What's up with the brushes?

[AngryVikingGirl]

I recently came across the 'no brush - just a wide tooth comb' line multiple times. I'm wondering, why? As far as I know many LHCers use brushes, but from some serious heads of hair this advice sounds something to think about. What's the problem with brushes exactly?:confused:

[meteor]

Brushes are great for some people and horrid for others.
Hair that tends to hate brushes: thick, wavy/curly/kinky, possibly damaged, often very long and tangle-prone, frizzy (which often indicates hidden waves/curls), possibly fine and prone to breakage and splits, on the dry side.
Hair that tends to like brushes: straight, on the oily side (BBB are great for spreading oils along the hair shaft).

You need to try both combs and brushes to figure out your favorite routine. Some people can't even stand wide-tooth combs and only finger-comb instead (they usually have curly hair). Just make sure you invest in high-quality (i.e. seamless) brushes and/or combs - it really makes a huge difference in avoiding breakage!
My hair detests brushes but loves wide-tooth combs. I'd even say dumping my brushes was the best thing I've ever done for my hair.

[Firefox7275]

All brushing and combing causes mechanical damage (AKA weathering) to the hair cuticle, the amount depends on the specific brush/ comb, technique and hair type. There is always a balance to be had because tangles also cause damage, and wavy/ curly or very long hair are more at risk of tangles than short hair! Finger detangling or very wide tooth comb causes less friction (hair against hair and tool against hair) and stretching of the hair simply because there are fewer 'teeth'.

I am aware many claim boar bristle brushes do not damage the hair but I'm not aware of any research supporting this. I suspect part of the issue is that LHCers have healthier hair than the average person from our many good habits, plus they brush/ comb less often - I read recently the average is fifteen times a day, which I am sure is not the case with the level of protective styling practiced here. Not saying nobody should ever brush but that it should be limited to avoid as much damage as possible, perhaps moving from finger detangling or super wide tooth seamless comb to a no snag brush.

Lastly note that by 'damage' I don't necessarily mean the level of damage that is quickly visible, the studies will look at strands under the microscope, measure its strength, test for protein loss when hair is rinsed in water.

[Kherome]

In general, brushes are bad for hair. I thought that was common knowledge, but maybe not. Most brushes have those horrid little balls on the tips that rip hair too. You can find them without, it's just less common. Some say the tangle teaser is gentle, but I've not found it to be any better than a regular brush personally. I only use wide tooth combs myself.

[LadyCelestina]

Some curlies and wavies don't brush because of frizz.Others might find that they either get mechanical damage or their hair gets more oily/staticky,that's mostly the case with BBB's.

[Syaoransbear]

I don't like wide tooth combs, I'm just not careful/patient enough and it's so inflexible that you really have to be paying attention because every error results in a tightened knot or stretched strands. When I use a wide tooth comb I feel like I'm playing a game of Operation. I might as well finger comb where I have a better feel for my hair and any knots that are in it.

I prefer the flexibility of my tangle teezer, it's so much more forgiving and it's quicker. I had a mason pearson large pure boar bristle brush and the bristles were too firm for my hair, it wasn't much different from combing and I got rid of it. Also the bristles had split ends, which seemed like they could cause damage if you dragged your hair through the middle of one of those splits.

[AngryVikingGirl]

Aha, I know about the tips. But a tipless one?
Also, I didn't get good results with the TT, it pulled out more hairs than my brush. (that I'm just de-tipping myself)
BBB isn't my friend either. Static, more tangles, takes a long time to detangle...
I'm asking because the best thing I have found so far is a certain brush with its tips removed. It slips through the hair and barely pulls out strands. My hair is straight and ii.
mmm...hmmm...:undecided

[cathair]

I've given up on my BBB because it just makes my hair looker dirty even faster. It does spread oil around, but not far enough. It just goes from the roots to about 6 inches down and no further and looks terrible. It also breaks up my waves and wurls. I mostly finger comb and have a fine tooth and wide tooth wooden combs which I use when I want to look a bit tidier.

