Comb conditioner through?

[Heian Beauty]

When I was a little girl, my Mum told me that I shouldn't comb my hair when it was wet. That's usually what I've done ever since, unless I've wanted it to look particularly neat with a really clear parting.

Then, I heard that you should comb conditioner through your hair in order to get the best results. Tresemme conditioners even say that on the back of the bottle.
I've been doing that but it seems to make more hair fall out (might just be pulling out already loose hairs though), and I swear I can hear it tearing however gentle I am.

Does conditioner still work well enough without being combed through (the 'conditioner ponytail' method...)?
If it does, why are we told to comb it through? Is that advice more appropriate for people with thick and/or curly hair that tangles easily?

[Kiwiwi]

I've never actually heard of having to comb it through in order for it to work.
Only to just.. really work it in.

I don't think it's needed at all! Just massage it in your hair well with your fingers. You can finger comb but that's all the combing I would do (being a curly).

[dementedkitten]

Finger combing conditioner through my hair seems to work just fine for me.. I wouldn't want to run a 'comb' through my wet hair either.

[pepperminttea]

I don't comb it through either, I just kind of squidge it down the length until the hair's completely saturated. ('Squidge' is a technical term. ;) )

[WaitingSoLong]

Ok I will be different LOL.

Combing conditioner through my hair in the shower is the ONLY REASON I can have hair as long as I do. Once my hair his about BSL, I could no longer manage the tangles. I went through different kinds of conditioner but I would be in tears (literally) trying to detangle after a shower. One day I decided to comb through while in the shower.

HOLY WOW.

I was able to detangle in one minute after the shower and was then dedicated to growing my hair longer. That was YEARS ago. After I found TLHC I found out that is not that uncommon.

If your hair is detangle-able without doing it, then don't. But for my super fine tangly hair, I could not have made it past BSL without this method.

I skipped this step once a couple months ago and spent about half an hour detangling my hair after a shower (and I brush it before I get it, which is a HUGE help for detangling, btw, and I did not wad it up or anything while in the shower). I just cannot manage without this process. YMMV!

[Stub]

Ok I will be different LOL.

Combing conditioner through my hair in the shower is the ONLY REASON I can have hair as long as I do. Once my hair his about BSL, I could no longer manage the tangles. I went through different kinds of conditioner but I would be in tears (literally) trying to detangle after a shower. One day I decided to comb through while in the shower.

HOLY WOW.

I was able to detangle in one minute after the shower and was then dedicated to growing my hair longer. That was YEARS ago. After I found TLHC I found out that is not that uncommon.

If your hair is detangle-able without doing it, then don't. But for my super fine tangly hair, I could not have made it past BSL without this method.


What she said! I shaved my head now but at just past BSL it was taking me forEVER to comb my hair after a shower (and there is no way I'd allow that hot mess to dry tangled, it would have ripped out of my head if I detangled dry) and combing conditioner through helped amazingly. I also discovered that if I dipped my head into the water stream briefly, not long enough to wash out the conditioner or anything, that it made combing the conditioner through damaged hair even easier. I would also comb my hair while rinsing the conditioner out too. It was SO smooth and easy. Hooray for combing conditioner through!!

[Gulbahar]

I couldn't comb the conditioner through without ripping through my hair. On the other hand I have no problem whatsoever detangling my hair later when it's only damp or completely dry. Everybody's hair is different and you have to do what works best for you.

[Yozhik]

What kind of comb are you using? There are special shower combs or widetoothed combs (seamless) that might aid in you getting through your hair in the shower. Don't feel obligated to do so, though, if you don't seem to be getting any benefit from it. :shrug:

I (rarely) comb conditioner through, because generally speaking the "ponytail conditioner" method works fine. :)

[spidermom]

When my hair dries with tangles in it, it has scrunched-looking areas that cause even more tangles. I don't do it all the time, but as long as I'm patient and careful, combing the conditioner through eliminates the tangles, and my hair behaves better. I also thoroughly comb and brush my hair before I wash it, so I don't have many tangles to comb out in the shower, but there are always a few it seems.

[lillikins]

I just comb it through with my fingers to make sure it covers all of my hair.

[Madora]

I always detangle with a comb while my hair is slathered with conditioner (I dilute mine). It is HOW you comb that makes all the difference!

