Giving up the comb/brush challenge

[jivete]

I don't think I've seen this one so here goes.

So I'm thinking of trying to give up combs & brushes for a month or so to see how it goes. I'm a habitual comber (wide tooth at least:o), more than once a day even. I think it's because my hair tends towards the stringy side and combing it makes it look decent momentarily at least. But I think it's horrible for my fine, not so strong hair.

So I'm thinking of trying to swear off combs & brushes (finger combing only) for the next month to see how it goes. I'll still finger detangle, but that's all. Does this seem like a silly challenge? Would it even be beneficial? Would anyone like to join me?

I'm hoping to see less breakage, etc.

[Periwinkle]

Last week, I swore off for a week, but I didn't last. My hair felt somehow lighter, but with my thick, wavy hair, it's very difficult to fingercomb effectively and so I gave up on Wednesday after no combing since Sunday. There were definitely benefits, but for me, it just didn't work. Good luck with your challenge!

[jivete]

I can't imagine it would work for thickies. I'm just worried I don't have enough to lose to the comb and the mechanical action is killing me. We'll see how long I last.

I used to hardly ever comb when I used loads of cones, but then my ends were lots dryer. Hmmm, well, all I can do is try. Maybe not combing it will force me to leave it up...

[bunnii]

My hair is baby fine, I finger detangle but finish with a comb, i've tried not combing it but I can't it just makes my hair lay nicer. I have given up brushing though for about 2 weeks I think, but that's mainly because I couldn't find a brush that didn't want to eat my hair lol.

good luck you can do it :cheese: even if I can't :p

[FrannyG]

Like bunnii, my hair twin, I need that comb so that my hair lays nicely. I use a horn comb, and it's very gentle.

I think you wavies can get away without combing much better. Good luck with it! :)

[vampodrama]

my hair is very stringy for some reason, so if I don't comb, I will end up looking like a homeless person.

[Arctic_Mama]

Oh goodness, I did this for two years back in college since I was wearing my hair curly (CO only and fingercombing) and I ended up with MORE breakage because if I didn't detangle in the shower I'd end up with dreadlocks and unfortunately fingercombing meant ripping my hair MORE because it was always a bit tangly from that and the washing method, whereas now I use a comb but sin ce my hair is far less tangled to begin with it isn't damaged.

It might work better now that I am making sure to NOT damage the hair but I am wary of it. I also have a hard time with my scalp and oiling my hair when I do that.


But my horror stories aside I wish you all the very best luck!

[AprilElf]

I'll give this a go! I haven't tried fingercombing for any length of time yet, and it can be my October experiment. :)
I've already gone 24 hours -wheeee!- with no comb or brush since washing my hair last night.
I usually use a wide-tooth comb about twice a day, though just last week I bought a wooden quilled brush from the Body Shop ... but away they go!

This'll be interesting. :eyebrows:

[Katze]

I need to comb my hair or it hangs in strings, even if it is freshly washed. In fact I have been combing several times a day.

Because I mostly wear my hair down (still can't get updos to work) I have to "fix" it - the slightest bit of wind does seem to make it stringy again, even if I have it up. in fact, if I put it up, it gets stringy too! I need to remember to always have a comb with me.

Not brushing did my hair good for a while, but I am trying to see if I can get neater hair by BBBing on dirty days.

[Tressie]

I just don't know what the answer is, but I seem to need to comb, as bunnii and FrannyG have stated. No matter how careful I try to be, however, I lose a lot of hair when I comb. If I try finger detangling I hear snaps and pops. My canopy is still quite dry, and my oiling attempts seem to make it look gross, so the hair loss may be linked to condition. It may be hormones or the lack thereof, stress or poor diet, but I'm working on it! If at first you don't succeed......................(o:

[jivete]

Well mine definitely gets stringy if I don't comb and like Katze, I seem to need to comb several times per day. Yesterday I only fingercombed. It was up in a couple different updos and here's how it looked by the end of the day.

http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee322/jivete/LHC/no_combs.jpg

Since combing/brushing only makes it look decent for a short while and then it looks like this anyway, I think this might work. At least for a little while.

