Confused about combing/ brushing

[Amraann]

There have been a lot of questions about combing and brushing lately and to be honest I am becoming confused.

First off. BBB? Not good on wavy curly hair? I saw some posts saying that so when should one use a BBB?

Combing.. I know that a seemless comb is the best but should it only be used on wet hair?

Some say that they only finger comb.. I do not think I could do that as my hair tangles.
For those who only finger comb or comb only with conditioner in the shower a couple of times a week how do you keep tangles out?

[TrudieCat]

For what it's worth, I break the brushing rules for wavy hair. I comb my hair dry and have even been known to use a BBB to smooth things out before going out. My hair isn't curly enough to make brushing/combing it dry a really bad thing, though it does get a little poofier. But brushing/combing dry hair is also the only thing that seems to smooth out my frizz and reduce tangles. I also comb it right after I wash it with a LOT of regular conditioner plus some oil left in.

Just finger combing is bad for me. The tangles get completely out of control.

[angelfell]

I use a BBB. The top half of my hair is my naturally-straight hair, and it makes it so shiny and soft. The bottom, which still has perm in it, doesn't react as smoothly. However, since the wave is loose, it doesn't get poofy.. it just doesn't shine or smooth as well. From what I can tell, BBB works best when there's no wave or anything.. that's not to say there aren't exceptions :p.

I break all the combing/brushing rules. I comb several times when my hair is wet, but it doesn't tangle. Then I finger comb leave in conditioner and coconut oil and such. I probably brush my hair at least 20 times a day while at work.. because I'm bored, and obsessed with my hair. I haven't found there to be a ton of damage however, I don't doubt that it's putting a great deal of stress on my tresses (hehe, I rhymed).

If you're noticing split ends and breakage with your current routine, then try cutting down a bit. If not? You may be okay. Some people just have stronger hair than others.

[Amraann]

Thanks Trudiecat.

Mine does frizz if I brush it dry. But it is that or tangles. (And the frizz usually tames down after a little while)
I usually brush or comb it when wet out of the shower.
Then brush it once a day. I recently bought a nice wood seemless comb and am wondering if I should use that rather then the brush.

ETA: The brush I am referring to is not a BBB. I thought those could/should only be used on dry hair?

[Octave]

I for once can't use BBB, my hair gets tangled up in the brush and can't remove it. So I just sit there with a huge brush in my hair.
Remember that when I tried one that it was a nightmare to remove it from my hair.

My hair isn't very fond of combs either, at least the ones I've tried so far.

I do however use a wooden bristle brush now, which works pretty well for me.
So I guess it's all about finding what suits your hair. :)

[Amraann]

I use a BBB. The top half of my hair is my naturally-straight hair, and it makes it so shiny and soft. The bottom, which still has perm in it, doesn't react as smoothly. However, since the wave is loose, it doesn't get poofy.. it just doesn't shine or smooth as well. From what I can tell, BBB works best when there's no wave or anything.. that's not to say there aren't exceptions :p.

I break all the combing/brushing rules. I comb several times when my hair is wet, but it doesn't tangle. Then I finger comb leave in conditioner and coconut oil and such. I probably brush my hair at least 20 times a day while at work.. because I'm bored, and obsessed with my hair. I haven't found there to be a ton of damage however, I don't doubt that it's putting a great deal of stress on my tresses (hehe, I rhymed).

If you're noticing split ends and breakage with your current routine, then try cutting down a bit. If not? You may be okay. Some people just have stronger hair than others.

I agree some people have stronger hair. I think that typically darker hair is stronger and the hair strand tends to be thicker.

My hair is naturally blond (although I dye it red)

[angelfell]

Thanks Trudiecat.

Mine does frizz if I brush it dry. But it is that or tangles. (And the frizz usually tames down after a little while)
I usually brush or comb it when wet out of the shower.
Then brush it once a day. I recently bought a nice wood seemless comb and am wondering if I should use that rather then the brush.

ETA: The brush I am referring to is not a BBB. I thought those could/should only be used on dry hair?

If you comb your hair with a wide-toothed comb, it may frizz less and should do well for the tangles. Combing lightly in the shower with conditioner should help, as well.

I use my BBB on my hair when its damp.. pretty sure I've used it when it's wet... the bristles on mine are on the soft side, so I haven't found it to be problematic. But again, I break the rules so.. eh :p

[pepperminttea]

I comb my hair dry too; it does poof out a fair bit, but since I wear it up 99% of the time, nobody sees that. I use a BBB to smooth my scalp hair into updos but I don't use it on the length as it causes damage for me. It's not a perfect routine, but it works for me, and I get a lot less damage with fingercombing and a wooden comb than I used to pre-LHC with a brush.

[Amraann]

I am happy to learn that some comb and it does not do damage.
I have a new seemless wood comb and I think I am going to strictly use that for a time and see how that goes.

Since my hair is tail bone I have noticed more breakage lately. (just older hair) So to prevent more damage I have been coconut oiling and conditioning a LOT.

I also think that I notice less hair when using my comb. I think the brush may have been breaking some of my hair.

[Spike]

Heh. I wear my hair up, and wash every morning (CO half the time, CWC the other half). I oil wet, and slap it up, so the only times I detangle are at night, just before bed–or first thing in the morning, before the shower.

And I use one of those horrid ball-tipped brushes. (Gasp! Run away screaming!!!):hatchet:

But I don’t have any damage from this, probably because the mechanical stress is so low. What with all the oil and condish, tangles don’t stand a chance.

So really, it’s all about what works for you and your own personal hair. I’ll bet if you asked 100 LHCers about the perfect hair care routine, you’d get 101 answers.

[Vermelha]

If I were you, I would simply finger comb in the shower with a head full of conditioner. I can do it and I have 3b/3c coarse hair and I don't get tangles. I think you'll be fine just doing that.

As far as rules go, if your hair tends to EXPLODE when you brush it, then don't. Brushing doesn't really help if you're not doing it to spread oil down the hair shaft. Paddle brushes can help remove some of the volume, if your hair gets big, but I would do that sparingly.

[Amraann]

I appreciate every comment!
Thanks!

[Anje]

There are only three real rules that I know for brushing.
(1) Don't use a BBB on wet hair. There's just too much friction. (Also, some BBBs smell like boar when they get wet!)
(2) Go slowly. If you work too fast, you'll break hair in tangles before you realize you've encountered them.
(3) Don't use a brush, comb, or anything else in your hair that tries to eat it for breakfast.

Everything else is open to individual interpretation. Brushing and combing dry curly hair tends to make it puff up and can encourage tangles, so lots of curlies like to handle their hair mostly when it's wet and slick with conditioner. Hair is a bit more fragile and stretchy when wet, so it's worth being even more careful when working with it, but brushing wet vs. dry is a decision to make based on how your hair reacts. Personally, I like to put a few drops of oil into my wet hair for lubrication and detangle it wet, then detangle dry as needed.