Time spent combing hair?

[Chamomile]

Hi everyone,
I've been wondering recently if the amount of time I spend combing my hair is strange. I comb my hair every day while watching TV. To do so, I divide it up into four sections on my head and detangle/brush each separately. It takes about 15 minutes per section, for an hour total pretty much every day. Granted, I have very abnormally thick and tangly hair (thanks Mom!) but this seems like a lot of time that adds up. I find it relaxing to comb my hair, but is this amount of time to do so abnormal? How much time do you guys spend combing your hair?

[Robi-Bird]

I don't spend more than 5 mins combing my hair. I literally just combing out any tangles, and that's the end of it. If it helps, my hair is thick (iii), coarse and wavy. If your tangles are that difficult to detangle you may want to invest in a new leave in treatment.

[unheardletters]

I've only once spent more than a minute detangling and that was because I forgot to bring my shampoo and conditioner with me to a hotel and I used the shampoo supplied by the hotel and then I spent all day detangling and crying from all the dried out mess instead of enjoying my day.
I have extremely thick, coarse, wavy/curly hair. Even when I had much longer length than I do now have I still spent very little time detangling.

[grooooow]

I probably spend a couple minutes max.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I would spend between 2 and 4 minutes a day combing my hair. I comb once a day, in the mornings after I get up. I try to avoid too much hair manipulation.

[Corvana]

My hair isn't as long or curly or thick as yours, but I only spend a couple minutes in the shower, and then maybe a minute or two here or there throughout the week if I need to. I used to have to detangle more (and would, roughly, with a brush haha), but I started putting a little oil on my ends and apparently that was all I needed to be like 95% tangle free (the other 5% is remembering to use my satin sleep cap!).

[Garnetgem]

Mine is at classic length and takes 30 mins each time i comb it..i section to comb as it is easier that way,i will comb around twice a day because of the time it takes,i have never thought it strange i expect it feels normal to me now...

i wouldn't say your routine is abnormal going by your thickness/length and like you say its relaxing..i by the way watch tv during my combing too!

[Larki]

Less than two minutes each time, once in the morning and once before bed.

[Andthetalltrees]

I spend around a minute after I towel my hair with a detangling brush, and on non wash days I fingercomb which takes maybe 5 minutes. But that's because I enjoy playing with my hair :rolleyes: . I use to have very tangley hair that took forever to detangle, but since my new routine and found products that work it's really helped with the tangles

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I finger detangle only and it takes me maybe 5 mins max.

[Alex Lou]

It only takes seconds. My hair doesn't tangle except where there's damage. It takes a minute or 2 if I finger comb.

[ghanima]

I've only once spent more than a minute detangling and that was because I forgot to bring my shampoo and conditioner with me to a hotel and I used the shampoo supplied by the hotel and then I spent all day detangling and crying from all the dried out mess instead of enjoying my day.
I have extremely thick, coarse, wavy/curly hair. Even when I had much longer length than I do now have I still spent very little time detangling.
A 3 type with no detangling mess? WHAT'S YOUR SECRET?? I mean it, it would change my world if I found a way not to spend more than a minute detangling...

[Natashap]

Very less time,max 2minutes..lol

[Rowdy]

Not even a min, usually just a couple swipes with the comb or TT. It's very rare I have a legit knot and even then I can pull it apart easily so brushing is mostly just to get the sheds out.

[Deborah]

I brush my hair morning and at bedtime. It probably takes less than one minute each time.

[Nini]

A minute or so I guess, maybe a couple of more if I redo my hair during the day. But that only happens if I'm going out.

[Dendra]

I finger comb, sometimes once a day, sometimes twice, sometimes I miss entire days. It takes me five, ten or fifteen minutes depending on how recently I've finger combed (and how much of a rush I'm in! If I was relaxing in front of the TV I'd spend longer).

My tangles were atrocious as a child - I've fine hair but a lot of it. It makes it easier if I use a scraping of coconut oil.