[Anne~]

I only comb once a week after I wash. I fear if I didn't I would end up with dreds. :rolleyes:

[Anje]

I'll wish you all luck. I'm another who will end up with tangled strings if I don't comb my hair, and there's no way I could get it to lie nicely to be put up. I'm keeping my comb for the time being, but if you have luck doing this, I may consider trying it.

[Tartlette]

Oh I will give this a try because I'm pretty close to comb/brush free already. Once my hair got long enough to put up in a bun, I just started finger combing more and more. I must be lucky, since my hair is curly but it's never gotten too badly tangled.

Tomorrow I'll get off my lazy behind and create a non-cluttered spot in the house and snap a starter pic.

[spidermom]

I think I drag out more hairs with my fingers than I do with combs. My fingers are not as smooth, and hair clings to them more.

[missy60]

I think I also drag out more hair when I finger comb. I comb mostly when I shower with conditioner on it. I tried cutting that out and finger combing but my finger dont glide thru as easily as a wide tooth comb does. My curls dont lay as nicely either if I skip this step. I generally dont have to comb again until my next wash I can finger comb with good results.

[jivete]

I think I also need the challege of keeping my fingers out of my hair as well. I may just be a habitual fiddler. The challenge may not be, "don't use a comb" but "don't use a comb, horn or fingers more than 2x per day." I would comb my hair constantly if I could.

Hmmm, well, I'm going to keep it up as long as I can. Hopefully I'll decrease my splits. I think my objective is to learn to comb as little as possible and ultimately, touch my hair as little as possible.

[heidi w.]

Beware of matts. A month is a long time.

heidi w.

[eadwine]

I tried without a comb for two to three months. The hair seemed thicker like, but that was simply because not all the tangles were taken out. I went back to the wide toothed comb now; I rather have it look thicker but it will be better for the hair with the tangles not in there all day.

[frodolaughs]

Interesting. I don't think it would work for my hair. I'd get matted and knotted pretty quickly, and I think finger-combing pulls out more of my hair than using a wide-tooth comb (the hair seems to 'grip' my fingers as I pull through).

[ladyshannonanne]

Giving up the comb and the brush has been the best thing for my hair! My hair is super wavy underneath and straighter in the canopy. Not brushing or combing helps the canopy stay wavier. Also, my hair gets so little damage this way. The only thing is that I have fine hair that tangles very easily. I wear my hair up all the time so it doesn't tangle.

[jivete]

ladyshannonanne, I'm glad it works for you. So far so good. My hair looks better today than it normally does on day two (I "wash" every other day). Fairly easy to run my fingers through and barely stringy.

I do braid at night and put it up when outside or exercising. But I left it down yesterday at work (I work in an office) and it's done great.

[Lady Godiva]

Beware of matts. A month is a long time.
Exactly, and I personally would never do this. In fact, if I were stuck on an island with only one hair tool, I would take a comb. I suspect that actual hair length makes a big difference with this. The longer, the more tangles this would cause. :scared:

[Heidi_234]

I threw out the brush ages ago. I have very curly hair and either way it looks bad if I brush it or comb it, so I quit doing so altogether, and I can't say I miss it.
It tends to tangle quite alot, but it doesn't bother me since I don't brush it, and it doesn't shows otherwise (being all curly and wild as it is). All I do is resolve the tangles with my fingers in the shower gradually - a little bit when first conditioning, then then rest when my hair is already double-softened after the second conditioning, so in the end it's tangle free.

[nicolezoie]

If I continually take it down and redo my updo without combing, the ends tend to wrap themselves into a few cords that would end up becoming dreds if I didn't detangle at least once with each updo-redo. I made the mistake of redoing my bun over the space of a few days without detangling, and boy were my ends unhappy with me.

Even when my hair was ALOT shorter (BSL and above), I had to detangle with some sort of detangling tool. Fingers for me just have never worked well. I need at least a hair stick or a pick to keep my ends from getting corded.

I have, however, periodically given up BRUSHING my hair with fair results. In the beginning I used to use a brush as my primary detangling tool and that caused breakage. But, over time I modified my routine to use a brush to finish up, and this works out better for me overall. This action pulls out any shed hairs that were missed while combing.