[AngryVikingGirl]

I've given up on my BBB because it just makes my hair looker dirty even faster. It does spread oil around, but not far enough. It just goes from the roots to about 6 inches down and no further and looks terrible.

Haha, when I was WO, I used a BBB and experienced something that I never had before: oily length :rolling: Until that, I only had oily scalp...

[AmyBeth]

I got a BBB, marketed for fine, delicate hair. It pulls too much hair out, way more than I would lose on a normal day with no brushing. I only use it for smoothing my hair. If I did 100 strokes a day, I'd be bald in no time!

[cathair]

Haha, when I was WO, I used a BBB and experienced something that I never had before: oily length :rolling: Until that, I only had oily scalp...

Hehehehe, it sounds like you know exactly what I mean :D

[AngryVikingGirl]

cathair,
Yeah, totally. :D

[cosmic crusader]

Brushes shred my fine-ish hair, and combs generally break it. Fingercombing under the showerhead, followed by air-drying, has eliminated my tangles, and therefore the need for either brushes or combs, which means healthier length for me! I suppose it depends on what your hair wants.

[goldloli]

I love hair brushes and finger combing, I do both wet or dry. Totally loath wide tooth combs, insta snagging even with the slowest of strokes. Tangle teezer is so so for me, I found it more damaging and snagging than brushing but its great for detangling bun curls without disturbing the curl.


All my brushes had hair oil on them from deep treatments so I used my old paddle brush with lil blobs on for the first time in at least a year... Damnnnn it went through my hair like butter, not a single snag! Been using for a month, no frizzing, decrease in splits & breakage and brushes out in a couple minutes. This must be what all those tangle teezer lovers were talking about when that worked so well for them.

I don't know how on earth people are brushing to experience ripping of hair from brushes especially the ones with blobs... Well actually I can imagine since I've watched hair care vids including ones by lhc gurus, my gentle and their gentle are very different things. Lol I say that but people probably turn right back and question how I'm combing to experience such breakage from that. I can understand if brushes aren't good for someones fine hair type due to friction though, that is a lot of lil bristles rubbing along the hair shaft compared to a comb.

It's very much a case of trying for yourself, if brushes work best for your hair then ignore the brush nazi rules.

[faellen]

My hair is straight and prone to oiliness, therefore some sort of brush (Tangle Teezer) is essential for me to make sure my hair is smooth when putting it in updos - I've find that wide tooth combs aren't as good for this and I end up with 'bumps'. I do have a wide tooth comb though, for combing my hair when it's been oiled.
I also have a BBB which I occasionally use to distribute a tiny amount of oil through my lengths for sheen - if too much oil is used, it'll just look greasy. I've found that Heidi's BBB method is best.

[NoRush]

My hair doesn't like combs, epecially for detangling when dry, combs make the tangles worse for me. I don't have much of a problem with tangles to begin with so I finger comb when wet and the brush when dry, I haven't noticed any undue damage in the past two years since I've started paying close attention to my hair. Persoanlly I think that if you're not careful with the way you use the tool you'll do damage regardless.
Btw my hair type is 1c, II/III, f/m, almost bsl. :)

[lapushka]

There's a difference between wet and dry hair, between straight and wavy/curly hair. Straight haired girls want to detangle the hair wet with a wide tooth comb, and brush when dry. Wavy and curly haired girls want to detangle the hair wet with either a brush or a wide tooth comb and not brush at all when dry (it messes with waves/curls). Sometimes they do use a wide tooth comb on their waves/curls when the hair is dry, but it might even be better to just finger detangle.

