Hey guys!
I have a question about detangling the hair when dry. I know there are some people who simply finger comb, but it is not effective for me. I do finger comb before detangling but I have to use an instrument to master the detangling process...
I have been using a comb for two months or so every morning to detangle my hair. Tough I notice I shed a lot of hair when using it.
Since yesterday I replaced the comb with a brush (not a boar bristle brush but one of those with little balls on the tips of the brush) and it does the same work as the comb. Tough a strange thing is that despite sheding less hair, I ear more "cracking" sounds. Tough the brush seems a little faster to detangle and maybe if I try doing it very gently it wound sound so "cracky" lol.
Therefore I was wondering what you guys think, and what do you use yourself... a comb or a brush for detangling? And what do you think I should chose for my hair =)
I still use a boar bristle brush every night to spread the natural oils through my hair =)
Thank's for reading guys =)
Yet about cracking sounds...
Do you think that these sounds effectively mean breakage?? It could be so but does isn't a little bit of breakage impossible to avoid when you are long haired?
Yet, my cousin Carina, with leg lenght hair currently, uses a detangling brush exactly like mine, with the balls in the tips, and when she finds a knot she simply breaks it out and keeps on brushing. Yet her hair is really think and healthy (but has got lots of splits in the very ends of the hair)...
So I think that a little cracking is normal and impossible to reduce to nothing, and won't cause any damage on growth or hair quality, am I right??
Well i hope so =)
Thank's for reading guys =)
I don't know what those cracking sounds are but I use a brush as you describe (a vent brush, solid - though the "bristles" do have some flexibility, with holes at the base of the "bristles" - I used to use brushes with metal "bristles" with balls on the tips in a flexible bed so that they sort of massage your scalp, but I now prefer my vent brush). I have used brushes over combs for years and my hair is in pretty good condition. It depends on what you're happy with. I doubt you will ruin your hair with a brush especially as you are clearly careful when you brush your hair. It seems to me women are far more at ease with brushing / washing / blow-drying / treating their hair whereas guys get fixated over it. I can understand being over-cautious when first trying to grow the length out but your hair is a great length now and seems to me it will carry on despite what you do to it just as ours (women's) does!
Some loud thoughts.
My hair is about shoulder-length and I had very little problems with detangling. Even after shower, when my hair dries, I do a few fingercombs here and there and it's alright; then several strokes with a comb to make it look uniform.
Now, cracking sounds most definitely come from hairs that are ripped off. These cracks might possibly sound louder if you have thicker hair, but I don't really know. What I know is hair strand tends to rip off in the weakest spot, and that is the roots.
From my experience, brush rips a lot more hairs than a comb, but the result comes is a bit faster. Most people would probably recommend comb for initial process of detangling starting from ends to the roots. I can notice when the hair is about to rip, it is very noticeable and sometimes painful so I advice against pushing too hard, instead, remove a brush and try to find other ways to detangle. I had literally 5-10 hair strings from one place sharing close roots when I did that. It gave me nightmares, so I don't do that anymore :)
This whole thing might be totally irrelevant (might turn out you'll rip a non-noticeable amount of hair strands by brushing harshly), but I still recommend being as gentle as possible with the hair.
Hi there, and thank's for replying =)
I'm actually REALLY, extremely genlte with my hair =) Tough I always ear cracking sounds, not much, but I definitly hear them. So my guess if this is normal and if mostly everybody notices that, and what do they use for detangling...
I might consider finger combing a lot first and then go ahead with the brush?? Honestly, brushing or combing is only with the intention of providing a free-of-tangles texture and to smooth out the srands, which is not possible by finger combing only... Thank's again =)
Hi João, have you considered using a pick? The teeth are long, (50 to 60mm long)allowing them to penetrate the thickest hair, and are spaced wide apart at intervals of 5 or 6mm. The bristles on a brush are short(maybe 25mm)and are not very able to reach the hair underneath. For you, a brush may be a bad idea, and especially so, if you are snapping lots of hairs. A pick is the only hair grooming tool I use, and it has given me excellent results. Even when using a pick, you need to start at the ends of your hair and work your way up. Shedding is a major cause of tangling, and even more so for someone with thick hair. Growing your hair to past your waist will take patience. Be gentle to prevent damage and you should reach your goal in a few years.
Absalom
Wow that is prob. the smartest thing I have heard in a long time, I will give it a shot for sure, I don't know why I haven't thought of that lol, its so obvious
Peace fellow long hair lovers, you all, such amazing hair, glad i found this site
Hi Joao,
I, too, use one of those types of brushes to maintain my hair, and I've never had much luck with any kind of comb. The trick I use is to start at the ends whilst holding my ponytail fairly tightly right at the back of my neck; this removes any pulling tension from the roots whilst working on the long parts at the bottom. Once I get nearer the scalp I gently bend the hair around my hand to take the tension from the roots; this way the non-brushing hand takes the tension and leaves the roots pretty much undistressed.
A little bit of crackling, I suspect, is normal and may be partially due to static electricity -- especially if it's dry when you're brushing. Hair is pretty resiliant, and can stretch quite a bit before breaking; you may also be hearing this tension build up and then suddenly release.
The ultimate arbiter will be to examine what's on the brush (and floor) when you're done. Start with a hair-free brush and clean floor, brush your hair the way you always do, and examine the leftovers. Remember that some level of shedding is perfectly normal, and that once hair gets long a few strands, especially if they're thick (like yours) will look like a lot -- so don't panic!
Absalom gave another possibility for you. If your hair is so think that a brush isn't working well a pick may well be the way to go. My mane's thin enough now that a brush works just fine.
That cracking you hear is, in fact, breakage, but I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. I use a brush that has plastic bristles but no ball tips, but I only use it when detangling before showering, when my hair is still bone dry. I finger comb after showering and a 10-15 minute towel-drying.