "tangle" is really just a shed hair creating a mess. Remove the shed hair, and the tangles go away. Keeping shed hairs trapped so they don't move around much and have opportunity for mischief before they're removed, and my tangle problems go from hysteria inducing 8 hour sessions with a comb to a couple minutes every few days.

Most of the rest of my tangles are due to dryness making my hair look rougher than it does naturally. Keep my hair well moisturized, and that reduces the problem. But I'm not about to go for actual silk satin sheets to really reduce the dryness issues from fabric exposure, since I'm not made of money ;). So a certain degree of dry is just something I have to live with.

For most people who don't comb, there's going to be a similar proactive approach to tangle management, even if their methods are totally different from mine.

[Nedertane]

My hair is fine (possibly closer F/M, in some spots, anyway) and I use a wood comb. I like it rather well, and I think it does feel a little better on my hair than when I used plastic combs. I should point out, though, that my usage of a wood comb is also correlated with my increased use of oils and detanglers, so I don't think I can really say those don't factor (as someone pointed out, more moisture = less tangles).

As for BBB's, since they're being brought up, I mostly just use "standard" ones (the thicker/harder bristled ones), but not long ago I had a nice one with softer/gentler bristles, and I did really like how that felt, despite that it gave me a little more static - I'd still be using it had I not lost it! :doh:

[Vrindi]

I have a wide-tooth bamboo comb that my fine hair LOVES. Using a comb forces you to be very gentle. I take small sections of hair and start at the bottom. If I hit a snag, I can gently work it out with my fingers and the comb. I also use coconut oil or almond oil on damp hair, and frequently on dry hair. I find that rubbing a light coating of the oil over the comb helps to work it through my hair nicely and evenly, helps with detangling, and keeps the wooden comb nice too. My hair does not seem to like BBB— they make my hair do strange frizzy things. But the wooden comb eliminates static in my hair, which has been an issue living in a very dry climate (or a cold one.)

I got my comb at Whole Foods for $8. I also have a wooden pin cushion brush that has totally replaced my old plastic ones. I'm a huge fan of wooden hair tools. You can also find some beautiful combs online. I hear that the Body Shop has a great wooden comb too, also reasonably priced.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I'm F iii and I use a Body Shop wooden wide toothed comb and I love it! I use it very gently but do use oils for extra moisture on my hair.

[JadeTigress]

I'm F ii, and no combs for me, thanks. Combing in general damages my hair no matter how gentle I try to be and leaves it looking really thin and flat and limp, and wooden combs in particular make my hair really staticky. I'll stick with my tangle teezer.

[Audhumla]

I have painfully fine hair and I can't use combs. There's just not enough feel to them for me.
I finger comb then use a tangleteezer. I've noticed like a lot of other people that the TT gives me single strand knots but not that many and it causes the least breakage for me which is more important imo.

[furnival]

I'm a f-ii and I use a wooden comb. It took me a while to learn how to use it. I hold it really lightly so if I hit a tangle it 'gives', and instead of tugging through tangles I tease them out delicately from the bottom.
I never, ever used combs until a couple of years ago- I thought they were too harsh and rigid, but used correctly I have found a comb to be the gentlest way to detangle.

[phoenixred]

I'm looking at getting a wide toothed wooden comb from the Body shop. They also have a bamboo brush that looks very good! Does anyone else have these?

[meteor]

I'm looking at getting a wide toothed wooden comb from the Body shop. They also have a bamboo brush that looks very good! Does anyone else have these?

I use The Body Shop comb (made of birch) and I really like it. I have a decent amount of fine hair around temples, and unfortunately that's where the comb is not as effective - it seems to pull there and also misses tiny tangles in really cobwebby areas. I haven't really found a solution for those fine tangly strands yet, but the rest of my hair (M/C and C) really likes this comb.

[wispe]

I have both a wide tooth and a fine tooth wooden comb. I prefer to finger detangle and then use the wide tooth comb (hold it very loosely - if I meet a knot it won't snap and I can pull it apart with my fingers). Then the fine tooth after if I really feel like it. It usually only takes me a few minutes (maybe 5-8) to comb all my hair this way. I do start out by working in sections- usually two per side. They're smooth and less static-y for me than the plastic wide tooth combs I have (I use those in the shower now, on conditioned hair and under flowing water only). I also lose much less hair overall with them than when I use my tangle teezer or wet brush. I do use product on my hair - I LOC after showers and before I finger-comb I rub a few drops of oils into my hands to keep things from getting static-y. I particularly like the fine tooth comb for getting around my temples and smoothing hair into updos. I keep the WT one in my purse.

[phoenixred]

I use The Body Shop comb (made of birch) and I really like it. I have a decent amount of fine hair around temples, and unfortunately that's where the comb is not as effective - it seems to pull there and also misses tiny tangles in really cobwebby areas. I haven't really found a solution for those fine tangly strands yet, but the rest of my hair (M/C and C) really likes this comb.

That's good to hear! I've just ordered the comb and a bamboo pin brush too. I'm looking forward to trying them out.

[PrincessAralin]

I don't comb at all, I haven't since I was a teenager. It seemed to do more harm than good and I honestly have no issue using a brush and my fingers to detangle.

[Sophiatrist]

I've used a wide tooth sandalwood comb for years. I finger comb first to take out the worst of the snarls and then go through my hair with the comb. Use a gentle touch and stop to work out any snags with your fingers.

[Kat]

I don't usually comb, for the same reason as everyone else. If I finger-comb I can work tangles out gently, but a regular comb always has my hair snapping. If I do need to comb-- when I'm wearing my hair down and need it not to look stringy and gross-- I finger-comb until there are no tangles, then use a wide-tooth comb until there are no tangles, and keep working my way down to finer-toothed combs.

I tried a wooden comb once after hearing folks here say it damages hair less. It didn't damage mine less (but the comb was prettier!). I don't have particularly fine hair, though, I don't think.



I've used a wide tooth sandalwood comb for years.

Do you remember where you got it? It sounds lovely.