[Speckla]

I only comb when my hair gets terribly tangled. I have a widetooth comb and goop (yes, goop) tons of conditioner on and then proceed a section at a time. This prevents breakage and detangles.
________
ULTIMATE FIGHTERS (http://ultimatefighters.org/)

[AprilElf]

Oooops, my first slip. :o
I had to use a comb to detangle my hair after washing this evening. If I'd done my regular CWC finger combing only might have cut it, but I tried Dianyla's coconut milk wash, so there was no coney conditioner involved. (And I forgot to dilute the shampoo, so I may have stripped away too much of the coconut oil ... :( ) Hopefully I won't need to use the comb again once it's dry.

[rockkcor]

I don't think I've seen this one so here goes.

So I'm thinking of trying to give up combs & brushes for a month or so to see how it goes. I'm a habitual comber (wide tooth at least:o), more than once a day even. I think it's because my hair tends towards the stringy side and combing it makes it look decent momentarily at least. But I think it's horrible for my fine, not so strong hair.

So I'm thinking of trying to swear off combs & brushes (finger combing only) for the next month to see how it goes. I'll still finger detangle, but that's all. Does this seem like a silly challenge? Would it even be beneficial? Would anyone like to join me?

I'm hoping to see less breakage, etc.
I think that combing is thining my hair - I would love to quit brushing for some long time - but I have no idea how to do it...
Perhaps when my hai gets much much longer than it is now - I could let it stay in a braid for a long time?
I'll post a new thread about it - for how long you can have your hair brided without combing...

[Shanarana]

I gave up using brushes, but don't think I can give up the comb. I need to at least comb it once after washing (wide tooth, very gently). I try and leave it alone for the rest of the day, but that's not always easy.

I would be interested in the results of this challenge.

[Heidi_234]

rockkcor, I fail to see a problem there.
If you braid your hair it won't tangle. I used to sport a french braid for nearly a year I think, every single day, and I haven't touched the hair brush (i think I just don't have one). I braided the hair after I showered and air dried it, and wore it proudly til the next shower.

[Rain76]

I have extremely fragile hair, so I cannot brush it anymore. But I would NEVER stop combing it! My hair tangles very easily, and would look like a rat's nest if I didn't comb it at least once a day. Hair is always going to shed somewhat, even if you just finger comb it. I think it is important to comb one's hair on a fairly regular basis for many reasons. First of all, it just looks better and healthier, and also it helps to distribute oils to the ends of your hair. There isn't anything wrong with combing, as long as you are very gentle & take your time. It's a good thing, and not something that you should discontinue doing.

[jivete]

I slipped a little. I did comb it after my wash this morning and I did comb out the last 3 inches the other day when they were getting stringy, but honestly, combing my hair this morning didn't make it any nicer. In fact, it's just less wavy.

I haven't had any problems with matts or tangles. So I'm going to continue on. I may comb the ends when I want to wear it down and they've gotten a little too stringy to be presentable but otherwise I'm going to continue not combing it and continue to try not touching it too much.

It seems like the general consensus is, as long as you're gentle with the comb, it isn't damaging and most people need it to keep their hair from getting really tangled. So certainly not a challenge for most, but if it keeps me from combing 4x per day or more, than I'll keep on.

[JCFantasy23]

I brush my hair but it tangles easily. I try to untangle easily but every brushing means it will break some hair off - yech. My brush ends up filled with hair clumps. My hair is thinner the years gone past because of this. I need to brush my hair more, not less, I sadly think, just to combat more tangles and breakage!

[intothemist1999]

So I'm thinking of trying to swear off combs & brushes (finger combing only) for the next month to see how it goes. I'll still finger detangle, but that's all. Does this seem like a silly challenge? Would it even be beneficial? Would anyone like to join me?

.

I stopped combing/brushing several months ago, and I'm SURE it helped the condition of my hair!

Good luck on your challenge! :)


.

[CaityBear]

Good luck to everyone who is willing to try this challenge.


Personally, I don't think I could do it. My hair needs the comb to lay nicely, as has been stated already. Though I try to comb less. I've tried to completely cut out combing with wet hair, but since I shower before going to school, if I don't comb it some time while it's half dry-completely dry my hair looks stringy and not good at all. I do try to be gentle though so it's not too bad.

[AprilElf]

I'm back on the comb or brush now, as needed. :)

I went from 6th Oct - 31st Oct with no combing/brushing. Exceptions were after my weekly washes - I had to detangle with a comb otherwise my hair would have been a mess! And occasionally I smoothed the hair down on the top of my head with a comb for an updo.

