Combs vs. brushes

[turtlelover]

Am I the only one who has bad luck with detangling with a comb? I feel more snapping and tugging than when i use a paddle brush w/ metal or plastic bristles, which seem to have a little bit more "give" because of the rubber cushion at the base. I've really tried to follow the comb only advice that I've heard, but I honestly think that maybe my hair just doesn't like them, both for wet AND dry hair. My hair also seems to hate boar bristle brushes. I don't have a tangle teazer yet. Maybe I need one.

[Zesty]

I've had my best luck with finger combing, but I still feel like brushes are more damaging than combs, especially the kind with plastic bristles since they usually have seams on every bristle. I have to use my BBB VERY sparingly because it can cause breakage. At this point though I use a comb a few times a month max and use my fingers on a daily basis. A regular brush hasn't touched my hair in years. But hey, YMMV. I'd just monitor damage levels closely, especially if you're wet brushing.

[Nadine <3]

I used a wide tooth comb for awhile thinking it was better than my brush, but I disagree. At least for me, combs snag terribly. I got a tangle teezer a few weeks ago and I love it.

[endlessly]

I've used wide-toothed combs for the past few years to detangle my hair and it works well for me as brushes tend to pull and cause snapping. However, that being said, I can also only detangle my hair with ease when it's still damp - dry hair takes far too long! Don't worry too much because as long as it works for you, that's all that matters!

[Frankenstein]

I've been thinking the same thing recently, don't really get the hype for wide-tooth combs. They work okay but I do notice breakage with them. I prefer my Wet Brush or finger detangling.

[hennalonghair]

They are two tools for different purposes
I don't really look at a TT as a real brush but a detangling tool

[RavenMane]

I have used a pick -like a plastic afro pick- for several years and it is my must have. I also use a BBB. When picking or brushing I help get the tangles out with my fingers, so I don't do unnecessary pulling or breaking.

[Deborah]

I too find that brushing is more gentle than combing. I have a wooden bristle WIDU brush and several good combs, but I like the brush way better, and use it way more often. Combs cause snapping that a good brush does not.

[Stormynights]

I liked my brushes better until I got a sandalwood comb. It wasn't expensive on ebay and maybe it is just the way it fits my hand but I really like it and I use it twice a day before I brush. I don't loose as much hair this way. It works for me.

[FallingDarkness]

Hey! I really think a tangle teaser would be your best bet. Although I've never had your experience before, other people on the LHC have had significant success with tangle teasers to replace their combs.

[hennalonghair]

I love my Mason Pearson brush more than anything
It's the cats meow :lol:

[school of fish]

I think that as with all things hair, you go with what works for *you* :)

I've found my best tools are a wide-but-not-too-wide tooth comb when my hair is damp, and a tangle teezer when it's dry. My comb's teeth are about 1/8" apart from each other - those super wide ones with maybe a dozen or so teeth total do nothing for me detangling-wise, they just get caught on knots snap them through. When I tried a BBB and it took me a few months to realize it was giving me a lot of breakage, and although I had wanted it to work because there were so many who said it was the best thing for oil distribution, I had to accept that it wasn't a good tool for me. As it turns out, oils are no good for me either, but that's a different topic... :p

I've found there many things about my hair that contravene a lot of established LHC recommendations. But I find that all of the LHC principles apply, if not the standard advice following the principle. So if you find that a paddle brush is more efficient and less damaging than a wide tooth comb, then that's the right tool for you. You're still applying the LHC wisdom of gentle handling and damage prevention, you just hair just demands a unique approach to achieve it, that's all :)

[Hypothesis]

I'm fond of using a comb when I'm oiling my hair, but for general detangling and everyday purposes I use my paddle brush. Combs, I think, are good to use if you have the time for them. Because a brush does cover a lot more ground, so to speak.

[bunneh.]

I used to use ordinary brushes for years then switched to wide tooth comb and i love it. I noticed much less hair fall out with my comb than when i used a brush. I comb my hair when dry only and leave my wet hair to dry first. If i have to detangle wet hair i fingercomb first then use a comb. I comb my hair by starting in the bottom then gradually moving up so if theres a tangle at the top of my head it doesn't tangle more on it's way down because that's even harder to detangle.

[lapushka]

Am I the only one who has bad luck with detangling with a comb? I feel more snapping and tugging than when i use a paddle brush w/ metal or plastic bristles, which seem to have a little bit more "give" because of the rubber cushion at the base. I've really tried to follow the comb only advice that I've heard, but I honestly think that maybe my hair just doesn't like them, both for wet AND dry hair. My hair also seems to hate boar bristle brushes. I don't have a tangle teazer yet. Maybe I need one.