[wooliswonderful]

I always detangle with a comb while my hair is slathered with conditioner (I dilute mine). It is HOW you comb that makes all the difference!
^^This^^ :)

[spidermom]

My shower comb glides through my hair so much more smoothly than my fingers do. Hair clings to my fingers; I don't know how people finger comb.

[MychelleC]

I'm also a shower comb-er. I use a wide tooth comb and gently comb from ends to roots after I put my conditioner on. This is the only way for me to deal with the tangles. If I wait until my hair is dry it's painful to detangle - ripping, the whole thing. Ouch!

[archel]

I do comb the conditioner through my hair. It detangles more easily and gets the conditioner onto every strand. However, I don't use a comb, I use a "shampoo brush" by Babyliss that has big silicone nubs. It's really gentle.

[LadyCelestina]

My hair HATES combs...Or maybe it hates me combing it :D Really,it just a matter of time when I'll hear that POP sound of hair breaking as I comb.

Fingercombing with hair coated in conditioner does two things for me
1.The conditioner gets spread out evenly (which means I won't have to deal with dry and frizzy hair that I missed in the shower)
2.It allows me to detangle my hair :D

[melmmo]

I lightly finger comb when I'm rinsing out conditioner. But I have no problem with tangles. I lightly comb with a widetooth seamless comb after my hair has air-dried for a little bit. I make maybe 6 passes through my hair with the comb, just to get it all going in the right direction.

[nobeltonya]

Ok I will be different LOL.

Combing conditioner through my hair in the shower is the ONLY REASON I can have hair as long as I do. Once my hair his about BSL, I could no longer manage the tangles. I went through different kinds of conditioner but I would be in tears (literally) trying to detangle after a shower. One day I decided to comb through while in the shower.

HOLY WOW.

I was able to detangle in one minute after the shower and was then dedicated to growing my hair longer. That was YEARS ago. After I found TLHC I found out that is not that uncommon.

If your hair is detangle-able without doing it, then don't. But for my super fine tangly hair, I could not have made it past BSL without this method.

I skipped this step once a couple months ago and spent about half an hour detangling my hair after a shower (and I brush it before I get it, which is a HUGE help for detangling, btw, and I did not wad it up or anything while in the shower). I just cannot manage without this process. YMMV!
Ditto. I have to detangle in the shower. It mainly gets the loose hairs out. Once I got a wide-tooth comb from Wal-Mart, I haven't had many problems detangling in the shower. I find it much easier than waiting until I get out, and it helps me to spread the conditioner. I still comb again just to smooth it out after wrapping it in a towel for a few minutes, which also gets the rest of the loose hairs that didn't come out in the shower. It seems to dry faster, and then I can braid it, which is my new fav wet hair 'do to dry it. :) It also helps to start from the bottom and work your way up, GENTLY. Stop on knots and pull them apart, rather than ripping through them.

[Cassie 123]

I get a much better distribution of conditioner when I comb it through, and if there are any tangles, they fall out instantly this way with no tugging at all (even when my hair was longer). But my hair is quite coarse and not very tangle-prone; I can imagine that fine hair might break when combed wet.

[Gutterfayrie]

I use my tangle teaser in the shower to comb conditioner thru my hair. I've tried using wide tooth combs and nothing else works, but everyone's hair is different ;)

[Eternal.Fiend]

I've been brushing my hair with conditioner in the shower since I was little, and it was the only way to detangle my hair pain free.

I've grown up then, switched to a shower comb and I'm a lot more gentle with it (don't pull through tangles, tease them apart gently, work bottom up) and I like it, it means that I don't have to comb my hair at all when it's drying, and it distributes the conditioner evenly :) But then again, I always comb my hair before the shower to get rid of loose hairs, so my hair is never too tangled in the shower so that might be a factor :)

[spidermom]

My pretty wavy curlies come out if I don't comb my hair after I rinse out the conditioner, so that's another reason for coming the conditioner through. I get tangle-free spirally ends plus wave.

[Chromis]

I think some people's hair likes it and some don't.

My hair would be a wreck if I tried combing it in the shower. I can't really comb mine very well at all until it is dry. (I gently smooth the top and put it up uncombed if I don't have time to just leave it alone until it dries.) Once it is dry the comb glides right through.

