No combing thread

[Bller]

First of all, hello to you all, it has been a while since i last posted around here, but i have this maybe stupid but curious question i want to ask.
I don`t know if this was posted else where in the forum, i can`t use the search function, it give me a domain problem message.
Anyway, my hair is quite wavy and I use to have this problem with my hair being greasy after any comb, so i thought like, why comb it at all, so i stopped combing it with a large tooth comb, and only finger combing it after it dries, at it seems to me, it stays less tangled than before, when i was combing it with the comb, and this could save my ends big time. But the problem is, that i don`t really know if this is a bad thing to do, i mean not combing it thoroughly. I quite happy with the way it looks and feels in my head right now, but i worry about damaging the roots or something by not combing it.
And if this is a no combing thread, maybe some of you no comb`ers might stop by and give me a tip about keeping my hair healthy without a comb, i know the curly and wavy guys and girls will surely stop by.
Thanks allot !

[JenniferNoel]

I might just join this. I almost never use a comb or brush, I get by with finger combing only just fine. It means less breakage to me and also less hassle, and my roots have never experienced any damage.

[Bller]

I might just join this. I almost never use a comb or brush, I get by with finger combing only just fine. It means less breakage to me and also less hassle, and my roots have never experienced any damage.

we have quite similar hair types as i see in your specs bellow the avatar. And thanks for the join, will be a great place for us to chat comb free problems :)

[ghost]

I'm on maybe day 4 of no combing? So far it works out ok -I have really wavy hair and coming it only makes the waves less defined. After a shower, I wait until it's almost dry, and then I braid it so it doesn't frizz. This way, it doesn't tangle and the braiding keeps the waves more pronounced.

[Bller]

I'm on maybe day 4 of no combing? So far it works out ok -I have really wavy hair and coming it only makes the waves less defined. After a shower, I wait until it's almost dry, and then I braid it so it doesn't frizz. This way, it doesn't tangle and the braiding keeps the waves more pronounced.

I`m almost mid back length and i`m not able to braid my hair at all, i get this horrible hand ache and i just can`t do that damn braid to look as a braid, and not some tangled hair mess. I have to train my arms to make them endure that friggin pain

[farewell_nancy]

I started doing that a couple months back on days I air dry. They're my best hair days by far, but the drying takes I while so I can't do it all the time.

[Bller]

I started doing that a couple months back on days I air dry. They're my best hair days by far, but the drying takes I while so I can't do it all the time.

I air dry my hair too. And i enjoy my hair whilst it`s wet, its such fun :D, i don`t really mind the waiting, In fact in summer time, i often go outside right after i get out of the shower, it dries faster, we have like 36 37*C like all the time, so i can`t catch a flu.

[shawty]

I comb my hair only occasionally (every few days I think) and it is just for styling purposes, to get it to dry in the shape I want. Recently I went through a period of time when I didn't have a comb or brush, so I didn't for about two months, and my hair was the same. I don't think you'll do any harm by putting down the comb.

[sarahbrownie]

Not be a debby downer but would not combing risk the roots to dreading? I rarely brush my hair but combing is essential. It could be my hair but I went on a vacation to the city and forgot my hair stuff and for four days I didn't comb (finger combing is the exception) and it took lots of oil and patience to get out the knots that developed.

[Merewen]

Not be a debby downer but would not combing risk the roots to dreading? I rarely brush my hair but combing is essential. It could be my hair but I went on a vacation to the city and forgot my hair stuff and for four days I didn't comb (finger combing is the exception) and it took lots of oil and patience to get out the knots that developed.

Your hair shouldn't dread if you are detangling it every so often, comb or no.

I only use a comb in the shower, when my hair is soaked in conditioner. I only wash my hair once a week or so. Honestly, I don't think it even needs that. I've forgotten to do it before and didn't notice a whole lot of difference after my hair was dry. My hair is not more tangly right before I wash it than it was at the beginning of the week since I detangle with my fingers as needed.

So I'm sort of a non-comber.

[spidermom]

I drag more hairs out with my fingers than I do with a comb. I can't imagine going no-combing.