At first when a comb goes through, it feels like it is snagging, but it is because it is getting the sheds out (IMMHO) and they tend to knot. Whatever you take to your hair first will always snag (on me anyway). So I'd rather it be the comb than something as firm as a brush, although probably my TT as a first tool won't hurt. :shrug:

I don't know. It's YMMV, and you do you... you know?

[Nique1202]

I personally think anyone who finds snapping and breakage with combs is trying to rip through large tangles with a comb that's too small, instead of picking the big tangles apart gently with your fingers. You need a wide-toothed comb (not the wee cheap plastic ones, which also tend to have a lot of terribly sharp seams) and you need to start combing the bottom couple of inches first, then move up an inch or two, then another move upward, until you get to the top, always stopping if the comb meets resistance it can't pull through. It is a time-consuming process but if your hair's in good condition and you're keeping it protected most of the time then you shouldn't have to do it very often.

Ripping a paddle brush through your tangles might be faster, but it does cause more damage over time, even if you may not notice it for a year or two or more. How much damage depends on the particular kind of brush you use, how often you detangle with it, and how your hair specifically responds to friction damage. I'm sure a lot of people could reach their goals even with using a brush every day, but not everyone wants to take that risk, or we want our hair to make it to our goal in the best condition possible. As always it's up to each individual to decide whether the tradeoff is worth it for them.

[vpatt]

I bought an EIA comb......the teeth are 1/4" apart. I really like it. I have a BBB that I will use on occasion after using the comb. But I have to careful as it does pull at my hair a lot...it is used less as my hair grows. I also just bought a Bass oval bamboo brush that I like. But fingers or the comb are what I seem to use most. My hair is just barely reaching APL now and it is just beginning to tangle more. I'm sure with more length will come more tangles. I have a TT that I think will come in handy as my hair grows.

I do wonder how to clean the bamboo brush.....I guess if washing ruins it....it will be ruined. I only just got it recently so it hasn't been used much.

[TheAmberWing]

I have a tangle teaser at the moment but I've got my eye on a lovely wooden comb for Christmas! :)

[Madora]

Turtlelover, perhaps you're having bad luck detangling with a comb because of your method. Detangling your hair is less problematic (at least for me) if I first finger comb it, then part the hair down the center. Clip one side with a barrette, then take the remaining hair and divide it into SMALL, THIN sections. Work slowly on each section, from the ends up to the scalp. Once one side has been detangled, clip the hair together, then work on the remaining side in the same way. I cannot emphasis this enough: work SLOWLY!

A comb is more hair friendly than a brush because it has a limited number of tines, while a brush (of any sort) has numerous bristles, etc. that can snag in the hair if you try to detangle with one. The less number of things you have coming in contact with your strands, the better.

I also brush daily...but only after my hair has been detangling with a comb FIRST.

[-Fern]

:waving: Hi! This is one of my personal soapbox things, too. I always thought it had more to do with the texture of my hair, but you're more F/M, so maybe it isn't that at all. :D

My coarse hairs in particular seem fragile when wet, so in the past, even when combing very carefully starting at the bottom and gradually working up, I would get a lot of snapped hairs if I tried to comb when wet. Instead, I get best results when I just finger-comb my hair after washing & conditioning (while water is still running over hair in the shower), then turn the water off and gently squeeze water out of my hair. Instead of towel-drying or agitating the hair, I would wrap it in a towel turban and let excess water soak into the towel for about fifteen minutes, then take the towel off and let my hair air dry the rest of the way. I'd avoid touching it while it air dried except to use my fingertips to fluff near the roots a bit to keep air circulating. At 70-80% dry, I use a few drops of oil on my hands and apply to my hair from the ears down. Wait until it is *completely* 100% dry, then brush gently, starting at the bottom and working up. I would have surprisingly few tangles this way, and nowhere near as many sheds and/or snapped hairs as when I combed.

I am currently experimenting again with a good seamless wooden comb, where I do the above, but instead use my wood comb after oiling. Or I use Nightblooming's Selkie detangler and comb wet hair. I do like the way combing seems to distributes the oil better. At night before bed, I brush my hair inverted (especially to stimulate the scalp), give myself a mini-scalp massage, and then sleep with my hair in a loose high bun.

