Any fingercombers?

[IvanaGil]

A while back I tried fingercombing and all I remember is that it took me 10x longer to go through my hair. For those of you that do fingercomb, have you noticed any results, good or bad?

[Roscata]

Private Roscata reporting for duty. :D

It doesn't take me longer. I do it the same way I as with a wide tooth comb, start at the ends and work my way up, it works pretty well. I've never had problems with it.

I did notice good results in the form of not hearing my hair make ripping sounds, so it's definitely gentler.

[IvanaGil]

Private Roscata reporting for duty. :D

It doesn't take me longer. I do it the same way I as with a wide tooth comb, start at the ends and work my way up, it works pretty well. I've never had problems with it.

I did notice good results in the form of not hearing my hair make ripping sounds, so it's definitely gentler.

I think I'm going to give it another try. Do you finger comb it wet or dry, or both? I have really rough hands, so I need to calm down :p

[RedheadMistress]

- I do it in periods, there will be some months where I just fingercomb and other months when I feel like I wont be satisfied unless I comb other ways but personally I noticed a huge difference in my hair, it felt a lot healthier and happier and bouncy !

Now I try and fingercomb but I recently bleached my entire hair and dyed it pink/red, so it's not super happy and fingercombing takes Even longer, so I do it more rarely and hoping once it's happier, being able to do it more often because there's no way I'm cutting off length, did that before to get some damage off and I regret it !

[amber-rose]

i fingercomb when i rinse my conditioner ( 2 or 3 times a week ) , for me its more gentle this way.

my hair is bsl ( when straight ) with curls ( with personality )

[DarkCurls]

*waves hand* Me.

Like amber-rose, I do this in the shower. I CO-wash, and since I have nothing to do between the apply-conditioner and rinse-out parts, I detangle with my fingers (twice a week, sometimes once). Way gentler than that horrible brush I used to have, and even gentler than my wide-tooth comb. No hair snapping. And I think it's even faster than with my comb because I spend less time tugging, more time gently working through, and it works better.

Can't do it dry as it'd muss up the curls, though.

[KwaveT]

I do both. I use my wide-tooth comb to get much of my front and sides. When I get to the tips of my hair in the back, I use comb until I start feeling tension and then fingercomb at the tips to seperate the hairs that are tangling. I notice that I don't snap tangles as much when I do it this way.

[Rocky]

I finger comb in the shower on the second conditioning (do CWC wash). It seems to be nowhere near as rough on my hair as normal combing, and I've noticed I have a lot less hair come out when I finger comb compared with when I used a wide tooth comb. I just make sure I finger comb when there is lots of conditioner on my hair so it doesn't pull on my hair so much.

[afu]

I tangle tease my hair when wet with conditioner in (i know brushing wet hair is a no-no, but I always check the TT for breakage and its only ever shed hairs), then I'll use the TT again to distribute oil as a leave in on damp hair. Once my hair is dry I generally just finger comb - it's the only way of maintaining my natural curls, brushing dry hair (if not soaked in oil) just results in frizz for me

[luxepiggy]

Huge finger-combing fan here! I haven't used anything but my fingers in almost a decade (^(oo)^)v

[NataschaB.]

I only fingercomb my hair and I do it while my hair is wet :)

[Madora]

I only fingercomb (with 3 fingers) as a prelude to detangling before brushing in the morning.

I also fingercomb after rinsing out conditioner.

[pepperminttea]

I noticed a big difference; a lot fewer splits and damage and, less 'poof'. It does take me longer, and I still smooth it with a wide-toothed comb when I'm done to get any small tangles my fingers might've missed, but I'm definitely a fingercombing evangelist. :D Just be sure to wash your hands before you start, and check that your skin and nails are smooth, just like you'd look over a comb for rough seams.

[winship2]

I like fingercombing too, and suspect that, as others have said, it's much more gentle. But for me I like it mostly because it's a nice, soothing, meditative way to spend time with my hair. Theree's something about using your own hands to do things, whether it's eat, bake, comb your hair, or anything else, that's really, mmmm-- deeply natural and primal-feeling. However, sometimes I really like the smooth sheen a comb gives :)

[dollyfish]

Huh, I finger comb because it's a lot faster than ordinary combing for me! I can feel what I'm doing better, if that makes any sense. I just loosen any really problematic sections and leave my hair alone. It preserves my waves better, too.

