Combing or brushing?????

[Carina]

I am thinking about stop brushing my hair.I always detangle with a comb but use a brush for updos.I am on a quest to find out why I always shed so much hair.I don't like to see so much hair in my boar bristle brush.When I comb I see so much less hair leaving my scalp:p.How do you do when it comes to brushing/combing?This shedding is really getting to me.I do take my daily supplements.It feels like I shed more hair and never will get it down to waist.:(:wail: ever.The Tangle Teezer makes me shed a lot too.

[MuzicalH3rb]

I gave up my brush a couple months ago, and switched to just using my wide tooth comb. My hair, definitely, feels thicker to me and has way less damage than before.

[spidermom]

I gave up my brush for an entire year and saw no difference whatsoever in my hair. When I got a new brush, however, I got a Goody Jojoba Infused Paddle Brush, the main attraction being that it's a paddle brush with very soft bristles. I don't like the BBBs very much and almost never touch one anymore.

Good luck finding out why so much shedding and correcting the condition.

[Quixii]

I brush. I don't want to know how long it would take me to comb every morning. D=
I've got to admit, though - since I joined this site, I've been more curious about brushing vs. combing. As far as I know the only comb in my house is my mother's, which I believe would be thin toothed. I'd like to try a wide toothed and see if it makes a difference. I wonder if more people have results like spidermom's.. or not?

[Sarahmoon]

I vote combing. My ends get damaged much less quickly, waves stay in longer and my hair doesn't get static anymore since I quit brushing.

[LittleOrca]

I comb out my hair to get it tangle free and keep the comb with me to work at it if needed when I wear my hair down. When it comes to updos, I usually use my BB Brush to get my hair up and in position for my updo, but only after ALL the tangles are gone.

[manderly]

I'm surprised to see that at a 2c you use a BBB for daily use! That would pull out all my waves and turn me into a brillo pad.

Definitely invest in a nice wide-tooth comb :) I like the horn ladies combs from Heavenly Harvest.

[Natalia]

I posted almost the exact same thing when i first joined. With everyones advice in mind i decided it was worth it too switch to combing exclusivly. I have only been at it for a few months (with only 3 slip up brushings :) ) but i feel good about it. I hear alot less snapping and breakage and detangling actually goes much faster! It will be a while before i se results :( becasue ive lost about a third of my hair due to health problems :'( but at least its helping me keep what isnt falling out. Along with deep conditioning and regular oilings i feel like my ends have been helped. Obviosuly you cant fix damage just prevent it and combing seems to do good for me. Good luck! Ihope your shedding resolves

[ReddishRocks]

For my hair type, I've found combing to be the best option for me. I get greater control, which means I get less breakage. It definitely takes longer, but it forces me to comb out smaller clumps at a time. I pay closer attention that way too. :)

I don't get the benefit of the BBB spreading my natural scalp oils like I used to though. The brushing caused my hair to be much straighter, and definitely bushier near the bottom. The look just didn't work for me, LOL!

[Masara]

I comb to detangle but I prefer using a brush to get my hair nicely into updos ( and I like the feel of a brush on my head) I have a BBB somewhere but I haven't used it for ages because it felt like it was doing more harm than good on my fine hair. I much prefer paddle brushes. I feel like they go through my hair the same sort of way a comb does. I've got a Boot's one and a Denman. I also have a mason pearson nylon/bristle brush which is nice but I wouldn't use it every day.

[masterofmidgets]

I use a wide-tooth wooden comb at night to detangle before I braid it - it lets me go nice and slow and get all the knots out, even if I do end up a bit bushy-headed (although nothing like I used to end up with when I used a plastic comb). I shed some when I do that, but not a ton. And it's very relaxing!

I almost never use a brush on the length unless I absolutely don't have a choice, anymore. I toss and turn so much in my sleep, though, that I wake up with my hair a fuzzy halo around my face, even with braids in, so I usually use my BBB really lightly just to smooth it out. And I don't brush past my ears, so I don't break up the waves and end up with a frizz-head.

[Flynn]

I think you see more hairs on your BBB than on your comb not because the BBB is pulling out or breaking any, but because it's picking them up better than the comb does. The only time I've use a BBB recently was to remove fluff from my hair. They're very good at gently picking things up.

My hair hates combing, but will tolerate brushing. Guess which one I prefer.

[Aditi]

Have you tried finger combing your hair before brushing/combing? I am guessing that would be a lot of help for you. As for me i am comfortable with my wooden wide-toothed comb then brushing.

[Carina]

I'm surprised to see that at a 2c you use a BBB for daily use! That would pull out all my waves and turn me into a brillo pad.

Definitely invest in a nice wide-tooth comb :) I like the horn ladies combs from Heavenly Harvest.

I use a bbb before I wash and when I do updos.But I do look like a frizz head when I do use it.LOL!!!I will invest in a comb;).

[Carina]

Have you tried finger combing your hair before brushing/combing? I am guessing that would be a lot of help for you. As for me i am comfortable with my wooden wide-toothed comb then brushing.

Finger combing does not work at all for me the last time I tried it.I might give it a go again.