[akhkharu]

I can't get my hair to look smooth without a comb so I'd never try this, but my boyfriend has waist length 1a/F/i hair and he only combs it when it's full of conditioner. Otherwise, he fingercombs once or twice a day and it looks great! My point is that no-combing isn't only for the wavy- and curly-haired.

[angelshair]

I've decided to try a no-combing routine. I mean, logically, even the gentlest of brushing should cause "damage" to the hair, however slight, and my hair is really prone to breakage. I'm thinking about the whole "What would happen if you brushed a piece of antique lace everyday?" kinda thing.

I'm thinking of trying to only finger-comb in the shower and leave it as is (combs and brushes on wet hair cause breakage on my hair). If I wear it up between washes there shouldn't be any dread-locking, and if I only detangle in the shower with conditioner under running water, it doesn't matter if my hair is slightly tangled, because you don't break your hair before you actually start to untangle it. It's been a real challenge to not brush it when dry either because it feels so good and looks much better, but since I wear my hair up all the time to not get tangles for this to work, I suppose brushing for styling is redundant.

So far, (1 1/2 month) I've noticed that after an initial adjustment period my hair has actually become less tangled (??!) and I always thought I had really tangle-prone hair. I braid my hair right out of the shower, and give myself daily scalp massages (to increase blood circulation) and oil my hair. There must be someone here who has tried this method? Any comments?

[phoepha]

I tried it once for about 3 months, but that has resulted in a major hairloss for me. I think I should have paid more attention to scalp massages, as I definitely wasn't getting enough blood circulation in my scalp. now I'm back to combing with a wide tooth comb.

[haibane]

I've decided to try a no-combing routine. I mean, logically, even the gentlest of brushing should cause "damage" to the hair, however slight, and my hair is really prone to breakage. I'm thinking about the whole "What would happen if you brushed a piece of antique lace everyday?" kinda thing.

I'm thinking of trying to only finger-comb in the shower and leave it as is (combs and brushes on wet hair cause breakage on my hair). If I wear it up between washes there shouldn't be any dread-locking, and if I only detangle in the shower with conditioner under running water, it doesn't matter if my hair is slightly tangled, because you don't break your hair before you actually start to untangle it. It's been a real challenge to not brush it when dry either because it feels so good and looks much better, but since I wear my hair up all the time to not get tangles for this to work, I suppose brushing for styling is redundant.

So far, (1 1/2 month) I've noticed that after an initial adjustment period my hair has actually become less tangled (??!) and I always thought I had really tangle-prone hair. I braid my hair right out of the shower, and give myself daily scalp massages (to increase blood circulation) and oil my hair. There must be someone here who has tried this method? Any comments?
Welcome to LHC! :blossom:
I am on a no combing, no brushing, not even fingercombing routine since a few months now. For me it really does help prevent breakage and split ends.
There aren't a lot of us around, but I have seen a few other older threads. One other poster also mentioned her hair getting less tangly with time.

[Madora]

Not combing your hair? Man, is THAT asking for problems!

Most hair has a tendency to tangle..some types more than others. And if you don't address the tangles by COMBING and detangling, you are in for a boatload of angst! The tangled hairs will draw others to them...like a tumbleweed grows by picking up more stuff.

When you finally locate that snarl, it can be a Godawful disaster..and maybe the only solution is cutting it off! And those snarls can be TINY and HIDE under your canopy..or worse, at the nape of your neck.

Please, for the love of God..comb your hair..at least once a day. Do it slowly..work from the ends up to the scalp, with a wide tooth comb! Your comb will also help your scalp feel better.

Finger combing has its purposes..but if you want beautiful, well cared for hair, comb it...daily!

[haibane]

Not combing your hair? Man, is THAT asking for problems!

Most hair has a tendency to tangle..some types more than others. And if you don't address the tangles by COMBING and detangling, you are in for a boatload of angst! The tangled hairs will draw others to them...like a tumbleweed grows by picking up more stuff.

When you finally locate that snarl, it can be a Godawful disaster..and maybe the only solution is cutting it off! And those snarls can be TINY and HIDE under your canopy..or worse, at the nape of your neck.