I just ordered a wide toothed wooden comb though, so we'll see how that goes. The only other I own is just my shower comb.

[Roscata]

I think I'm going to give it another try. Do you finger comb it wet or dry, or both? I have really rough hands, so I need to calm down :p

I finger comb both wet and dry. I use this method to work conditioner, shampoo, hair rinse through the length, to separate strands right after washing so it dries faster, when my hair is dry and I'm about to put my hair up, and when I just finished a scalp massage, etc.

[SongofLove]

Just be sure to wash your hands before you start, and check that your skin and nails are smooth, just like you'd look over a comb for rough seams.

Yes, this is very important...If I have a hangnail or something or a rough patch of skin, it catches and pulls on hair just like any rough comb would.

[Carissamarie08]

Finger combing would take way too long for my hair!

[KoaMahatu]

I fingercomb! In shower with conditioner.

[HappyHair87]

I'm a new fingercombing convert and it really shortened the amount of time it takes for me to detangle my hair! Plus I've gone from doing 4 sections to just 2.

I love it! I think the only time I'll go back to a comb is whenever I straighten it, which is not often.

I fingercomb throughout my whole washing process in the shower and it works perfectly! No matting or anything!

[CurlyCap]

It mostly because my hair is curly that I finger comb. There's far too much resistance to bother combing or brushing. So I fingercomb thoroughly while I'm co-washing.

I've been doing this for about 5 years, and I've noticed that I almost never get splits and have very little breakage.

[ladylowtide]

My hair loves to be finger combed. More than anything else. I finger comb in the shower when my ends are soaked in con dish (I CWC), usually on the first C, so my hair is detangled to shampoo. Then I give is another once over on the second C.

Also when my hair gets tangles dry I finger comb. It doesn't matter how gentle I am with my horn comb. I always hear ripping and snapping. I have a lot of smaller diameter hairs, and I still find it easier to finger comb.

[juicy-glitter]

Much gentler!

[white.chocolate]

Of course! I don't pull my hair a lot this way, and I don't have much hair pulled off in the end. I know it takes much much longer than when using a comb (or brush), so it's really for one who can handle the patience especially with longer hair.

[IvanaGil]

I fingercombed today and got the same results as my comb, if not better because it was less stringy. AND, it didn't take as long as I thought. Thanks for the encouragement everyone! :D

[Zesty]

I've switched over to mostly finger combing now. I don't get snags and it works just as well, and I've never heard a snap when I use my fingers. It also lets me get a little head massage or scritch in. :) I did have a woman in the hostel bathroom look at me weird and ask "You only use your hands for everything?" when I was doing my hair up in a fancy braid one morning, but that just amused me. :p

[Suguru]

I finger-comb when I don't have enough time for a "proper" detangling session but I need to get some of the tangles out before braiding or bunning. I also finger-comb before a proper detangle - whether that is while dry or while conditioner-laden in the shower.


Yes, this is very important...If I have a hangnail or something or a rough patch of skin, it catches and pulls on hair just like any rough comb would.

^ This. In winter, I get patches of dry, cracked skin on the pads of my fingers that catch onto individual hairs and make finger-combing more damaging than using a comb!

[Covet]

I used to finger comb for a few years and you're totally right, it does take much longer to do! As no one really knew what to do with my hair, I would just tie it up continuously and only wash it maybe once a week or once a fortnight, I can't remember. As for results - they're only bad for me. Lots of frustration, pulling and ripping on knots, back ache, time consuming. Then again, when you consider my hair type that's only to be expected lol. Also, I just didn't take care of my hair in the first place so I guess that's why my finger combing stint ended on a sour note.

[ariesfairies]

I use a brush probably 4 or 5 times a month so for the rest of that 25 or so days.. fingercombing it is.

I too am a curly haired sort and brushing only gives me a 80s puffball head which doesn't suit my not-so-delicate looking face, otherwise I'd be donning that with pride!

[Puertoricangirl]

I fingercomb my hair before I shower to get the tough tangles out by pressing my fingers through them, and brush with a normal brush or wide tooth comb afterwards. I like how it is more gentle and keeps my curls intact unlike my enemy "the brush!" :p lol I can also run olive oil through it easily without it being to focused on the top of my hair.