Hey fellows!
I just combed my hair now, and I have a little question... Combing my hair is part of a new routine I'm sporting right now, and it helped me a lot with less tangling and scalp skin stimulation but... It's kinda scary because I hear lots of "snips" as I comb (and I am verrrrrryy gentle and carefull...). I was wondering if those snips can be some not getting off, I mean, feeling some hair pulling sometime or hearing some snips doesn't necessarily mean that you're breaking or causing damage, does it??
Would like to hear some theories on this one =P Hope I've got nothing to worry about =) Either ways, after I comb and pull the sheded hairs out there isn't a big amount of them so I hope those snips are not breakage... Thank's for reading =)
I have noticed the same thing and these sounds do sound like hair breaking but I also go very slowly and only do a small area at a time. And I never see loose hairs falling from my comb so I am not to worried. I will usually hold the part of my hair I am combing close to the scalp with one hand and comb down with the other. So no matter if I pull with my comb I am not tugging hair from the scalp, but merely tugging against one hand, the scalp is free from any pressure. So I don't know what the sounds are either, I would not think detangling would make a sound but I guess it does.
So I wouldn't worry, especially if no pressure is put on the hair roots.
This is the reason why I finger detangle and not comb my hair. I hate those sounds, and despite what my mother (a hairdresser)says, I maintain that they are the sounds of breakage!
Just remember, take a section of hair and comb downwards from a spot that is close to the bottom of that sections length, THEN gradually comb higher and higher until the whole section has been combed through.
Never comb from your scalp to begin with.
I only use a detangling wide-tooth comb when my hair is wet ... when dry it just does not work and I use a 100 percent boar hair brush. I try to be careful but there is always some snapping sounds. Remember to hold your hair with your hand ABOVE the section you are brushing so as not to pull on your scalp.
Karsten
PS: you have great hair, so you must be doing everything right!
I agree with what I've just read that Karsten, Chris, and Dean have already written. It's great advise, as well as descriptions of how to go about combing.
I'd like to add the folowing comments, as well...
When my hair is wet, I use a wide-toothed comb. I use so much conditioner that usually I run out of that before shampoo! So running my comb through conditioner-gooky hair is no problem!
When my hair is dry, I use a brush (both to stimulate my scalp, to help distribute the natural oils down the hair shafts; and also to detangle snarls). I find it easier to sort of turn my head upside-down when brushing (as if forward across the face). Once I'm through, I just toss it back, doing the last few finishing brush strokes to smooth it out.
Snapping & stretching sounds happen with me, too. I try to be careful, doing the same percautionary methods that Dean & the others have already mentioned to minimize breakage; but there comes a point in time when I no longer worry about it, --- even if there is breakage! It's all part of the experience of having long hair. So, my advise is to just accept it as part of what tends to happen during routine hair maintenance. I'm not going to ever give up dry-brushing my hair, just because I might break a few hairs in the process. I've read where some guys here never use a brush; but I disagree, and would miss the brushing ritual if I ever stopped it.
Your hair looks hands-down AWESOME, by the way!!!
- Ken in San Francisco
Are the 'snips' not the crack of static electricity?
01 it might be static electricity like UK said. for this, you can rub a little (and i mean a LITTLE lol) oil/gel through your hair so that it wont crack as much. your sister's scalp is probably producing more oil than yours so it might not be a problem for her.
02 don't comb your hair so often with a regular comb. if you comb across a knot in your hair (which shouldn't be very often since your hair is straight/wavy) just finger-comb it. DO NOT try to undo the knot with your comb because it will most likely break
03 sleep with a bandana or wave cap over your hair to help prevent any frizz and you might not have to comb/brush it as much.
hope that helps
I get this sometimes too. I can usually tell whether it's breakage or not... if I feel little to no resistance, it's usually a hair falling out, which is okay. But if I hear a noticeable snap sound, then I think that's definitely a hair breaking. I don't know if that's really bad for the hair or not though.
I actually start combing my hair from my scalp more often than not, lack of time I guess... and so far, the turn out isn't too bad.