[lapushka]

Hi everyone,
I've been wondering recently if the amount of time I spend combing my hair is strange. I comb my hair every day while watching TV. To do so, I divide it up into four sections on my head and detangle/brush each separately. It takes about 15 minutes per section, for an hour total pretty much every day. Granted, I have very abnormally thick and tangly hair (thanks Mom!) but this seems like a lot of time that adds up. I find it relaxing to comb my hair, but is this amount of time to do so abnormal? How much time do you guys spend combing your hair?

Granted, you have turned it into a "ritual" of some sorts, which is why it is taking so much time. An hour is way too much, IMMHO!

To me, combing and brushing is mere function. I do it to get the tangles out. I only wash weekly, so I detangle weekly with a comb & brush. This takes me a few minutes, tops. I detangle pre-wash, during the wash the sheds come out, and post-wash I comb once more. During the week I finger detangle Tuesdays through Saturday (Monday is a day where nothing needs to happen as it was freshly washed and there's no sheds).

[MsPharaohMoan]

It used to take me ten minutes a side when I was using a comb. Now with the tangle teaser it takes me a minute per side. Ridiculous. I too make it into a ritual though and don't think it's too much manipulation. Taking your time getting shed hairs out can be meditative.

[Nymphe]

:rollin: You don't want to know...

[parkmikii]

Oh wow, do you all have magic hair? Mine takes about 20-30 min (before wash only, twice a week). I gently detangle each section with my fingers and then I run a wide toothed comb through it.

[MidnightMoon]

Depends on how I've worn it during the day, and how tired or willing to comb I am
On my most relaxed day, really up for it: 20 minutes (includes brushing, and distracting myself with something else while doing it)
On a day I've worn it up (it doesn't tangle this way): 1 minute
On a day or night I wore it down and it got tons of tangles: 10-15 minutes
On a day I wore it down and got tangles but I'm not giving a f...: 1-2 minutes (yes, ripping hair while doing so)
On a day I got tangles and am too sleepy to comb/brush: 0, I'd leave it to do it the next day

[school of fish]

I'm going to clock this and report back - I never thought to track how long my detanglings take. My initial answer is 'it takes the time it takes', and that time has reduced significantly since I've rehabilitated my hair past the worst of its damage - but it still takes longer than so many of you 1-2 minuters though, I can tell you that for sure, haha!! I've been reading the other comments and thinking 'what is this sorcery?' :p

[lapushka]

For those of you who have to detangle for such a long time, do you use thick moisturizing conditioners on your hair (for dry, damaged hair as those are the most moisturizing on the market)? I do, and I never have issues, yes the odd tangle here and there, but I can get through my hair in minutes. Just a nosy question. ;)

[school of fish]

For those of you who have to detangle for such a long time, do you use thick moisturizing conditioners on your hair (for dry, damaged hair as those are the most moisturizing on the market)? I do, and I never have issues, yes the odd tangle here and there, but I can get through my hair in minutes. Just a nosy question. ;)

Yes I do ;) I have to balance between my hair's propensity for swift buildup and its need for tangle protection, so I use a thick conditioner with a light silicone to hit that balance. It can't be too heavy and rich because the buildup is real for me, but it can't be too light either because my cobweb tangles are very real too :p Detangling for me depends as much upon the factors of the moment as the products that I use - how much buildup, how long I've gone between washes, whether my hair was in my sleep bun or loose, whether I've just come off a performance or been practicing, whether the weather is humid or dry, all kinds of things.

It seems my hair's behaviour is somewhat unusual as compared to many LHC veterans - it's a game of opposites and I've found that I often have to use a series of so-called 'conflicting' methods relative to my hairtype to get my best hair ;) I don't want to derail the thread so I won't go into details here, but I am making mention of it because I do believe my detangle times get affected ;)

[MidnightMoon]

I do, but I have very fine hair that's damaged at the ends and tangles a lot, specially the part that's close to my back/neck... but my numbers are extreme cases, and as I said I usually leave that to untangle while doing something else.
Last time I actually spent 15-20 minutes detangling was in January, so you get an idea how rare it is to take so long. i was also tired, and just decided to do it reeeally slowly.
An hour any day for me would be impossible and definitely extreme, I wouldn't stand having to do that for so long :P

[unheardletters]

A question for those who take a long time to detangle, do you have high porosity hair? I remember reading somewhere, that high porosity hair is more prone to getting tangled because of the cuticles being raised and by getting caught together.
My hair is very low porosity. I get some tangles, mostly because the curls get intertwined. I never had tangles when my hair was only wavy, but it's mostly curly now.