[-Fern]

I do wonder how to clean the bamboo brush.....I guess if washing ruins it....it will be ruined. I only just got it recently so it hasn't been used much.

I have washed my bamboo brushes in hot water. So long as you let them dry thoroughly, it seems just fine. Just don't let them soak for more than ten minutes or so. I have bamboo cutting boards, too--also no problem washing those. Hope that helps!

[Hairkay]

I finger detangle these days. When I used a comb, I had a wide tooth one that I used for detangling. Only after detangling would I attempt to use a brush on my hair. I didn't like any of those round brushes or the spikey kind. Sis brought one for me once. I tried to put it through my hair and it felt as though someone had just grabbed my hair in their fist and pulled. It cause pain and hair loss. The last brush I've owned is wooden with synthetic bristles. I only use a comb for styling purposes, like parting my hair. Fingers and water works best. I'll save the comb for emergencies like when something gets stuck in my hair and I need to remove it.

[embee]

Madora, it's good to see you posting. :) I've missed you - we must have been on different threads...

If/when I wet my hair I use a comb (wide tooth) to detangle. I cannot detangle with a brush, it just is not going to happen - I'll end up with a monster dread... one for all my hair. For normal fixing, dry hair, morning and night use my Denson brush. Rubber pad at the base, no lumps on the ends of the plastic "bristles". I love it, I love how it makes my scalp feel, and if it pulls out hair, well, that hair was coming loose and may as well get out of the way! ;)

Yes I have some breakage - combing or brushing - but I also have long-term on-going thyroid medication adjustments, so my hair has setbacks from *inside*. Boo. But I'm happy with what I have.

[eternallyverdan]

I personally think anyone who finds snapping and breakage with combs is trying to rip through large tangles with a comb that's too small, instead of picking the big tangles apart gently with your fingers. You need a wide-toothed comb (not the wee cheap plastic ones, which also tend to have a lot of terribly sharp seams) and you need to start combing the bottom couple of inches first, then move up an inch or two, then another move upward, until you get to the top, always stopping if the comb meets resistance it can't pull through. It is a time-consuming process but if your hair's in good condition and you're keeping it protected most of the time then you shouldn't have to do it very often.

Ripping a paddle brush through your tangles might be faster, but it does cause more damage over time, even if you may not notice it for a year or two or more. How much damage depends on the particular kind of brush you use, how often you detangle with it, and how your hair specifically responds to friction damage. I'm sure a lot of people could reach their goals even with using a brush every day, but not everyone wants to take that risk, or we want our hair to make it to our goal in the best condition possible. As always it's up to each individual to decide whether the tradeoff is worth it for them.

I'm going to have to politely disagree with you here, as well as everyone else who's said that brushes are inherently more damaging than combs, or that people who use brushes are a) using combs wrong and/or b) "ripping" through their tangles with a brush because they prioritize expediency over hair health. On my own personal hair, combs are simply more damaging than brushes, no matter how careful I am being with either. My hair is so fine and tangly that the act of dividing my hair into manageable sections for combing and then recombining those sections after they're detangled and then detangling all of them again once I've put them together is just... bad.

The hard tines of a comb also seem to make knots worse for me; because of the number of bristles on a brush a few of them will usually catch a tangle right away, and from there I can gently extract the brush and pull apart that tangle with my fingers. A comb, on the other hand, will often drag a knot down a few inches before I notice it, tightening it and making it much more difficult to unravel.

So, going back to the OP, my tool of choice (like yours) is a big paddle brush with an air cushion and plastic bristles. I start out by wrapping the length around my neck and detangling the bottom foot or so, and then I divide it into 3 or 4 parts and carefully brush from the bottom up, stopping frequently to pick apart small tangles with my fingers. It's about a 20 minute process given my usual state of tangliness and the amount of hair that I have, but it works really well for me and I've been doing it for probably 5 years now.

As always, the take-away message here is: do what feels right for your hair! A lot of people on this forum swear by combs or finger-combing or tangle teezers, but different things work for different hair types, and if you feel like a paddle brush is the healthiest option for your hair then you should go for it. Different brushstrokes for different folks and all that :D

[Dessi]

I used to hate combs and I used only brushes. And I wasn't brushing my hair carefully at all. But over time I switched to using combs (finger combing first and then using a comb). I'm so happy that I no longer use a brush!

[Zindell]

I don't have a tangle teazer yet. Maybe I need one.