[Carina]

Thanks for all the good advice you have given me.I will try to put all my brushes in a drawer and forget about them.I do like the scalpmassage a BBB give me.:cheese:

[shrimp]

I do neither. I don't finger comb either as that doesn't work for me. Even when I straighten my curls I only ever comb when washing (which is every 3-4 days). My hair has never been happier (although the shower sheds can look fairly scary at times :lol: )

[heidi w.]

I recommend detangling with a very wide tooth comb. This means the space between the teeth are more widely set apart than the average comb.

You want to search for a comb with no seams, if you go this route.

I like a plastic comb (again, these tend to have seams in many instances). But it's not a bad idea to try other combs, such as a wooden comb. Recently discussed in another thread on wooden combs are some such combs.

When switching from brushing, it can take a little practice to get used to.

Some like detangling with their fingers. I find this actually tears out more hair for myself, but many have very good results. I find this result better for those with curlier or more body than I possess. (I'm a stick straight gal!)

ON A BOAR BRISTLE BRUSH (BBB)
Folks, a BBB is NOT a brush for detangling! Some use it this way with positive results; yet, for most, this will not be the experience.

In my oiling tutorial in articles section of LHC, I discuss using this brush for distributing oil -- that is as a "polishing" tool AFTER hair is detangled!

Never use a BBB on wet hair. Period.

Those with curlier hair textures, brushes and combs of any kind can be problematic, especially a BBB. These tools then separate the coils of curly strands and for the curliest folks can invoke the dreaded frizz! Curly folks tend to like the results from scrunching the hair while damp, and using heavier conditioners or CO hair washing methods. For this hair type/texture, the more usual oils also tend to not have the greatest results. For the curliest heavier shea butter gets a big vote. My girlfriend, a very, very corkscrew curly headed person, uses a trace amount of shampoo on the top of her head only, diluting heavily, then applies conditioner (I think cholesterol), and LUVS her hair now. She has also completely ceased using any detangling tools on her fun mass of furls (per my recommendation). And now her hair is a bit beyond BSL. ETA: I also suggested she use a wide tooth comb in the shower only, during hair wash, to work through her conditioner. Apply her conditioner (cholesterol), dip the comb over&over in the vat of cholesterol, and using shower water, detangle a bit to work the conditioner of choice through. But scrunch the hair (consider plopping!) and let the coils of hair come back together. Don't separate them with any tools of detangling. In her instance, she doesn't detangle at all. Even finger detangling produces separation and thus frizz. END ETA

If someone wants more info on BBBing, I can provide it. Please then ask.

heidi w.

[Pixna]

I recently stopped brushing (about a month ago) and am using only a wide-tooth handmade comb. Although I love the feeling of a brush and I love my Denman, my hair stays wavier when I don't brush. Also, oddly enough, I am finding that I can go longer between washes if I DON'T brush. Shedding and breakage seem lessened as well.

[hellkitty]

As a nearly stick-straight hair type, I swear by my BBB. I think that part of our mixed results may be from hair texture--curlies don't do so well with brushing, and us straighter haired gals do better.

Not to sound nuts, but I use both: I have a plain wooden comb, rather wide toothed, that I use to detangle. Because I've started oiling and conditioning so well, I don't have many tangles at all to begin with (also because I just about never wear my hair down!). The comb is my detangler, and also my lazy woman's scalp massage--my brushes cannot penetrate to my scalp--of course, they're not meant to, right? So I work that comb along the scalp to start the whole hair oils thing going. I try to do a real scalp massage a few times a week, but this is my in-between I won't forget to do it thing.

So a few moments with the comb to make sure no tanglies are there, and I switch to my beloved BBB. My hair may be thin, but it feels so *silky* after a good brushing. Also, with a little oil, I've had very little problem with frizzies or flyaways. Even my 'halo' behaves better after an oil and brush combo.

HK

[heidi w.]

As a nearly stick-straight hair type, I swear by my BBB. I think that part of our mixed results may be from hair texture--curlies don't do so well with brushing, and us straighter haired gals do better.

Not to sound nuts, but I use both: I have a plain wooden comb, rather wide toothed, that I use to detangle. Because I've started oiling and conditioning so well, I don't have many tangles at all to begin with (also because I just about never wear my hair down!). The comb is my detangler, and also my lazy woman's scalp massage--my brushes cannot penetrate to my scalp--of course, they're not meant to, right? So I work that comb along the scalp to start the whole hair oils thing going. I try to do a real scalp massage a few times a week, but this is my in-between I won't forget to do it thing.

So a few moments with the comb to make sure no tanglies are there, and I switch to my beloved BBB. My hair may be thin, but it feels so *silky* after a good brushing. Also, with a little oil, I've had very little problem with frizzies or flyaways. Even my 'halo' behaves better after an oil and brush combo.

HK

This is pretty much how I would recommend using a BBB -- after detangling, with a little oil, dry hair. Correct -- it doesn't penetrate everyone's thickness to the scalp skin. Many have to use the BBB topside and underside of length separately.

heidi w.

[L4dybug]

I mostly use my wide tooth comb. I have just bought a bbb, and I am not too crazy about it, I like my paddle brush better.