My hair really didn't like the standard shampoo/conditioner routine very much or CO.

[swetiepeti]

squidge:


in Spanish | in French | in Italian
English synonyms| in context | images


Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
squidge/skwɪʤ/

▶verb informal squash or crush.

– origin C19: perh. imitative.

[CathyEarnshaw]

I have a wide tooth "shower comb" that hangs on my shower caddy. I always comb the conditioner through my hair very gently, starting at the ends and working my way up. My hair would be tangled terribly otherwise. I guess you have to do what works for you best.

[WaitingSoLong]

My shower comb glides through my hair so much more smoothly than my fingers do. Hair clings to my fingers; I don't know how people finger comb.

THANK YOU. I thought I was the only one. lol

Ok, so I will risk it and tell you all I use a FINE TOOTH comb. Specifically, a metal tined one used for cats (and I suppose dogs?). Wide tooth combs don't do much for me while my air is wet. Once upon a time I used a pik and some weird circumstance one day, I used my cats comb and I still use it. It is not as close tined as a nit comb (eh hem. I tried one)

I am gentle and have to start at the bottom and work up (sort of a duh there) and would NEVER rip through a knot. I just patiently detangle the knot one strand at a time. I use the end tine on my comb to help separate the strands that are tangled.

I am very careful not to stretch my strands.

I, too, do a quick douse of water to help with the detangling.

I have never left my hair to air dry without detangling, I have no clue what my hair would do. Hmm. Sounds like an experiment to me.

[swetiepeti]

my hair is there with Chromis. I don't try to run anything through it until totally dry. It does not like it, not at all.

[Chetanlaiho]

I'd love to detangle with conditioner in both to get the product in better (with my tangle teezer) but if I do anything to my hair when wet, it sheds like crazy! So I also have to sacrifice most of my wurls to live tangle-free, for a few hours =(

[Khiwanean]

I could never literally comb my hair when wet. My hair sticks to itself really bad when it's wet, so it seems to be tanglier than it otherwise would. However, if I let it dry before trying to detangle it is manageable.

That said, I do finger comb conditioner through my hair in the shower. Really I just squish the conditioner through with my fingers, get my hair as wet as I can without rinsing too much conditioner out and then thoroughly detangle with my fingers. If I don't wet my conditioner-soaked hair, I'll still tear the heck out of my hair just using my fingers. Something more rigid like comb would chew it up like mad.

[Vanilla]

I do a combo of squishing, finger combing and finally wide tooth combing the conditioner through in the shower. My hair is so much more manageable and tangle free this way.

[Kome]

Reading all of these... I may have to try combing my hair BEFORE I shower. I've never done that before. By the time I wash my hair it's usually a big freaking mess and I'm afraid to comb it. Haha.

I used my tangle teaser after showering to detangle for awhile. That worked wonders, except that I think it was the cause of me loosing so much hair and it thinning. I tested this and stopped using it a few weeks ago and my hair seems a lot thicker now and I don't loose nearly as much with my wooden comb. The tangle teaser is great because it doesn't rip through my hair and put at my roots, but it pulls a lot of hair out? Sadness. :(

[Animae]

I started to detangle my hair in the shower with conditioner, after I had a large shead when i was about ten and ended up with two huge dread locks in my under layer of hair. It took my babysitter four hours to detangle all of my hair. From then on, wide toothed comb in the shower while COVERED in conditioner.

[Othala]

I squidge, finger-comb and then comb through with a wide-tooth shower comb. I find the whole process of conditioning my hair is the best part of washing it.

[Flying Penguin]

I also comb my hair before showering (when I can remember!) so that it won't be tangled to begin with. When my hair is full of conditioner I lightly finger comb. And after I get out of the shower, I gently pull apart the wet clumps of hair (not exactly finger combing, because running my fingers through my wet hair would yank some out, but rather pulling apart the clumped strands into thinner strands). This 1) makes my hair dry faster because there's more surface area exposed to the air and 2) makes it dry without tangles. :) (And I feel like it dries straighter too.)

