Anyone else have bad brushing experience?..

[Bunnyhare]

Hi all! I jsut have a question..I started W/o after joining here to try and help with medical hair loss..i also got a boar bristle brush to help move the sebum down the hair and clean it..but I really feel like my hair does NOT like to be brushed..it gets really wild looking, and feels..wierd. like it got coarse-er and fuzzy...i do have naturally curly hair but usually brushing did not freak it out this bad...is it the no cones? do some hair types not benefit from brushing? Thanks for any input! i feel guilty not brushing..but it looks and feel SO bad when i do..:confused:Thank you!

[redcelticcurls]

Lots of wavies and curlies choose not to brush their hair - at least for a look for leaving the house, lol.

Some use one for updos or detangling or product distribution.

But, for styling, this thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=7003&highlight=brush) shows why lots of wavies and curlies don't brush.

[Speckla]

I have a brush that I use for detangling sometimes and to distribute product. I won't brush my hair for going out because it makes my hair too big and frizzy. A brush is fine as long as it doesn't damage/break your hair but I'd save that for the above mentioned reasons and use a widetooth comb and a lot of leave-in conditioner for detangling on days you're going out.

[jera]

Hi all! I jsut have a question..I started W/o after joining here to try and help with medical hair loss..i also got a boar bristle brush to help move the sebum down the hair and clean it..but I really feel like my hair does NOT like to be brushed..it gets really wild looking, and feels..wierd. like it got coarse-er and fuzzy...i do have naturally curly hair but usually brushing did not freak it out this bad...is it the no cones? do some hair types not benefit from brushing? Thanks for any input! i feel guilty not brushing..but it looks and feel SO bad when i do..:confused:Thank you!

Truthfully, boar bristle brushes never helped me at all. So I switched to combing which my hair prefers, but my hair is not as curly as yours. Hmmnn. :confused: I don't know why your hair doesn't like the brush. It could just be your texture prefers something with wider teeth or spaces. :)

[Merewen]

I actually got rid of all my brushes recently, so I don't brush at all. Do what your hair likes. Instead of feeling guilty, you can admire your beautiful non-brushed texture.

[CindyLea1]

Boar bristle brushes KILL :hatchet: my hair! I tried it once, never again. I had soo much breakage, and the brush actually tangled my hair!!! Wet, dry, damp, oily, clean, cones, no cones, it was all nasty.

Maybe you can detangle with a wider tooth comb, or something then try the BBB. Or try oiling your hair a titch and then using the BBB?? Some brushes have a mix of boar bristles and regular pins, one of these might work well for you, also.

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

the boar bristle brush (BBB) is far too harsh on my hair.. I use a wide tooth smoothed comb to comb my hair, I only brush when I am pulling it back to smooth the hair out, and for that I use a baby brush. Just the regular infant brushes you can buy at nearly any store. Its softer than the BBB and doesn't damage my hair

[krissykins]

Boar bristle brushes cause a lot of damage in my hair. Maybe try using a comb to distribute the sebum??

[klcqtee]

My hair when it is long is a 2b/2c as well. ( I can't explain how it works) I know that I simply could not brush my hair without it frizzing up and exploding into a giant poof ball. I shower every other day (oily scalp and a physical job) and I only brush my hair right before I shower. If it becomes messy, or if I went longer between washes I would finger comb it then oil (lightly) and scrunch it back into curls. This kept it from poofing. As far as distributing oil, I never had a problem because it gets so oily.

Good luck!

[ReddishRocks]

Boar bristle brushes cause a lot of damage in my hair. Maybe try using a comb to distribute the sebum??
Yeah, maybe you can get a wooden comb to distribute your oils.

I can't think of a POSITIVE brushing experience I've ever had! Curly hair tends to be more porous than straighter hair, and our cuticles are more apt to expand when dry. Brushing can further roughen the cuticle.

