Curly with a combing problem

[Keepitgrowing31]

I understand that as a curly you are not to comb your hair between washes. However I find it very soothing to my scalp during the week. Any other cur-lies putting a comb through their hair? How do you ward off the damage from combing? How do you beat the urge?

[LadyCelestina]

If you don't get breakage,it's probably okay.Maybe you'd like to detangle with your fingers a bit first,so that you don't snag your hair and it's best if you don't have styling products for hold like mousse or gel on your hair if you are going to comb it out.Some use detangling sprays or oils to help with detangling.

Also,do you know what's "scritching"? :) It's basically gently scratching with a comb across your sca to loosen flaky skin.I believe there's a thread dedicated to this and if it doesn't pop up,there are the NW/SO and water only threads which I believe also contain some useful information.If you find combing your hair soothing,maybe you'll like scritching too.

[spirals]

I've tried scritching, and there's just something superior about the brush-on-scalp experience. I do get some breakage, but I comb and brush anyway. Oiling the comb first helps, as does detangler. Once I get it detangled, I can run a brush through. A light oiling over the surface will take down the ensuing pouffiness.

[PetuniaBlossom]

My hair is 2c/3a and I love to brush it. Always have. Nowadays I've put away my BBB in favor of the Tangle Teezer. I use a bit of oil, usually coconut, before brushing and it really helps. The key is to go slowly and gently. It's relaxing.

[Firefox7275]

I don't really get the urge because it breaks up the clumps, makes my hair poofy/ frizzy and dry looking. Plus I have read research which links damp combing/ brushing to mid shaft breaks and dry brushing/ combing to breakage closer near the ends. Because mechanical damage is cumulative, by the time I have noticed breakage in the past I've caused serious damage and it's too late to back off.

Hide your comb or throw it away or get a super wide tooth detangling/ double row one, massage your scalp without combing through your hair, either with fingers or one of those strange looking massage tools. Or find other ways to relax/ sooth yourself, that is probably just a habit like any other. I find it relaxing and soothing to twirl my hair but I know how damaging it is so I only play with one curl at a time instead of large areas and have massively reduced the frequency.

[CurlyCap]

I usually get the urge to brush right before my period. My scalp just craves it.

I do it. My goal of my hair is to make me happy. It' is not a shrine and I don't protect it at all costs. I bought a really great Denman brush with no seams and brush my hair whenever I want to. I always brush my hair dry because it feels better on my scalp. It looks terrible afterward, but my scalp feels wonderful. I just know that if I want my hair to look presentable afterwards, I'll have to co-wash it again. No biggie.

The thing is, as my hair grows longer and remains unlayered, I physically cannot brush it thoroughly anymore. My arm wears out before I can break the curl completely. So now I brush my hair until I reach "scalp satisfaction" and then stop. For some reason, a comb doesn't feel the same and isn't as satisfying.

Do whatever you want with your hair. Try to prevent mechanical damage when you can and just move on. :D

[lapushka]

My hair's washed weekly (it's wavy), and it only gets brushed right before a wash, with a Tangle Teezer. Feels nice on the scalp, but still it's a no-no during the week, because I know it will mess up the wave pattern!

[jacqueline101]

When I had curly perms I used a pick try that.

[sisi33]

The only reason that I wouldn't SMP (scritch, massage, preen) my scalp is if I was going to be wearing it down. Otherwise, at this point in the summer, nothing is going to take away the humidity based poofiness. As far as keeping the comb-based damage to a minimum, just take your time, make sure that you have a good quality comb with no seems, or just do it slowly with only your fingers.

[spirals]

I do it. My goal of my hair is to make me happy. It's not a shrine and I don't protect it at all costs.I feel pretty much the same regarding mechanical damage. Ends can be trimmed; splits can be cut off. I am less lax about chemical damage, as my ends are more fried by color than they ever were by heat or brushing. But if I felt like putting in bleached pinstripe highlights or a streak, I'd do it and baby my hair. Eventually the damage gets cut out.
If I were striving for uncut hair, that wouldn't work. I can see how people who ascribe to that doctrine would have to be especially careful.

[spirals]

I do it. My goal of my hair is to make me happy. It's not a shrine and I don't protect it at all costs.I feel pretty much the same regarding mechanical damage. Ends can be trimmed; splits can be cut off. I am less lax about chemical damage, as my ends are more fried by color than they ever were by heat or brushing. But if I felt like putting in bleached pinstripe highlights or a streak, I'd do it and baby my hair. Eventually the damage gets cut out.
If I were striving for uncut hair, that wouldn't work. I can see how people who ascribe to that doctrine would have to be especially careful.

[Firefox7275]

I feel pretty much the same regarding mechanical damage. Ends can be trimmed; splits can be cut off. I am less lax about chemical damage, as my ends are more fried by color than they ever were by heat or brushing. But if I felt like putting in bleached pinstripe highlights or a streak, I'd do it and baby my hair. Eventually the damage gets cut out.
If I were striving for uncut hair, that wouldn't work. I can see how people who ascribe to that doctrine would have to be especially careful.

It's interesting how similar and yet how different we all are. f I'd had split ends instead of the mid shaft breakage I might still be abusing my hair as I was a few years ago and simply having regular trims.

I still colour treat my hair (tho have changed the technique and products to reduce damage) but am much more obsessed by mechanical damage. That is probably because I badly damaged my hair that way at different times, mid shaft splits and white dots, breakage at the ponytail 'root' and around the hairline, thinning ponytail, I suspect hair pulled out at the roots too. The dying made my hair very porous and no doubt more vulnerable to mechanical damage but I rarely saw split ends and I never had an episode of breakage that linked in with peroxide/ bleach.

[chen bao jun]

How curly are you?
I think the answer to this question is different for type 3 and type 4 curlies.
For type 3, the main issue with combing is not breakage but looking frizzy afterwards. But for a lot of type 4's, combing really destroys their hair and the only way they should detangle is when damp and full of product to get slip, and not too often at that.
I'm a 3c, which is close enough to type 4 that I get breakage when combing (I don't brush, I can't stand the frizz). My hair will stay at APL to BSL when I comb it, the ends break off at that point, but with my mother, who is a type 4b or 4c, her hair won't grow past her ears if she combs it at all.

[LadyCelestina]

The question probably is whether it's more damaging to leave hair without detanglingtangled/knotted for some for several days between washes,or to wet it often enough so that combing can be limited to detangling in the shower with CO,or to comb it during the day while it is dry...

[lapushka]

The question probably is whether it's more damaging to leave hair tangled/knotted for several days between washes,or to wet it often enough to remove the tangles before they get bad,or to comb it during the day while it is dry...

My hair's left uncombed, or unbrushed for a week (only combed/brushed right before a wash, and right after it), and it doesn't produce any tangles - at all!

[LadyCelestina]

My hair's left uncombed, or unbrushed for a week (only combed/brushed right before a wash, and right after it), and it doesn't produce any tangles - at all!
Lucky you then! :D I think I should really edit my post,you are right,not everybody's hair gets knotted or tangled.

But anyway,what I meant to say,is that everybody's hair reacts to different things in a different way and it's up to the owner of that particular head of hair to decide what is less destructive.

[spirals]

My hair tangles if you look at it funny. It tangles while in a sleep braid. It tangles while in a bun. (I'm getting a green eggs and ham vibe here, lol.)

[lapushka]

But anyway,what I meant to say,is that everybody's hair reacts to different things in a different way and it's up to the owner of that particular head of hair to decide what is less destructive.

Well, that's true! :D