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View Full Version : Is a lice comb good?



lectraplayer
March 12th, 2015, 07:17 PM
After a questionable encounter, I got a lice comb (with poison, a term I use for any pesticide/herbicide/etc.) to check for lice. I wound up not needing the poison, but did notice my hair got softer and oilier. While using the lice comb in the shower to WO wash and detangle works for me thus far, does it help most of you here in this way, or am I beginning to seal the demise of my waves?

Nique1202
March 13th, 2015, 05:06 AM
The biggest problem with using a lice comb long-term is that the tines are so close together, literally a hair's width apart, so that they can remove the nits. However, those tines also probably have rough seam lines, and even if they don't, the friction of all those tiny tines is a lot more than a wide-toothed comb because it's hitting every single hair with every stroke. If you use a lice comb on your whole head of hair for detangling/regular combing long-term you will almost definitely notice damage accumulating a lot faster than with a wider toothed comb or a brush.

ladyfey
March 13th, 2015, 05:45 AM
Yeah, my daughter had lice. The comb certainly worked to get them out, but I found it very damaging on her hair. The tines really scrape the hair, I had to cut a few inches off of my daughter's hair when all was said and done.

spidermom
March 13th, 2015, 06:16 AM
I can't recommend using a lice comb. The last time we dealt with that problem, my hair, being on the fine side, survived relatively intact, but that thing shredded my granddaughter's hair. She lost a good 2-3 inches.

DreamSheep
March 13th, 2015, 06:24 AM
Sounds like the worst instrument for detangling possible - as the thinly spaced tines and likely plastic seams will stress the hair and break off cuticle layers from it.
Maybe you could try using a BBB for distributing oils - it is much gentler on the hair but does the same job. :)

Panth
March 13th, 2015, 10:19 AM
You can buy nit combs which have tines that are made of essentially tough metal wire. Those are perhaps less damaging as they don't have seams (indeed, the tines are circular cross-section).

However, my recommendation would be to try quassia bark. Basically, you make an infusion (boil the bark in water, let it cool, strain) and use the infusion as the last rinse of your wash, leaving it in. It kills nits but not eggs so you need to repeat that after every wash for at least the length of one hatching cycle, preferably two. I prefer it because a) it's uncommonly used, so nits are rarely resistant to it (unlike many anti-nit shampoos) and b) it works constantly whilst on the hair, not just during the wash, so you're more likely to get everything in one fell swoop (provided you leave it on long enough, to first kill the adults and thus prevent more eggs from being laid, and then kill the already-laid eggs once they hatch).

This is the most low-hassle method of dealing with nits that I know of. There's no need to remove nits manually (by comb) if you have an effective insecticide.

Anje
March 13th, 2015, 10:29 AM
I wouldn't recommend detangling with a fine-tooth comb in general, definitely not something as ultra-fine-tooth as a lice comb. Use something with widely spaced teeth first, and if you want to follow with a finer comb, do it afterward. Save the nit comb for the next lice scare, and use it the same way -- after you've thoroughly detangled with something wider-toothed.

If you like how it spreads oils, you can definitely use a brush or comb that does that more than your old tools. Boar Bristle Brushes (with or without nylon, it seems to be personal preference and depends on who you ask which is better) are really good for that sort of thing. To a lesser extent, so are brushes and combs with tines made of natural materials like wood. That should be much kinder on your hair than the nit comb, though it still might temporarily straighten your hair.

lectraplayer
March 17th, 2015, 07:32 PM
While straightening won't hurt my feelings, last time I used my boar's hair brush on wet hair (which is when I detangle anyway) I had friz overload, and Sahara dryness. What am I missing?

Also, the lice comb I'm using is an Oster with rounded stainless steel bristles.

Sarahlabyrinth
March 17th, 2015, 07:39 PM
Oh, please don't use a brush on wet hair. Use a comb (preferably a wide toothed comb) gently on wet or damp hair, and only ever use a brush on dry hair. Brushes shouldn't be used for detangling, only combs. Brushes are for distributing the hair's natural oils and giving a lovely sheen and polish to the hair.

Panth
March 19th, 2015, 02:28 AM
While straightening won't hurt my feelings, last time I used my boar's hair brush on wet hair (which is when I detangle anyway) I had friz overload, and Sahara dryness. What am I missing?

Also, the lice comb I'm using is an Oster with rounded stainless steel bristles.

Ok, hang on... are you using the lice comb for louse removal? Or are you using it to detangle?

You should absolutely not be using brushes or fine-toothed combs of any sort (especially lice combs and boar bristle brushes) to detangle. That is going to rip through any knots you have and create masses of damage. You should detangle with a wide-toothed comb or with your fingers only. As you're a 3c, you may benefit from some curly techniques which, IIRC, often involve minimal detangling and detangling only wet, conditioner-soaked hair.

If you're doing all of this to attempt to straighten your curls by aggressively combing/brushing when wet ... please don't. There are much less damaging heat-free methods of straightening hair, e.g. doobie wraps, etc. You'll probably get more help if you ask in curly-specific places, e.g. The Official Type 3 hair club thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=96338&page=19), or if you specifically ask for heat-free straightening methods. I think everyone thought you were asking about how best to treat head lice...

truepeacenik
March 19th, 2015, 09:46 AM
I have mostly straight hair, and when I've had to comb for nits (yay elementary school aged kid) with the round tine metal comb, I pulled out so much hair. My kiddo's hair, being sleeker and thinner, then, fared ok. Not that kiddo cared.
I found the comb caught white dots (pre split, not nits) as well as nits. So that was breakage.
(all in retrospect. This was pre LHC, maybe 97-99? Seems like it went on a few years in cycles- turned out dad wasn't treating his house or grandpa, who was the reservoir. They came by to basically yell at the hippies about "our" bugs when I saw movement on dad's hair. A quick check found both men had the bugs. Neither I nor stepdad did. We treated ourselves and the house, and went into repel mode with vinegar rinses)

Mattie A
September 13th, 2015, 02:41 AM
Here are some effective methods I've successfully used to get rid of lice, Hope It will be helpful for you.
There are quite a few totally natural remedies available that readily kill head lice.

Suffocation is an effective method where oil based products (i.e.: mayonnaise) are used to block the breathing holes and kill the live lice. The real trick though is to find natural products that will kill both the live lice and their eggs in one fast effective treatment.

Remedies containing Neem Oil are known to be highly effective as Neem interrupts the growth and reproduction of the head louse. Neem’s insecticidal properties are widely recognized now and the oil is commonly available at your local health food store.

After the head lice is gone use prevention methods such as hairspray and tea tree oil mixed with water in a spray bottle every day to ensure they never return. If you really want to know how to get rid of lice (http://olwomen.com/how-to-get-rid-of-head-lice/), just try these things.

You can wash your hair off with vinegar, as vinegar has the ability of killing the nits in your hair in only two days.

Another effective and verified natural remedy to get rid of head lice is use of 15 drops of tea tree oil mixed with your regular shampoo. You can use it daily as it has no side effects with daily use.

Application of a mixture of butter and lemon on your head for just about fifteen minutes again helps in getting rid of head lice naturally.

pailin
September 13th, 2015, 03:53 AM
I can't imagine using tbose combs for anything other than nit removal. I went through that once when I was ten or so, and after mom got partway around my head, she gave up and chopped my hair to chin length before going on. But my hair has never combed easily.