Being WO with curly/wavy hair is a brave thing! Did you clarify your hair with SLS before starting WO? If you were using 'cones before and didn't clarify, that could be part of your issue. 'Cones also do a great job at masking damage - it may take some time for your WO routine to positively affect your hair. Are you going straight from conventional washing to WO, or were you CO before that?

I hope you get it worked out! :flower:

[demitasse]

Brushes make my hair go poof too. I use a wide toothed comb only. I don't get many tangles but I use wet and dry. I've got a brush somewhere for styling but haven't used it in months.

The one time I tried a boar bristle brush—the kind with soft bristles—it just glanced off my hair. My hair is so thick and coarse, a brush has to be industrial strength to get through it. Couldn't even get a round brush through it when I used to straighten it. My hair is definitely happy with a nice combing rather than a brushing.

Don't feel guilty. You just need to find the tools that work with your hair texture, not someone else's.

[Bunnyhare]

Yeah, maybe you can get a wooden comb to distribute your oils.

I can't think of a POSITIVE brushing experience I've ever had! Curly hair tends to be more porous than straighter hair, and our cuticles are more apt to expand when dry. Brushing can further roughen the cuticle.

Being WO with curly/wavy hair is a brave thing! Did you clarify your hair with SLS before starting WO? If you were using 'cones before and didn't clarify, that could be part of your issue. 'Cones also do a great job at masking damage - it may take some time for your WO routine to positively affect your hair. Are you going straight from conventional washing to WO, or were you CO before that?

I hope you get it worked out! :flower:

I did not clarifly before going W/O ..I tried C/O one time and it was a disaster so i am just w/o ...i got a shampoo bar recently because during the summer i get too sweaty to not use some shampoo...maybe i am still transitioning? do the cones hang around that long? (I started april1)...I thought you HAD to brush! I am so glad you all know what i am talking about! are the BBB's something tradebale on the swap board?:p
What is SLS again? i am sure i read it at some point..

[ReddishRocks]

Sorry! SLS is sodium lauryl sulfate, which is a surfactant that removes silicones. There are other, less harsh surfactants that can remove silicones, but SLS is easiest to come by. :)

Now, shampoo bars were very tough for me to use. I really think it's due to the hard water around here... Shampoo bars are often alkaline, which can mess with your hair and scalp's pH balance. Hair and scalp skin are more on the acidic side, so...

Interesting info: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-shampoo-bars and http://livecurlylivefree.blogspot.com/2008/12/shampoo-bars-and-acv-rinses.html

All that said, I know a lot of gals who love shampoo bars! I'm just not one of them. ;) Knowledge is power!

[Dementia1013]

My hair only likes the BBB when it's heavily oiled. Any other time, and it's friz city. I stick to wide tooth bone combs and a small tooth wood comb, for getting my hair smooth for updos.

[Bunnyhare]

Sorry! SLS is sodium lauryl sulfate, which is a surfactant that removes silicones. There are other, less harsh surfactants that can remove silicones, but SLS is easiest to come by. :)

Now, shampoo bars were very tough for me to use. I really think it's due to the hard water around here... Shampoo bars are often alkaline, which can mess with your hair and scalp's pH balance. Hair and scalp skin are more on the acidic side, so...

Interesting info: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-shampoo-bars and http://livecurlylivefree.blogspot.com/2008/12/shampoo-bars-and-acv-rinses.html

All that said, I know a lot of gals who love shampoo bars! I'm just not one of them. ;) Knowledge is power!
so do they sell the SLS like that or is it IN things? where would one get it?

[ReddishRocks]

SLS is the thing that's surfactant in most shampoo. ;) It's in almost every single commercially-popular shampoo you'll find in a store (Suave, Herbal Essences, V05, etc etc etc). It's usually the number 2 ingredient behind water.

