Fingercombing

[mallorykay13]

I am thinking about switching to solely fingercombing. ANyone have any ideas, thoughts or opinions to share?

[Cassie 123]

I stick to fingercombing for the first day or two after a wash (to prevent poof), but I love to use my horn comb after that, and I consider my resin comb a must when I am applying conditioner. Can I ask why you want to fingercomb only?

[squiggyflop]

at apl you might be able to (assuming you dont have tangly hair).. but be warned, your hair may get greasy faster than usual because of the oils on your hands..

i cannot finger comb, my hair is very tangle prone and it takes well over 3 hours to finger comb it.. i use a tangle teezer..

[luxepiggy]

I've been fingers-only for almost a decade, and I love it! For me, the key is thorough detangling in the shower while I've got the conditioner in. On non-wash days, I fingercomb in the morning after getting dressed. Other than that, I don't have to do any dedicated detangling, although I do tend to idly run my fingers through my hair and gently detangle when bored. For example, if I have to stand in a queue, my hair will be 100%tangle-free by the time I reach the front (^(oo)^)v

Fingercombing has really reduced the amount of breakage I experience. I used to have quite a bit of taper towards my ends, but now that I've been fingercombing long enough for all the breakage to grow out, my hemline is much fuller than before.

[Honestwitness]

I must not know how to finger comb, because it always seems my hair is much more tangly when I put my fingers in it than if I use a wide-tooth comb. Can you please describe how it should be done?

[mallorykay13]

Generally, when I finger comb, I run my fingers from my scalp toward the ends, then once I hit a snag, I stop right there and gently pull out the knot and move on.

[BlazingHeart]

Fingercombing and I don't get along. I have more strands pulled out when I attempt fingercombing than when I just use my wooden pin brush. To each their own, eh?

~Blaze

[pepperminttea]

My fingers are my main detanglers. :) Once they've done all the real work, I just use a wooden-tined brush (dry hair) or a wooden comb (damp hair) to smooth things over. It's been a huge factor in reducing damage for me. I'm never sure if I'm doing it correctly, but this is what works for me:

I wash and dry my hands. Start at the bottom few inches, just as you would with a comb or brush. Wiggle your fingers in, and gently move them towards the ends. When you reach a tangle and can't move your fingers, stop and gently tug it apart. You might need to lift it away from the main amount of hair to see. Follow it to the ends to make sure it's completely untangled. When you stop, you might have found several tangles rather than just the one - work through them one after the other. Patience and gentleness are the key. Keep going in the same manner, starting higher up each time, until you're eventually wiggling your fingers next to the scalp to start. When you've finished, if your hair is heavily oiled, you might need to wash your hands again afterwards.

It does take longer than just tearing through with a brush, but for me it's been worth it. With hip+ length, thick-end-of-average hair, it takes me about fifteen minutes to detangle, that's including the brush afterwards. In the mornings I do it in front of a mirror, but in the evenings it's very relaxing to sit down and do it in front of the TV. I have a lot less splits, and my hemline's still thick after not trimming for 11 months. I used to find a lot of splits through the length and ends; now there's just a few in the ends themselves.

I really would give finger-combing a try for two weeks. After that you'll know if it's for you. :D

[Honestwitness]

Thanks fo the detailed description, Pepperminttea. I'll try your method.

[kiezel]

O_O

My hair doesn't tangle.

[Madora]

Fingercombing is a good, general way to detangle but I use a wide tooth comb for serious detangling because the comb tines separate the hair more effectively, making any tangles easier to find. I then separate the snarls with with my fingers.

To me, using a comb is more reliable than fingercombing, as some snarls can be very fine and missed with fingercombing.

[SpinDance]

I use a combination of fingercombing/detangling and wide tooth comb/pick. Using your hands will spread oils faster than a tool, and your hair may get greasy/oily much faster. On the other hand, if you are trying to get sebum worked down the hair, your hands can help with that job. I find it easier to recognize a snarl-in-the-making when using fingers, before it gets worked down and tightened up into an actual knot or snarl. Consider that the job is the same whatever you use, be slow and gentle, start at the bottom, and slowly do a section at a time. I usually do the bottom half as one section, starting a few inches from the bottom and working up, but when I get up around mid-back to shoulders I split it up and do just what will go through the fingers at a time.

As for trying this exclusively, sure, why not? That's the point of experimentation, isn't it, to see how something works for you? I expect like most things, it will work well for some and not so well for others. There are situational pro's and con's to everything. For myself I like using a combination of techniques, but my fingers are always with me, and thus I do tend to use them more than any other 'tool'. I almost never get real knots or snarls and it is my belief that regular finger combing when my hair is loose is the reason. It lets me catch loose hairs and remove them instead of them creating a knot or snag, and it lets me catch baby knots in the making and gently loosen them without causing damage.

[celebriangel]

I love to fingercomb, particularly now that I've discovered my hair is happiest with some oil in it always (and oiled hair is easier to fingercomb).

However, to piggy and others who are fingercombing-only, how do you get your updos to be smooth? I find I need a Tangle Teezer to achieve this, but maybe I'm just doing things wrong?

[agoddess2die4]

I finger comb after I get out of the shower because any type of brushing or combing out usually leads to frizz when it dries. My personal trick to make that easier though, is that I thoroughly brush it before I shower so there's no tangles, and I finger comb when washing, and especially when conditioning. Makes after shower finger combing so much easier.

[pelicano]

I finger comb only now, but it's quite early days for me to see if there is less damage etc. I thoroughly finger comb in the shower when washing my hair, and then after when it is wet. In between washes I really don't need to finger comb much, but my hair is only shoulder length (but curly).

[lapelosa]

While I'm in the shower, I put conditioner in and start to work out the tangles with my fingers, starting from the bottom and slowly working my way up. I keep going until I can run my fingers all the way through my hair without hitting any snags -- which can take a while. After that, I don't touch it. Brushes and combs are absolutely terrible for my hair, and if I break up any of my tresses while dry, I end up with terrible looking frizz. I must respect the tresses!

That's the method that's worked for me. My hair looks better for it.

[spidermom]

For me, no way! I drag out more hairs with my fingers than I do with a comb. My hands aren't the smoothest tools in the shed because I do a lot with my hands, and I've always got hang-nails and split cuticles, etc. Ow! Plus my fingers are so fat compared to the teeth of a comb that I don't feel I can do a good job.

[pepperminttea]

I thought of this thread today. I broke a nail in my sleep (don't ask me how, I have no idea), and tried to finger-comb this morning... bad idea. It was very rough and instantly snagged hairs. So make sure your nails are smooth before you stick them in your hair! :p:o

[mallorykay13]

I always have way less shed hair when i finger comb. Almost none. I have been mostly finger combing and using some combs but not really... I like it so far.. It makes me less bored in class. :) I will have to try using oil too