Try a Tangle Teezer! No really, just do it! After I tried one some years back I am not letting anything else near my hair.
I use the compact ones since I have small hands.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/Zizywa/tangle-teezer-compact_zpsa0a1ce92.jpg

[lapushka]

Try a Tangle Teezer! No really, just do it! After I tried one some years back I am not letting anything else near my hair.
I use the compact ones since I have small hands.

Another vote for the TT! I've been happy with mine for years now (since they came on the market) - still using my first one. I've got the original one, and also have a tinier one, compact one. I find my original one glides through the hair better (small hands here too and not that much grip on a brush, to say the least).

[Knifegill]

I find some combs are awesome and some are terrible. Same for brushes.

[iYaap]

My tangles are best removed horizontally. If you get what I mean. For my hair a brush is better in this.

[katarzyncia]

One time i went to hairstylist and I was amazed how long she was detangling my hair with a comb. They were snaping, I was angry and asked her to use my tangle teezer. From this time I don't use combs - NEVER - even those with wodę tooth.

[turtlelover]

I tried my widest tooth comb again just to be sure I wasn't imagining things, and once again, I felt a lot more knots when using the comb than my usual brush (lately it has been something for horses called a Tangle Wrangler).

[divine_light]

I've had my best luck with finger combing and I still feel like brushes are more damaging than combs...

[VisionOne]

I feel like my wooden wide-thooth comb works best for me. I haven't brushed my hair in a very long time, so I can't really remember how I feel about regular paddle brushes. But I do find that my tangle teezer makes my ends tangle, even if i start from the bottom and brush my way up to the roots.

[lapushka]

It's not always the tool, sometimes it's the detangler as well. I'd recommend using whatever shampoo you need for your scalp (oily, dry) and then choosing a separate conditioner for the ends, preferably one for dry, damaged hair as that is the *most* moisturizing. It will help you with the tangles immensely! You do have to balance it out, because you can't go that heavy that it weighs your hair down. Kinda have to experiment with that a bit.

[Beborani]

Test your method by collecting sheds on a white surface--counter, sheets, towels --whatever you have and see if you have unexpected breakage. This is very individual amd dependent on hairtype. Tangle teezer breaks my hair both wet and dry. I cannot run a comb all through my hair when it is dry. I use a comb after removing sheds manually with hand usually with conditioner or under streaming water. At that point it goes through smoothly and I comb just enough to arrange my hair and let it dry--I may pat it dry with a thin cotton shirt like towel or even put it up a bit and use hair dryer to dry it while maintaining the shape so no more detangling is needed until next wash. Yes it will catch sheds over the next few days but except for removing obvious ones lightly with hand if possible I let them be. My hair is curly with spirally ends so this works for me.

[Arctic]

I used to be comb-only type of person, basically most of my life. But in the recent years I've started to use brushes too, I usually detangle first with fingers and/or by combing. I haven't used brushes to often, or regularly, that I can really say anything concretic. For me they don't seem to be damaging thus far. My only issue is, that I lose few more hairs with brushing than with combing, and also that many brushes are built so, that the hair get caught somehow between the tine and the rubber base. When I clean my brushes from sheds, there are always many hairs that are tightly worked themselves inbetween the tines and base. I'd love to have a brush that wouldn't do that, but am not really sure what to look for.

[librarychick]

I'm going to have to politely disagree with you here, as well as everyone else who's said that brushes are inherently more damaging than combs, or that people who use brushes are a) using combs wrong and/or b) "ripping" through their tangles with a brush because they prioritize expediency over hair health. On my own personal hair, combs are simply more damaging than brushes, no matter how careful I am being with either. My hair is so fine and tangly that the act of dividing my hair into manageable sections for combing and then recombining those sections after they're detangled and then detangling all of them again once I've put them together is just... bad.

This.

I have tried and tried to use a comb to detangle - wide tooth combs, narrow tooth combs, Start at the bottom, go slowly, nothing helped. I'd spend an hour detangling, only to try and run the comb top to bottom and end up getting it stuck. On top of that, i find the little tiny repetitious pull from a comb to be the most frustrating and irritating thing. They prick my scalp and it just starts to HURT.

I tried a BBB and, although it was better than combs, it just couldn't get through all of my hair. The top and bottom would be lovely, but there'd be an awful mat forming at the back of my head. And it itches!

Finally, a few months ago I found a neat mix of paddle brush and BBB - it has longer plastic tines and is flat like a paddle brush, but has shorter BBB bristles on the whole base of the brush. This is PERFECT for me - it spread the oils like a BBB, actually gets out all my tangles like a paddle brush, and doesn't do the tiny pulling pricks I cant' stand from a comb. Wonderful. My hair loves it as well, and since I only brush every few days (braid to bun and back means I can get away with 2-3 days of no brushing) and am careful not to just yank through tangles, it works just great for me.