Also, I do not use any styling products, as it does tangle then because my hair won't absorb any of the product so it just sits on top of the hair and makes it sticky.

[MidnightMoon]

A question for those who take a long time to detangle, do you have high porosity hair? I remember reading somewhere, that high porosity hair is more prone to getting tangled because of the cuticles being raised and by getting caught together.
My hair is very low porosity. I get some tangles, mostly because the curls get intertwined. I never had tangles when my hair was only wavy, but it's mostly curly now.

Also, I do not use any styling products, as it does tangle then because my hair won't absorb any of the product so it just sits on top of the hair and makes it sticky.

I don't know if mine is high or low porosity. By how it behaves I'd take a guess and say high, but how can I tell?

[spidermom]

At my longest and most damaged, I think I spent something like 10-15 minutes.

[unheardletters]

I don't know if mine is high or low porosity. By how it behaves I'd take a guess and say high, but how can I tell?

There's a few tests you can try. Take a few clean (just shampooed, no products. I just collected the shed hairs after I rinsed out the shampoo when I tried this) hairs and put them in some water. If they sink within 4 minutes then the hair is most likely high porosity. Another is how long your hair takes to dry, the shorter time is higher porosity.
But I've been told that the best way to know is just by how the hair reacts to things like product and processing.

[Dendra]

There's a few tests you can try. Take a few clean (just shampooed, no products. I just collected the shed hairs after I rinsed out the shampoo when I tried this) hairs and put them in some water. If they sink within 4 minutes then the hair is most likely high porosity. Another is how long your hair takes to dry, the shorter time is higher porosity.
But I've been told that the best way to know is just by how the hair reacts to things like product and processing.

That's interesting, I did the strand test but I didn't wait four minutes so I'll try that next time.

Also, I read the opposite advice re how fast your hair dries (I can't remember if it was a reliable source). They said if you had high porosity hair it would take longer to dry because it absorbs more water during showering. I can see, though, that thick low porosity hair would take ages to dry. Who knows eh.

[ghanima]

As far as I know, mine are low porosity: when I spray water on them or shower, the water will form driplets initially and won't wet the hair. Also, products sit on it. When I clarify the detangle is as troublesome, so not a build-up thing.

I just went to the supermarket and bought tons of silicones :p

[MidnightMoon]

Ok I'll try that, thanks.
I feel like my hair likes to stick to everything. Also, when I used to straighten it, sweating just a bit would be enough to make it wavy at the scalp, and again, sticky.
When just shampooed, it's a bit rough at the scalp, where I shampoo. It can look like straw, specially when just washed and brushes, more so the bleached ends.
I have felt some peoples hair, and it feels as if it had some sort of slippery coating which prevents strands from sticking to each other. It feels silky, mine doesn't...
It really isn't an easy to handle mane, man.

[yahirwaO.o]

At my longest and most damaged, I think I spent something like 10-15 minutes.


This!!! When it was classic lenght I spent until 15 minutes but my hair was very stringy and knotty at the ends. Until I cut it shorter than mid back I spent no more than 3 minutes.

My hair is mid lenght ish so I spend less than 2 minutes including parting it and taming flyways down. Usually I do it in the morning and at night, but sometimes I touch up through out they day to make it look as neat as I can.

[*Wednesday*]

For those of you who have to detangle for such a long time, do you use thick moisturizing conditioners on your hair (for dry, damaged hair as those are the most moisturizing on the market)? I do, and I never have issues, yes the odd tangle here and there, but I can get through my hair in minutes. Just a nosy question. ;)

I think I’m going to try for dry/damaged hair. 😄When I wear my hair down I get tangles. Not horrible but still a need for detangling. I’m using Mark Anthony Strictly Curls and is supposed to help tangles but I’m not impressed. I think I’ll try what you’ve mentioned. I will be visiting Ulta this weekend.