Obviously I don't know much about your CO experience, but I think many people go about CO without understanding the chemistry behind it. It's very difficult to have a positive CO experience without watching your 'cone/surfactant issues. And 'cones aren't always CONES, like Cyclopentasiloxane... 'cone in disguise! And polyquats build up something fierce too on some people's hair. :)

This is a very helpful blog post about the basics of CO (which is often called CG - Curly Girl - on some of the other boards I frequent): http://dormroomcurly.blogspot.com/2008/12/style-definitions-table.html Now, that may be different than what you are trying to accomplish, but it's the essence of what I use, and RedCelticCurls uses a similar method as well. :flower:

Was there something about WO that appealed to you? I know it works for lots of gals too! My concern in trying it for me is that whole oil distribution issue you're dealing with. I also live in a semi-arid climate with hard water issues... too many variables for me to work out yet. ;)

[Moonstruck]

Haha, even as a straight haired person... I don't brush unless it's to sorta smooth out my look if I'm doing something like an updo. It doesn't do anything for me, and like everyone else that chimed in here, it's probably completely unnecessary for you.

I'd recommend clarifying before trying any new haircare regime. Gives you a clean (albeit portentially frizzy, untamed) palette to start with to see how your hair responds, you know?

[Dyan]

I say this as someone who is at my ten (or is it eleven?) week mark of successful WO........

If your hair doesn't like brushing, then don't brush it. :) I think you can do distribute your natural oils just as well with your fingers as you can with a brush.

While my hair isn't curly or overly wavy, it is very fragile. As a result, I rarely brush my hair because all I hear is 'snap.... snap........ snap' when I do try to brush. On the times that I do use my brush, I limit it to a very light run over the crown of my head. That seems to bring the oils up and I can take it from there with my fingers to pull oil toward my ends.

[Melisande]

I never liked brushes, and for many years I haven't used one. Brushes break my hair, tug at it, and a BBB is no better for me than any other brush.

Lately, I ordered Tangle Teezers for my daughters, and had to order one for me, too. I'm surprised how un-brushy it feels. I use it before I wash my hair to untangle and to massage my scalp, usually with some oil. My scalp doesn't produce much sebum so I have to add oil anyway.

The TT doesn't damage my hair, but for everyday use, it would be overkill for me. I live in happy coexistence with my Heavenly Harvest horn comb, one of the best investments I ever did. It leaves my hair smooth and shiney and doesn't break my hair. I can heartily recommend a wide toothed horn comb as very gentle instrument to detangle and to massage your scalp gently.

Don't forget your fingers. They are gentler than even the horn comb... Scritch and preen, that's a good method for distributing oils to your hair. And the lengths may need extra oil anyway.

[Bunnyhare]

SLS is the thing that's surfactant in most shampoo. ;) It's in almost every single commercially-popular shampoo you'll find in a store (Suave, Herbal Essences, V05, etc etc etc). It's usually the number 2 ingredient behind water.

Obviously I don't know much about your CO experience, but I think many people go about CO without understanding the chemistry behind it. It's very difficult to have a positive CO experience without watching your 'cone/surfactant issues. And 'cones aren't always CONES, like Cyclopentasiloxane... 'cone in disguise! And polyquats build up something fierce too on some people's hair. :)

This is a very helpful blog post about the basics of CO (which is often called CG - Curly Girl - on some of the other boards I frequent): http://dormroomcurly.blogspot.com/2008/12/style-definitions-table.html Now, that may be different than what you are trying to accomplish, but it's the essence of what I use, and RedCelticCurls uses a similar method as well. :flower:

Was there something about WO that appealed to you? I know it works for lots of gals too! My concern in trying it for me is that whole oil distribution issue you're dealing with. I also live in a semi-arid climate with hard water issues... too many variables for me to work out yet. ;)

thanks for the links, i will read them today for sure..i went to WO because of medical hairloss,..my body hated the drug regimen more than the disease so i went cold turkey on meds and decided to do so with my hair as well..plus i did not have the money to spend on all the product so it was perfect! but after about 6 weeks my ends got really dry and i tried the CO and ..MESS! so i need to read more..
Thank you all for the confirmation about not brushing..i have a wide tooth plastic comb, but i have always done good not combing or brushing so i will just stick with that!(well, just finger combing i should say) You are all a great help and comfort to me!THANK YOU!