Combing and Brushing Hair

     Combing and brushing hair is important to hair care. Hairstylists encourage clients to care for their hair in between salon visits.  However, there are two school of thoughts about combing and brushing hair. First, is the notion, a paid for hair style requires no home maintenance.  Second is the notion to freely recreate your hair style at home. Which notion causes the biggest ruckus? The first one.

     To those who believe home hair care is not needed because it was professionally styled and paid for, may I suggest you lose that notion? For starters, a hairstyle is different from a school of thought. Hairstyles are physical and tangible. Hair styles are affected by the environment, weather and the human touch; unlike beliefs. Hair is not a concept. Hair is physical; it requires maintenance. Combing is mandatory to preserve the integrity of certain hairstyles and scalp. On the other hand there are certain hair styles that do not require a comb. Braids, locs, twists, extension and spiked hair styles do not require frequent combing, but they do require scalp care. Brushing is helpful because it stimulates and exfoliates the scalp. Brushing smooths hair and keeps it shiny.

     Combing and brushing hair is primarily a personal preference influenced by the hairstyle, the  home/environment or and hairstylist. Honestly, there is no science or rule that says textured hair should be combed more or less compared to others without texture. Parents, caregivers, hairstylists and barbers can assist in teaching which comb or brush is best for your hair. They can also assist in teaching the frequency needed to comb or and brush hair.

     Hairstylists, like den prefer customers to care for their hair in between salon visits, just as the dentist wants his patients to care for their teeth in between dental visits. Home hair care is vital to healthy hair, beautiful and super savings!
    

Brushing is not an absolute must in hair care. However, brushing hair is excellent for smoothing, promoting shine and scalp stimulation. Too much brushing can have adverse effect just as too much combing. The one hundred strokes theory is a tad bit outdated, but brushing a few strokes a day surely promotes sheen and blood flow. As for combing, combs are some the most oldest ancient artifacts found at many excavations sites around the world. Some combs even pre-date Christ. I encourage people to comb their hair several (4-6 times) throughout the day to redistribute oils from scalp to ends. This promotes exfoliates the scalp, promotes growth and keeps the ends of hair from drying out and breaking. Many with textured hair complain of not achieving length or believe their hair is not or will not grow because they never can achieve length. In my opinion, lack of combing, using the wrong comb and the wrong techniques are the culprit more than anything.

     There are many different kinds of combs and brushes. Haircare and hair styling are about the right products, the right tools and the right techniques. Be sure you have considered and incorporated all three into the decision making and actions of caring for and styling your hair.

A Journey to Nubia & Kemet by

Angel D. Harriott

     To get an interesting take on the history of combing hair, I recommend my readers to watch "400 Years Without a Comb," a documentary by Dr. Willie Morrow. It is available on YouTube. To learn about the rich history of the ancients and to get an excellent view of ancient combs, read Angel D. Harriott's, A Journey to Nubia & Kemet. Harriott's book is written for children to young adults. It explores African history, culture and contribution. I use it in all my presentations and at the salon to validate Africans contribution to hair and hair styling. This is one of my favorite books. As hairstylists, parents and caretakes, we should have great reading material and a good comb on hand for our clients and loved ones.