To add to the OP’s discussion. When my hair is worn up, I spend no more than 2 min. combing my hair. Now, if I wear my hair loose/down I can spend 5-10 min. combing to detangle which is why I hardly wear it down. I tend to think, the less time you are touching your hair the better. If your hair is very thick, curly and needs detangling, however long it takes to be gentle with yourhair to get it combed the better. If this is the case, maybe start wearing it up to reduce manipulation time.

[MoonRabbit]

Takes me about 15-20 minutes to finger comb my hair.

[parkmikii]

For those of you who have to detangle for such a long time, do you use thick moisturizing conditioners on your hair (for dry, damaged hair as those are the most moisturizing on the market)? I do, and I never have issues, yes the odd tangle here and there, but I can get through my hair in minutes. Just a nosy question. ;)

I do and I keep my hair up pretty much always, I guess tangles are just part of my hair.

[Hairkay]

I no longer comb hair daily. Most times I comb hair once a week. Since I mostly finger detangle my thick tight curls it can take about 2 hours. I take time to preen my hair as well. A comb takes less time but finger detangling produces better results. It's relaxing and since I don't do it everyday I don't mind. Sometimes with good minimal tangle style planning, it can be as little as 15 minutes.

[ghanima]

Lapushka, when I WCC, even without silicones, it takes indeed 1 min to me too. I find that the two conditioners work really well in that sense, especially if I detangle after soaking the hair for a while, and not immediately after slathering the conditioner. But during the week I like to finger comb the dry hair and there if I'm not careful they'll snap, so it takes much much longer.
I'm close to my solstice trim, so it may be easier after. This thread is super-encouraging, as I see 3-types with no detangling problems, and I wouldn't have expected that!

[lithostoic]

Maybe you ought to try more protective styles. My hair is also very naturally tangly (also thanks to mom, haha) so I don't wear it loose a whole lot. I nearly always wear it braided at night, unless I'm intentionally going for the messy look. If I wore it loose while out and about and was 2b/iii I'd definitely detangle for as long as you do :)

ETA: sometime last year I wore my freshly washed (BSL?) hair loose in the car with the windows down. Big f*****g mistake lol. Had to cut out a few tangles because my fingers were cramping from pulling apart knots after 20 minutes. It was nothing like when I combed out my dreadlocks, though!

[Anje]

Probably a few minutes, morning and evening for me (until I cut it a few months ago, and it's too short to tangle). That's with straight-ish, fine, fingertip-length hair of roughly average thickness, minimally damaged with the entirety of it grown during the time I had been on LHC. I remember it being more tangly when I was a kid and had handled my hair more roughly, so existing damage makes a difference.

A lot of the time is probably going to depend on how you wear your hair. Mine was typically bunned or braided by day, in a satin cap for sleep. It never got much opportunity to get particularly tangled, so combing was little more than a matter of unclumping it. If I left it loose for a day, detangling would take longer, especially if I spent the day outside when it was breezy or dusty. But that didn't really happen, so I spent less time combing my hair than I did brushing my teeth.

[lapushka]

Yes I do ;) I have to balance between my hair's propensity for swift buildup and its need for tangle protection, so I use a thick conditioner with a light silicone to hit that balance. It can't be too heavy and rich because the buildup is real for me, but it can't be too light either because my cobweb tangles are very real too :p Detangling for me depends as much upon the factors of the moment as the products that I use - how much buildup, how long I've gone between washes, whether my hair was in my sleep bun or loose, whether I've just come off a performance or been practicing, whether the weather is humid or dry, all kinds of things.

It seems my hair's behaviour is somewhat unusual as compared to many LHC veterans - it's a game of opposites and I've found that I often have to use a series of so-called 'conflicting' methods relative to my hairtype to get my best hair ;) I don't want to derail the thread so I won't go into details here, but I am making mention of it because I do believe my detangle times get affected ;)

I used to have to strike that balance, but this was at a time where I was a full-on Garnier Fructis user (shampoo) in my teens, and they were (back then) chock full of silicones. Now it's a matter of what kind of GF shampoo you pick.