[nobeltonya]

I can't use BBBs, or any brush for that matter. I never got them to work right for my hair.. I used to use them when my hair was short, and I had no idea how to take care of my hair.. I would rip through knots, and brushed from top to bottom [which is backward]. Now, I only use a wide-tooth comb while it's wet after being washed. Lately a super-wide-tooth shower comb while it's loaded up with conditioner in the shower. :) :disco:

[rut.de.leu]

I prefer using wide-toothed combs, but still go for brushes (especially if pulling my hair back). I adore my Tangle Teezer. I use a boar-bristle brush off and on, but I have had so-so success - I have straight hair, oily scalp, dry ends, and it sometimes helps to smooth but often just makes everything more oily.
Generally, I'll use either my fingers or a plastic wide-toothed comb in the shower to apply conditioner and detangle, and a wooden wide-toothed comb when dry to detangle if I have the time (and haven't lost it). A regular brush (my favorite is Goody's Ouchless) or the Tangle Teezer is more often used when dry, and occasionally a boar-bristle brush to smooth a ponytail or to oil my hair. I never use a brush on wet hair due to the awful snapping and stretching.
I have split ends fairly rarely but also constantly search for and snip them out.

Note: my hair is the tangle champion*. It tangles while being detangled, as soon as it detangling is over, and any time it touches surfaces, water/humidity, or air of any kind. Knots, knots everywhere. I can't really win!

*I am so infinitely glad I have straight hair...

[jacqueline101]

I have a bbb and can live with out it but I need my wide tooth comb.

[jeanniet]

Curlies don't brush not only because of frizz, but because brushing breaks up curls. However, some do use a Denman to detangle in the shower. I have a BBB, but really only use it when I feel like I need a good scalp massage before a wash. Otherwise, I use either a comb or fingers to detangle in the shower, which only takes a couple of minutes. I don't detangle dry at all anymore.

[majesticmoon]

hmm I have very damaged hair especially on the ends. I bleached dyed and what not to my hair for years and it was a frizz mess. I used my bbb and immediatly noticed a difference. I brush with a lot of strokes and at first it will only move to oils down a little yet when you brush it often and a lot you will see the oils going down the shaft. It may take you an hour or two of brushing but you will notice a difference. Also i used to get alot of hairs in my brush however when i looked closer they seemed like hairs that were no longer good for the hair such as fried hair and split ends. Now that i have been brushing like this for quite sometime i barly lose any hair and my hair is visibly shinier and healthier down the shaft. I notice a horn comb does well to but will not remove the undesirable hair or move oil down the shaft as much.

[majesticmoon]

of course i can only speak for my hair type which is thick wavy damaged

[LadyCelestina]

I have noticed a difference in how defined my curls are after a comb trough,brushing with a regular brush (gave it up after a while,snagging) and a BBB.My point is,a comb gives me much more breakage and less defined,tangled curls,but no staticky frizz.BBB,probably because of the oil distribution,makes my hair tangle free,soft,a bit more defined than when combing, but slightly staticky on top.I can live with that.

I can't wash very often and refuse to go with tangled hair for days,so I stick to thorough fingercombing and BBB to spread sebum and allow me some more time between washes.

/My hair is probably the odd ball out there - it hates most of the rules of the CG method.It somewhat hates gel,really really hates being wet daily or left undetangled for a day (hi dreadlocks),it usually protests against co-washing and diffusing turns it into an angora bunny./

[Firefox7275]

I have noticed a difference in how defined my curls are after a comb trough,brushing with a regular brush (gave it up after a while,snagging) and a BBB.My point is,a comb gives me much more breakage and less defined,tangled curls,but no staticky frizz.BBB,probably because of the oil distribution,makes my hair tangle free,soft,a bit more defined than when combing, but slightly staticky on top.I can live with that.

I can't wash very often and refuse to go with tangled hair for days,so I stick to thorough fingercombing and BBB to spread sebum and allow me some more time between washes.

/My hair is probably the odd ball out there - it hates most of the rules of the CG method.It somewhat hates gel,really really hates being wet daily or left undetangled for a day (hi dreadlocks),it usually protests against co-washing and diffusing turns it into an angora bunny./

Have you read the Curly Girl book? You don't have to conditioner-only wash nor use gloopy gel nor wet daily nor diffuse; sulphate free shampoos, styling mousse, spray gel and air drying are all within the method. I'm not saying you need to follow it nor that it is for everyone but it's far from as narrow or inflexible as you imply.