[Harm0nyz86]

I comb my hair when I condition but I for some reason thought everyone did, just came natural 2 me;)

[bedazzlecat]

I don't detangle in the shower. I use to, but I didn't note that it made much difference. What I do is lean my head way back while rinsing the conditioner out and let the shower run down my hair all at once in the downward direction. It seems to detangle of its own accord. However, while it is drying new tangles form at the ends.

I might try it with a finer comb in shower, though. I always used a wide tooth comb. May even use a baby comb.

[owlathena]

I brush my hair before I shower. And sometimes comb it with a wide tooth comb in the shower. And I always brush it after a shower, yes, when its wet. Otherwise it dries tangled and, like someone else said, just makes more tangles later on.

[KwaveT]

I tangle teeze and boar bristle brush my hair twice a day. For the evening I do it right before I shower. This also helps to reduce the shedding that happens in the shower and just about eliminate any tangling that would happen. I don't get a whole lot of tangle at least yet in my hair anyway. I comb my hair how I want it to dry and handle it no more than that as far as combing and tangle teasing. I would tear my hair out with that brush while wet. I am definitely not doing that.

[longhairedlady]

I comb mine hair while conditioned using my detangler comb. If i didnt do this my hair would break off into a million tangled pieces!!

[Dars]

I use a wide toothed comb pre shower and with conditioner on.

[WaitingSoLong]

Reading all of these... I may have to try combing my hair BEFORE I shower. I've never done that before. By the time I wash my hair it's usually a big freaking mess and I'm afraid to comb it. Haha.

I used my tangle teaser after showering to detangle for awhile. That worked wonders, except that I think it was the cause of me loosing so much hair and it thinning. I tested this and stopped using it a few weeks ago and my hair seems a lot thicker now and I don't loose nearly as much with my wooden comb. The tangle teaser is great because it doesn't rip through my hair and put at my roots, but it pulls a lot of hair out? Sadness. :(

I highly recommend detangling before a wash, it makes a HUGE difference.

I find I have significantly LESS shedding (or Ishould say, ripped out hairs) since using my TT but I cannot use it on wet hair. It perplexes me that people do this. LOL. It just will not go through my hair. :confused:

TT's, like BBB's tend to pull out any loose or about-to-shed hair. I like it, I feel like it cleanses my hair of loosies and I shed less during the day if I use one of these twice a day (morning and night).

You are probably not losing as much with the wooden comb because it won't grasp the loose hairs like a fine tooth comb, TT or BBB will. Likely the loose hairs are just staying in your hair or maybe your hair just doesn't like TT's.

I am not sure you can lose and gain thickness that rapidly. If you lost thickness due to shedding, in order to gain it all that hair would have to grow back and at 1/2" average a month, it would take months or years to regain the loss. Oh well, it is what it is and it's interesting that you experienced that! I forgot to look at your hair length before commenting, sorry...


And after I get out of the shower, I gently pull apart the wet clumps of hair (not exactly finger combing, because running my fingers through my wet hair would yank some out, but rather pulling apart the clumped strands into thinner strands). This 1) makes my hair dry faster because there's more surface area exposed to the air and 2) makes it dry without tangles. :) (And I feel like it dries straighter too.)

This is the problem I had with not detangling until my hair is dry. It dries uber faster if it it detangled and free.


I tangle teeze and boar bristle brush my hair twice a day. For the evening I do it right before I shower. This also helps to reduce the shedding that happens in the shower and just about eliminate any tangling that would happen.

Exactly. I much prefer to "control" where my hair sheds.

We shed X amount of hairs every day (gee, I think it is between 30 and 100) so keep that in mind when you see hair in the shower, especially if you had your hair up all day and then did not detangle before a shower, you are basically losing all your days shed hairs in the shower.

[Heian Beauty]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone!

It definitely seems that everyone's hair is different. For me, I've found that my thin, fine, slightly wavy hair doesn't need to be detangled in the bath/shower, and squidging conditioner in works well.

[goldenmoments]

I often do comb hair when conditioning with wide tooth comb, having combed before showering. I also keep my hair over my chest in two parts the entire time it is in the shower to minimize handling that could damage it. This is usually necessary to really make sure the conditioner covers all my hair as I co. Especially after oiling. When I tried curly girl method of scrunching conditioner this was not necessary, then again, I also didn't brush or comb, so I can't say anything about whther or not I had tangles or breakage.