I full well know how hard it is. :flower: But still, my nosy question still stands (if it doesn't derail too too much, that is). :D ;)

[school of fish]

I used to have to strike that balance, but this was at a time where I was a full-on Garnier Fructis user (shampoo) in my teens, and they were (back then) chock full of silicones. Now it's a matter of what kind of GF shampoo you pick.

I full well know how hard it is. :flower: But still, my nosy question still stands (if it doesn't derail too too much, that is). :D ;)

Hehe, fair enough, it's a valid question! I have actually found that balance for myself, and my hair management feels really low-maintenance now - it just feels like *my* version of low-maintenance takes a different shape than many others here ;)

I'm actually timing my comb-outs throughout the day today to see just how long it takes me. I've done 3 so far - will do 1 or 2 more and report back with results...

[vega]

Wow that's along time, for me maximum 5 minutes, used to be like you but I've introduced hair trims everything months now detangling is a breeze and next to no damage

[ghanima]

wow 3a/3b without detangling problems, this is becoming fast the most inspiring thread for me...

[school of fish]

Reporting back on my comb-out times - I'm intrigued by my findings! Turns out I spend less time detangling than I thought :) Here's what I got:

Out of sleep bun, 7:30am - 5min
Wet detangle after shower, 8:30am - 8min
Morning detangle after hair was worn loose, 11:30am - 4min
Afternoon detangle after wearing hair in bun, 3pm - 6min
Evening detangle after hair was worn loose, 8:30pm - 5min

So - it looks like it takes me roughly 5min to comb out my hair when it's dry, a little longer when it's wet, and it matters little whether it was bunned or worn loose. Now today was an easy detangle day - I'd estimate that on a tangly day it might take an extra few minutes to get the knots out, and after some performances I have a good 20-30min session on my hands.

I would have thought there would be more difference between wearing hair contained or loose, and I had thought an average comb-out would have taken me more than 5min :p

[marvel-lover]

Maybe 5 minutes every now and again. Some days I don't comb my hair, other days I comb it before bed. I also have iii hair and it's fairly wavy/wurly, so I actually like to comb my hair with a wide toothed comb. I usually comb my hair by flipping my hair upside down, then gently combing from the bottom up

[JennyPenny]

When I comb it, I comb my hair for about 2-3 minutes. Sometimes I just take out my braid, give a quick run through each section, and then rebraid, so the average is less than 3 minutes a day. If I keep my hair braided, it is almost always tangle free when I undo it.

[restless]

Oh wow... an hour? Id say my combing sessions last less then one minute (once every evening).

[Chamomile]

Alright, it's interesting to hear from you all. Thanks so much for all your responses! I'm pretty sure my hair is a high porosity; and it takes a very very long time to dry. Even when I keep my hair in a bun or a braid for a day, the style gets tangled together so the braid ends up with a bunch of knots in it. I tried wearing my hair up for a full month starting May 10, it seemed to help a little but not a ton. I typically stick to very heavy moisturizers and I use a good amount of coconut oil on the length of my hair. It seems a good amount of you detangle your hair when it's wet, so I think I'll try that. Your point about it becoming a sort of ritual is also true. Like I need something to keep my hands busy while I watch TV. Maybe I'll take up knitting. Thanks again everyone!

[meteor]

At my current length - about 15-20 minutes... which I think is pretty good, considering the thickness and the fact that I usually only comb my hair every 2-4 days.
Post-wash detangling can take much, much longer though, depending on how much I moved my hair around in the shower. I find it extremely hard to detangle in the shower though, because the hair turns into this dense wall and it's easier to wait for it to dry completely.

What keeps my hair detangled for longer is English-braiding my hair and then putting that braid in a low-manipulation bun. Braided LWB, braided Cinnabuns and Braided L-Infinity buns keep my hair sectioned and prevent excessive tangling. At shorter lengths I had to go for multiple braids and more sectioned buns.

[sumidha]

Heh, I was going to reply but my post would have been almost exactly the same as meteor's response. :laugh:

[laidy]

I brush about a minute :D
I use a wooden brush which works very well for my scalp and detangles my APL hair quite easily. I just ordered a BBB and will try and do 100 strokes a day - we will see you that will work out ;)