Finger-combing was great for preserving my waves and volume. It felt nice running my hands through my hair - it took longer than combing but was quite therapeutic! I probably lost a few more hairs each time than I would have if I'd combed, though nothing I'm too concerned about. Finger-combing only hasn't changed my life, or anything. It hasn't been totally detrimental either.

So, I'll keep finger-combing ... and combing ... and brushing as my hair demands and the mood takes me! :p

[frizzinator]

I think the brush is unnecessary except for removing things from the scalp or hair, but I could not give up the comb because my hair is not slippery and it tangles easily. Even though it requires more time, you can reduce breakage when combing.


Harpgal posted a method of combing that really helps to prevent breaking hair. Hold the comb with the prongs up, so that the comb doesn't rip through the snags and tangles. Go slowly, detangling each tangle when you encounter it.


Start at the hemline and work up toward the scalp before taking full length strokes with the comb. When you encounter a tangle, use your fingers (not the comb) to pull it apart.


After I remove all the tangles and am combing full length from scalp to the ends of my hair, I might hold the comb the way I used to do it with the prongs at a 90 degree angle to my hair or even prongs down!

[ktani]

I gave up brushing years ago and combing over 3 years ago. My hair is much better for it.

As to finger combing, I do not rake my fingers through my hair. I gently separate my hair by separating horizontally or gently pulling it apart, so that the ends to not get the pressure or tangle.

Since using catnip only to condition as well as colour my hair, my hair does not tangle in any case. Sometimes my ends catch on each other, but a quick s&d improves that.

My ends only get stringy when there is too much of something on them. I now know the right dilution of catnip to prevent that (catnip contains some oil) and a failed experiment wih maple syrup cased some stringiness that is soon to be washed out.

My hair does not go stringy if there is not something too heavy or coating on it.

[Honey39]

Interesting thread. When I joined LHC, I gave up using a brush, and that habit has stuck. The only time I comb is in the shower, when my hair is LOADED with conditioner, and I have a round plastic comb thing that I comb through my hair just as I start to rinse. I then comb my hair out gently with a wide toothed comb when it's wet. And that's the only time I comb/brush my hair.

However, that said, I do CO wash my hair most days. If I just wet it and add conditioner/oil, I don't try and de-tangle, I just clump my hair into curls and leave. Detangling doesn't really work for me, and one of the things I have really learned from being here is to LEAVE MY HAIR ALONE when it's drying and dry, and that makes the curls stick around for a lot longer.

So I guess I kind of do this challenge in a way, but I know I couldn't if I didn't detangle it in the shower every day/every other day. It would get terribly matted with finger combing only, I think.

I think maybe your hair has to be a certain type to work really well without comb or brush - maybe a 1c or something????

[jivete]

Well I haven't stuck to the challenge 100%, but I've greatly reduced my combing. I might comb 2-3x per week now. I can't tell yet if my hair is in better condition or not. My hair doesn't get super tangly and as long as I don't overload it with stuff, it's not too stringy. So all in all it's better because I'm not combing my hair 3x a day or more. I've gotten better with just letting it be.

[harpgal]

Harpgal posted a method of combing that really helps to prevent breaking hair. Hold the comb with the prongs up, so that the comb doesn't rip through the snags and tangles. Go slowly, detangling each tangle when you encounter it.

Start at the hemline and work up toward the scalp before taking full length strokes with the comb. When you encounter a tangle, use your fingers (not the comb) to pull it apart.

After I remove all the tangles and am combing full length from scalp to the ends of my hair, I might hold the comb the way I used to do it with the prongs at a 90 degree angle to my hair or even prongs down!Yes, that is how I do it. Having very fine hair at mid-thigh length, I have to be very careful.

Combing is important for not only staying tangle-free but also for removing loose strands. If done correctly, it actually contributes to hair health.

I brush my scalp only, and it has helped me to maintain scalp health. If I do brush my length (a rare occurrence), I hold the brush at an angle so that only the side of the brush glides over my hair. This is done only after detangling with a comb.

I would never give up either a comb or a brush because I think they both contribute to beautiful hair and good health. But they must be used gently and slowly.

[Laila23]

I think I will join you, jivete. :) Not sure what the outcome will be what we shall see...