Many times issues I see with CG is people not working with their hair properties, not working with their dew points/ humidity, thinking that all CG friendly products will work for all wavies and curlies. Plenty of people using wall to wall humectants but few emollients or occlusives, or wall to wall occlusives but no humectants or protein. Haircare manufacturers are partly to blame, they like to label products as being a 'leave in conditioner' when it's really a refresher spray, water based detangler or sealer, no cationic surfactants or fatty alcohols which are the foundation of both a CG routine and a true conditioner.

[QMacrocarpa]

Curlies don't brush not only because of frizz, but because brushing breaks up curls. <snip>
This one does! Making the most of my curls on a regular basis isn't a priority for me, so I brush (with a tangle teezer) pretty much daily. Since I wear my hair up almost every day, and I don't hate my frizz, it's no biggie for me. I don't like BBB's though, the period when I used one regularly I had the most damaged ends of my life. Also, my hair gets quite linty, which means that my brushes get quite linty. If I had a BBB, I'd likely spend more time cleaning it than brushing my hair, and life's too short for that. My TT's and plastic combs I just stick in the dishwasher.


<snip>It may take you an hour or two of brushing but you will notice a difference.<snip>
I can't imagine brushing for hours with a BBB (or anything else, really): my split-prone hair would be in shreds pretty quickly.

OP, I imagine this broad spectrum of responses has tipped you off that this is another one of those things where what works depends very much on your hair, your preferences, and your goals. Go with what works for you. :)

[Kiwiwi]

I'm a curly and my hair hates combs! HATES! It always rips out so much hairs!

I almost never wear my curls because I always put my hair up to protect it. So I always use a brush (tangle teezer).
But if I do wear my curls and want my hair brushed out for some reason I still use a brush (again, only a tangle teezer), slowly, and I can brush out all my curls without ripping hairs out. Using a comb on my curls would be a disaster.
(Ofcourse I'd be a giant frizzball and I never brush out my curls and go outside with that hair. But I'd brush the curls out and then just wear a braid or something)

So yeah, I always say it's personal. See what works for you personally.

[Sharysa]

As mentioned before, certain types of hair REALLY don't like brushes.

My hair is thick, dry, coarse, and borderline-wavy (1c/2a). Just using fine-toothed combs would turn it into a giant ball of frizz, so I shudder to think what a brush could do to it.

[ravenreed]

Wide-toothed combs snap my hair. BBB's give me wicked oilies. I love my TT, and lately my Wet Brush.

[Sharysa]

Forgot to mention that my current styling regimen is finger-comb only, but with a normal-toothed horn comb for oiling after a wash.

Works just fine for me.

[heidr]

After reading this forum I went out and got a comb but quickly realized that my stick straight hair does much better with a brush. I never get tangles but the comb kept getting stuck in my hair. Go figure.

[Kelikea]

I like to use a wide-toothed shower comb when my hair is wet and my new favorite brush is a Bass bamboo brush. I use it daily, whenever my hair gets tangly, especially the underside. The bamboo brush does not create as much static as other brushes, and it does not have ball tips. It feels great on my scalp! My hair is TBL and 2b(canopy)/2c-almost everywhere else.

[spirals]

I guess I am a rule-breaker. I am a curly who combs and brushes. And I have had breakage. But now if I spray the comb/brush with oil first, it glides through. And I even have one of those brushes with ball-tipped bristles. At this length, finger-combing isn't any better.

[LadyCelestina]

Have you read the Curly Girl book? You don't have to conditioner-only wash nor use gloopy gel nor wet daily nor diffuse; sulphate free shampoos, styling mousse, spray gel and air drying are all within the method. I'm not saying you need to follow it nor that it is for everyone but it's far from as narrow or inflexible as you imply.