Please, for the love of God..comb your hair..at least once a day. Do it slowly..work from the ends up to the scalp, with a wide tooth comb! Your comb will also help your scalp feel better.

Finger combing has its purposes..but if you want beautiful, well cared for hair, comb it...daily!
It's nice that you're so concerned, but I really don't think anyone is going to stop detangling their hair and just leave it there to matte up. Nor is anyone advocating that.

But this is another YMMV issue. Hair is different, and some hair (like mine) really is not prone to tangling. Like I said, I havent even finger combed in months now, and no I don't have secret snarls hiding somewhere, my hair is way too fine and thin to hide anything, lol.

Frankly, I don't even think my routine is odd, it's just the kind of routine mostly used by curlies. Many of those with curly hair don't comb their hair at all between washes because it makes their hair frizzy, so why can't I do the same even though my hair is straight?
The only difference is that many curlies detangle before or during washing, but I don't even need to do that because there are no tangles.

But I know my hair is pretty unusual (though I have seen a few others on here with hair that doesn't really tangle, it's not unique) so I don't go around recommending it, but in a thread about not combing, I am going to talk about it.

And as for how beautiful or well cared for my hair is, I see this as a type of benign neglect, which in various forms is highly beneficial to many. I have other parts of my routine that are complicated and cumbersome, but this isn't one of them.

[fluffybunny]

I'm a non-comber. My individual strands just aren't uniform and parallel by nature, so dragging a comb or brush through seems to create more knots and tangles than it removes. I finger-detangle the occasional knot or else just use lots of conditioner in the shower.

[HintOfMint]

Not combing your hair? Man, is THAT asking for problems!

Most hair has a tendency to tangle..some types more than others. And if you don't address the tangles by COMBING and detangling, you are in for a boatload of angst! The tangled hairs will draw others to them...like a tumbleweed grows by picking up more stuff.

When you finally locate that snarl, it can be a Godawful disaster..and maybe the only solution is cutting it off! And those snarls can be TINY and HIDE under your canopy..or worse, at the nape of your neck.

Please, for the love of God..comb your hair..at least once a day. Do it slowly..work from the ends up to the scalp, with a wide tooth comb! Your comb will also help your scalp feel better.

Finger combing has its purposes..but if you want beautiful, well cared for hair, comb it...daily!

Hey now, it's alright, some of us can fingercomb and find that our fingers detangle those awful snarls better and more gently than combing or brushing.

I appreciate your concern, trust me, I sometimes feel the same way about people not wanting to wash their hair for weeks at a time, but it's all a part of experimentation and somethings work better for others that it would for you or me.

Most of my detangling is done in the shower with conditioner in my hair. After that, I rake some leave-in conditioner in my hair, detangle some more (usually there isn't much to detangle) and let it dry some before putting it in a damp bun. When I wear it down, I'll undo some tangles throughout the day with my fingers, and I've noticed far fewer splits than I did when I combed. Ah well.

[racrane]

Hmn, this is kind of my routine. I comb in the shower gently and let it air dry as is. I have such pretty waves if I don't comb! The second day I do need to comb but I've found my hair isn't as tangly as I thought it might be. Yay! :)

[Deborah]

I can easily skip the comb. I always hear snapping when I comb, so I much prefer brushing. I don't like the look of finger-combed hair. It seems stringy and messy looking to me. The only finger-combing I do is as a prelude to brushing. My hair tangles way to easily to tolerate just finger-combing.

[luxepiggy]

I haven't touched my hair with a brush or a comb in nearly a decade. During/after applying conditioner in the shower, I fingercomb beginning from the ends and working my way up until my hair is completely tangle-free. The conditioner provides great slip! As my I'm drying my hair, I continue to gently run my fingers through the length.

Mornings usually don't require much more than a few quick swipes with my fingers, more to smooth & arrange than to detangle. Other than that, I don't have any kind of intentionally scheduled detangling sessions.

I've always been in the habit of running my fingers through my length when my hands when bored, but I rarely seem to have serious tangles. My hair is surprisingly well-behaved (^(oo)^)v