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shockinglength
July 11th, 2010, 04:06 PM
Has any other hair types 1b with thickness ii/iii seen any obvious hair improvments/changes by only combing and 'banning the brush?'

jane53
July 11th, 2010, 04:40 PM
I know I've posted this before, but combing is bad for my hair. With brushing, I have less breakage. In fact virtually no breakage.

Capybara
July 11th, 2010, 04:54 PM
I comb just because it's easier, and takes less time than brushing. Also, brushing with a regular brush seems to pull out many more hairs than combing or my BBB.

Jenn of Pence
July 11th, 2010, 05:28 PM
I tried going comb-only after joining LHC, but it was just not working for me. I definitely use the wide-toothed comb to detangle, but the finer combing just took way too long and seemed to be catching and breaking hair. Also, there is just something very satisfying to me about brushing. So a few weeks ago I went back to it. I did purchase a plastic Denman brush and am very satisfied with it; it carefully detangles and also gets down to my scalp (I don't care for boar bristle brushes for this reason; I can only use it as a "smoother," and that isn't personally satisfying to me). I also like the luster a brush gives my hair.
Really, the trick to using any hair "tool" is using it with care...you can brush slowly from the bottom up, or you can rip it through your hair; same with a comb. :)

Kathie
July 11th, 2010, 05:41 PM
I'm a comber. I guess the reason I dont use a brush is I dont like my hair to be smoothed out, for two reasons; I'm growing out bleach and if I brushed my hair back it would make the regrowth line more obvious. A quick comb or finger comb then pulling it back in an updo without smoothing breaks up the regrowth. Also, I have slight waves, and like them, if I brushed these would turn into poof.

Does not using a brush prevent breakage? Well, its not just breakage you have to worry about- brushing or any mechanical manipulation of your hair removes cuticle-scales the effect of which accumulates over a long time. So, the less you handle your hair the smaller this micro-damage is. So I feel that I'm doing less damage with a wide tooth comb rather than a brush. But the results wont show until my hair is loooong!

Lemur_Catta
July 11th, 2010, 05:45 PM
I am 1b/M/ii-iii, and I can't get away with combing only! My hair looks just...messy. I think that one of the good things about having straight hair is that you can brush it to get it smoother.
I usually finger comb, then comb with a wooden wide toothed comb, then brush with a BBB, then put my hair up\wear it down.
If your hair looks fine without brushing, though, you don't have to.

Cinnamoon
July 11th, 2010, 05:55 PM
Yes! I switched from brushing only to combing only just last week, and already my hair is ten times softer and much less frizzy! I love it! I use a wide toothed comb, and go slowly to avoid breakage.

rosek
July 11th, 2010, 06:36 PM
I switched to combing about two months ago. I only need to do it once a day. I find my hair is much smoother, and combing holds the small waves I have much better. I find it detangles without ripping through knots like a brush does. I use a Mason Pearson rake comb, and don't bother with finer combing. I found that after I detangled with a comb, using my old brush didn't remove any more tangles.

slythwolf
July 11th, 2010, 06:39 PM
Brushes do not detangle my hair. They only smooth the surface. I would have to section like a maniac to detangle with a brush. Combing and finger combing only here.

Ivy~Rose
July 11th, 2010, 06:59 PM
My hair's not quite that thick, but I only wide tooth comb now (small brush for top of head part-hiding work). I don't need my hair more detangled than the comb gets it. This also forces me to pay more attention and take my time while working with my hair.

Of course I still get hairs in my comb, but when I brushed, I was way more likely to just drag it straight through and pull a bunch of hair out. I hardly ever wear my hair down or in a ponytail, so if it's detangled enough to braid or bun, it's good. Plus, I don't know whether it's coincidence or not, but since I've been using a comb, I've been getting a whole lot fewer splits.

When I brush, it gets rid of any waves I have except for a bent-looking section around my shoulderblades. That's why I always thought my hair was stick-straight! With a comb, I get to have some wavies still, and it looks better.

Jenn of Pence
July 11th, 2010, 08:00 PM
When I brush, it gets rid of any waves I have except for a bent-looking section around my shoulderblades. That's why I always thought my hair was stick-straight! With a comb, I get to have some wavies still, and it looks better.

So funny...I prefer to minimize my waves, so maybe that's why I like to brush, hehe :D (Although one of these days I'll get brave and see how wavy I really am!) Every day I learn to appreciate more and more how unique each person's style and preferences are.

LadyJennifer
July 11th, 2010, 08:18 PM
I tried combing only, but it only breaks my hair. I use a Bass bamboo paddle brush and it works wonderfully for my thick, wavy hair. I do use a wide-tooth comb in the shower though. I only brush a couple of times a week - like right before I wash my hair. Sometimes more if I feel my scalp needs more stimulation. I have no breakage unless I use heat - then it starts splitting and breaking right and left!

spidermom
July 11th, 2010, 08:41 PM
Different hair type, but I gave up brushing for an entire year to see if it would benefit my hair. Nope; my hair was in exactly the same condition.