Finger detangling for me has never been an option, every time I try I just make everything WAAAY worse, no matter how slow and patiently I go. *shrugs*

[Bossa Nova]

I use the Magic Star wide comb from Hercules Sägemann (German brand). I giggled a bit when I first unpacked this comb after ordering it, because it is a huge comb. Now an additional Magic Star dictates the size of my make-up bag.

I have thick hair that's curly and wavy and which belongs in the "Hair gone rouge" thread- always. But I have to say that the Magic Star is fantastic for detangling my hair, wet or dry. The way I use it is first I comb very carefully from the top of my head as far down as possible before the tangling starts. Then the same with the ends. Finally I sort of "fluff" the comb through my hair, first the canopy than the rest of the hair. I guess this works well for me because my canopy is probably the more damaged part of my hair.

Not a good explanation. But "fluffing" my hair from the canopy and inwards at the same time as combing from top to bottom instead of trying to comb all the way through the thickness right away has helped a lot. It's incredibly quick and kinder to my hair. I realize the OP has different hair compared to me but sometimes it's perhaps also about the techniques we use. Brushes and TT:s don't work as well on my hair besides giving me mighty BIG hair : )

Have to add that reintroducing conditioner to my hair again (trying variations of CWC, CO etc) after far too long without, is helping immensely as well.

[school of fish]

I use the Magic Star wide comb from Hercules Sägemann (German brand). I giggled a bit when I first unpacked this comb after ordering it, because it is a huge comb. Now an additional Magic Star dictates the size of my make-up bag.

I have thick hair that's curly and wavy and which belongs in the "Hair gone rouge" thread- always. But I have to say that the Magic Star is fantastic for detangling my hair, wet or dry. The way I use it is first I comb very carefully from the top of my head as far down as possible before the tangling starts. Then the same with the ends. Finally I sort of "fluff" the comb through my hair, first the canopy than the rest of the hair. I guess this works well for me because my canopy is probably the more damaged part of my hair.

Not a good explanation. But "fluffing" my hair from the canopy and inwards at the same time as combing from top to bottom instead of trying to comb all the way through the thickness right away has helped a lot. It's incredibly quick and kinder to my hair. I realize the OP has different hair compared to me but sometimes it's perhaps also about the techniques we use. Brushes and TT:s don't work as well on my hair besides giving me mighty BIG hair : )

Have to add that reintroducing conditioner to my hair again (trying variations of CWC, CO etc) after far too long without, is helping immensely as well.

Just want to say that I have a VERY different hairtype than you but I use the EXACT same detangling technique! I know the conventional wisdom around here is working bottom up but what you described works so much better for me too - it's like I have to release and align the scalp section first before the hem section can follow suit... and that 'fluffing' motion you describe - exactly that! With a very light touch - it's very gentle :)

There's more than one correct tool, there's more than one correct technique... it's all about finding the best tool/technique for our own unique head of hair :D

[Buttercup1223]

I love my tangle teezer (generic) too. I have really fine, thin hair that gets tangley after I shower even with conditioner. I don't care for even wide tooth combs because they still seem to sometimes be too wide to get the knots out.

[turtlelover]

I tried sectioning today while detangling and it did seem to help somewhat. My biggest issue with knots seems to be closer to the scalp where I don't use conditioner. My hair gets flat really quickly if I use conditioner too close to my head, but I really wish I could use it all the way to my roots, because it would make detangling a LOT easier.

[Bossa Nova]

I'm glad someone understands what I was trying to describe. This method might need to be on YouTube : )

Edited to add:

1. Oops, lost the quote I was replying to but it was to you school of fish and about detangling with the "fluffing"-method!

2. turtlelover did you try to dilute some conditioner for using on your roots?

[turtlelover]

I'm glad someone understands what I was trying to describe. This method might need to be on YouTube : )

Edited to add:

1. Oops, lost the quote I was replying to but it was to you school of fish and about detangling with the "fluffing"-method!

2. turtlelover did you try to dilute some conditioner for using on your roots?

I hadn't thought of using diluted conditioner on my roots, but that is actually a really good idea. Oh, I also went back to my Tangle Wrangler today, and had really good luck with it. It really does work like a comb/brush hybrid, so I think I will just stick with it for now and let you know about any damage I get over time as my hair grows.