Many times issues I see with CG is people not working with their hair properties, not working with their dew points/ humidity, thinking that all CG friendly products will work for all wavies and curlies. Plenty of people using wall to wall humectants but few emollients or occlusives, or wall to wall occlusives but no humectants or protein. Haircare manufacturers are partly to blame, they like to label products as being a 'leave in conditioner' when it's really a refresher spray, water based detangler or sealer, no cationic surfactants or fatty alcohols which are the foundation of both a CG routine and a true conditioner.
I read the book and been CG for years,because I didn't know better.I know this stuff you wrote is also a part of the method.Heck,I tried it on my own.Most of it just doesn't work for me.

[tigereye]

I love my brushes - I have around 1c/2a hair and I use a denman classic brush (the one with no balls and a red base), a BBB and a horn comb. I used to have a plastic comb but my hair hates it because the tines were too far apart and I couldn't find another without seams.
I use my horn comb if my hair is already fairly detangled (like when taking out my sleep-braid to put up a bun), but I can't detangle with it. I use my tangle-teazer or denman brush for that. The BBB helps smooth and spread about oils if I'm leaving my hair longer than normal between washes.

[starlamelissa]

I am a wavy wurly who brushes. I think it depends on how you use the brush, and how often. I detangle my wet hair in the shower, with a huge comb and lots of conditioner. Post shower I run my fingers through it, with some baby oil.

When it's dry I may brush it with a soft nylon brush (a goody with a faux woodgrain handle)in order to secure it into a updo.

If I need to brush it wet, or have to work out a matted section, I will use a denman classic styling brush to work it out with conditioner.

its not the brush that damages, it's the user!

[MintChocChip]

I tend to finger comb mostly, then use my wide toothed comb. (Assuming I can find the things, I have about 10 but they're always vanishing into bags never to be seen again!)

I do also own a BBB which I like and do use but only for when I've put oil on my ends. Never any other time. I don't use any other brush. I think it definitely depends on your hair type. My hair is fragile and on the thin side so I don't like brushes for that reason. :)

[starlamelissa]

this is the brush I use on dry hair, sometimes. I like the feeling of the bristles, and its very nostalgic for me, as we used these style brushes exclusively growing up. DEFINITELY an LHC sin! :rolleyes:http://www.amazon.com/FULL-NYLON-TUFTED-STYLING-BRUS/dp/B001VD4DB2/ref=pd_sbs_bt_1 I work the bristles with my fingers for a few minutes before using a new one for the first time, it fluffs and softens them to a really nice firmness.

this is the denman I use on wet hair, sometimes ( i rarely if ever brush when wet, but this is good for wet brushing, espeically to work out a section of VERY tangled hair in the shower) http://www.amazon.com/Denman-5-Row-Classic-Styling-Brush/dp/B001P5LJ6I/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1373244933&sr=1-3&keywords=denman+classic+styling+brush

and this is my shower comb I use on conditioner soaked hair. http://www.sallybeauty.com/shower-comb/SBS-680529,default,pd.html

[emeraldfaery]

I have tried combs and I can't stand them. If I'm going to run anything through my hair, I want to be able to feel it on my scalp. I've never tried a BBB, but I don't think I would like them. I have a Hair Bean and it's ok. but I don't feel that it is less damaging than a paddle brush with the little nubs on the ends of the bristles. I don't really get why people are SO down on paddle brushes. Obviously, don't yank it through your hair, be gentle. I have used them my whole life and have had Classic hair in good condition while using them. I don't however brush very often. I only brush every couple days. I have straight hair that doesn't tangle easily and I don't need more brushing than that.

[Kaelee]

I have this pin brush: http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Therapeutics-Natural-Massage-Brush/dp/B000KM3NDO

I don't use it to detangle but love it to 'finish' after detangling!

[Kyoshi]

I don't use a comb. I have 1a stick straight hair and I find comb is too rigid for me, it's more likely to break my strands. I have a Tangle Teezer, and a Denman classic which work great after finger combing. I want a BBB too at some point.

[TheMechaGinger]

I have a BBB and a TT and I love both of them. I actually have a harder time with combs than I do my brushes. I think it boils down to hairtype and preference.

ETA: I guess it's worth mentioning my hair type too haha! I'm practically 1a. Combs give me loads of breakage.