I find a comb detangles much easier than a brush. The few times I had to use a brush before detangling with a comb, I could hear hairs breaking no matter how careful I was.

Like they say - different strokes.

Charlotte:)
July 11th, 2010, 09:30 PM
Brushing my hair makes it get greasy faster, so I use a wide tooth comb to detangle. I do use a brush after my hair has dried after a shower though. I also use a brush to style it or else it won't lay flat.

Dragon
July 12th, 2010, 02:39 AM
I brush my hair when dry. Combing breaks my hair when dry. When its wet, I use a wide tooth comb. Today my hair got in the worst tangled mess its been in for several years because of somthing dumb I did but I had to wet it first and put some leave in conditioner through it to help comb out the knots. It was the only way to avoid damage. It took a while but got the worst of the knots out and brushed out the rest when dry. As brushing my hair wet damages it. So I find I benifit from both.

Nera
July 12th, 2010, 06:16 AM
I brush my hair when wet. It's the only way for me. I can not get out all the tangles with a comb or with my fingers, no way.

jane53
July 12th, 2010, 06:19 AM
I brush my hair when wet. It's the only way for me. I can not get out all the tangles with a comb or with my fingers, no way.

Your hair is curly, right?

If I do anything to my hair when wet, I brush it. The sound of snapping, breaking hair when I comb is just too painful!

Because my hair is straight, if I wash before bed, I just braid it without brushing it, and in the morning, the brush runs through my hair without encountering any tangles.

09robiha
July 12th, 2010, 06:45 AM
Ok so Im not the same hair type as you but I benefit from both. A denman brush is really amazing for me, I get NO hair in the brush and no breakage from it when I use it on wet or damp hair to smooth it into an updo. That being said I always detangle with a wide toothed comb and never brush dry.

shockinglength
July 12th, 2010, 06:50 PM
Thanks everyone! I am going to try only combing for a while and see how it goes....how long will it take to see an outcome?

Yamainu
July 13th, 2010, 03:31 AM
Once I got a comb I like, I missed my brush a lot less. I haven't been able to figure out the BBB, so I was just using one of the ball tipped paddle brushes. I finally sanded my horn comb's tips to the way I like it, and now I'm much happier with my hair.

I think combing forces me to go slower, and not just rip through tangles like I tend to do with a brush.

shockinglength
July 13th, 2010, 10:24 AM
Yup, that's what I've noticed over the past few days too!

freznow
July 13th, 2010, 10:40 AM
Brushing makes my hair look flatter and seems to make it get greasy faster, too. I use a wide toothed horn comb, it detangles like a dream.

Yamainu
July 14th, 2010, 03:13 AM
Maybe it carries the sebum from near the roots down to "grease" the tangle a bit?

Ashera
July 14th, 2010, 03:41 PM
I haven't used a comb or a brush in about three and a half decades.

I used to show Arabian Horses and they needed to have tails to the ground, forelock to their noses and mane down to their point of shoulder.

To achieve this I always hand picked out their various hair parts and then braided them after to keep the tangles to a minimum. It worked. (my motto was if you're not going to parade it - braid it)

So, I thought it would work with me as well, and it has. Until just last year I had tail bone length hair - bleached and all and I'm in my mid-50's. But, meds and too much bleach overlap have caused me to abandon the bleach and return to my natural color. But, I still hand pick it out after I wash it and my beloved spouse does it every night before I braid it up.

I'm hopeful I'll be back to tail bone length by the end of next year. :)

Ashera

LadyLongLocks
July 14th, 2010, 08:48 PM
I comb 99% of the time with a wide tooth comb. The only time I use a brush is when I blow dry just to hold the hair in place. I now find that the brush creates knots at my length! I can hardly get through it with a brush now.
Combing is so much better for my hair. I can hear the hair snap with the brush!

charalito
August 30th, 2010, 10:19 AM
I only used a comb for detangling, but it was a wide tooth plastic comb, so there was no love between us. For everything else there was my trusty bbb. I just purchased a pretty sandalwood comb and there is no way to compare it to the hideous plastic combs! It's amazing. I'm going to start brushing less and combing more to see if there's a difference in my hair.

teela1978
August 30th, 2010, 10:38 AM
I brush rarely... maybe 1-2 times a year, usually when staying at my mom's and I forgot to bring a comb so I use her brush. I don't think its more damaging, but it pulls more when it hits knots. I think that's more of a technique issue though, I find it easier to keep a loose grip to slide over knots with a comb than with a brush so brushing yanks and pulls my scalp more than a comb does. I'd leave it up to personal preference. If you prefer brushing to combing, go for it. I prefer combing.