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 The one hundred strokes theory is a tad bit outdated, but brushing a few strokes a day surely promotes sheen and blood flow.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.

   

Awe, Grow Up!

As you grow and change, so should your hair care regimen.

My job as a cosmetologist is not limited to "doing" hair. As a matter of fact, I have a mantra that I say to those who are in the business of shotty hair care, "If you wanna "DO" hair, then get a mannequin!" 

It is in my professional opinion that when a person sits in the styling chair, they are not merely looking for a hair "do." In my opinion, they are looking for trust, honesty, creativity and flexibility which results in a great hair "do". I understand that in the end, nice looking hair is what they want. But let us address what it really takes for hair to look nice. 

First things first, in order to have hair that looks nice, the hair itself must be what? Nice! Nice hair starts at HOME. I will re-type this. Nice hair starts at home. You know, like your health! Before I ask a new customer how would they like for me to style their hair, I always ask, what is their level of commitment to their hair style when they go home. "What did you just say?" Is ALWAYS the response. Then, almost everyone always start their response off with:

• "Back in the day my hair was..."
• "When I was younger my hair use to be..."
• "I had good hair until ..."
• "My hair use to be really long until..."
• "My old hair stylist would make my hair do..."

To me when a person pays any amount of money for a hair style they are making an investment in themselves. You know like a IRA. Therefore, I always take the time to listen and allow them to tell their "use to be" hair story. Why? Honestly, there are many women who are emotionally and financially traumatized by salon experiences. Their image has been compromised by a bad hair style; be it hair color, hair weave or the actual hair style itself. In addition, there are a large number of women who are left feeling bitter about the price of the hair style as well. Therefore, it is imperative that I listen. It is my goal to teach them what it realistically takes to achieve NICE hair. In order for me to teach them effectively, I have to hear and see (yes, I actually have them show me what they do to their hair at home) what they are doing to their hair so that I may correct anything that they are doing that is counter productive to them having nice hair.

The World's Bestest Protein ever!

So, I understand the "when I was younger" premise, but what they don't tell you at the hair salon is that as you age you change. Your hair care regimen should change as you age. The regimen should not only change at the salon, but it should also change at home. Also, what they don't tell you at the hair salon is that "aging" hair is not limited to your chronological age, but environmental stressors such as sun rays, curling irons, braiding twisting, flipping, foods, medicines and so on ages hair as well. If you were in the habit of shampooing your hair bi-weekly when you were in your twenties and thirties; you should NOT be doing the same in your forties and fifties. The life expectancy of one strand of hair is 7 years. Each and every hair on your body grows out of its own hole called a follicle. All hair follicles do not grow at the same time like dog hairs do. That explains why some strands of hair are shorter than others. In addition to the hairs on your head (and body) growing at different rates, they also get thinner as we get older. Because your hair gets thinner as you age, the need for chemical services, more heat, heavier conditioners, heavier oils or pomades are not needed. Often times, I religiously apply Philip Pelusi's Daily Hair Rx Extreme Liquid Repair protein treatment to the hair and apply the appropriate conditioner to the ends of the hair on most of my guest 35 years of age and older. 

One does not need to be a hair stylist or dermatologist to notice the change in one's hair as they age. While thinning and balding typically comes to mind; the integrity of the hair has changed as well. The use of heavy products, flimsy combs, too hot of a styling utensil, excessive pulling and infrequent shampooing are the culprits to unwanted hair loss. It also speed up the process of thinning and balding.  

old school  - Goody Combs

In addition to using more quality protein (I swear by Philip Pelusi's Daily Hair Rx Liquid Protein Spray. It is the best), I also change the temperature on the heated styling tools I use, considering their hair is getting thinner. I also change the combs I use. I make sure I only use quality combs and brushes. For a comb/brush is to your hair what a toothbrush is to your teeth or a broom to the floor. And well all know the poor value of a bad tooth brush and broom; both won't clean a thing. 

New School - Krest Combs

In conclusion, I am not suggesting to totally disregard the tried and true methods of hair care when you were younger; but when it comes to truly achieving nice hair that you could be proud to wear, keep in mind the above mentioned points. Keep your hair clean (even if you just wash and wear or put it in a pony tail). Shampoo at least 1-2 times per week. Do not be so quick to try what is NEW on the market. And the next time you hear someone talk about their hair care from what they use to do in the past, have them visit my blog and say to them, "Awe, grow up!"

Combs, Rakes & Pics Oh My!

I recall when I was in high school I had to take this elective class called “Think.” I remeber looking at my schedule (the one I did not make) and thought to myself, “What kind of class is this? I mean aren’t we already thinking?” I asked the counselor about the class and what it meant. He summed it up by telling me that the class was designed to improve my “critical thinking skills.” “Oooooookay!” was my response. While I don’t recall everything about the class, one think I do remember, was learning about analogies. As a cosmetologist,  I now use analogies all the time to help my clients “think” differently about how they care for their hair care thus making learning how to do it at home a lot more easier to comprehend and practice upon leaving the salon.

In 2011, Susan Yara, a writer for Forbes Magazines reports, “the PBA (Professional Beauty Association) reports the average price for a hairstyle in the United States is $45.00.” Considering many salons charge double that amount,  that makes the cost of many hair styles sizeable investments and to me that changes the way licensed professionals should do business. I began to see early on the paradigm shift in hair care move from one simple request to getting “my hair did” for the day to to what are your doing to my hair. To me that translates into, “how do I protect my investment?”

After I service a client, I always send them home with a comb. But not just any comb. The proper comb. Why the comb? Because, it all starts with the comb, rake or pick; oh my! That is right. Nothing undo’s the efforts of costly salon visit than a cheap comb. Nothing will rip, tear and snap hair than the wrong comb. And nothing will detangle, un-matt or reduce the tangling and tears than no comb at all.

Why the comb? Going back to that “Think” class, I will use an analogy to drive in why. A comb is to your hair what a broom is to the floor. Still don’t get it? Here is another one, A comb is to your hair what a toothbrush is to your teeth. (I know you bobbin’ your head cuz I can see ya!) Yeah, you get it now. If you have ever tried to sweep the floor with a cheap broom; it won’t collect the debris. And If you have ever attempted to brush your teeth with a over-used toothbrush; you will quickly reach in your “for guest only” stash of toothbrushes and crack that baby open as if it was a “break in case of emergency seal!”

The main purpose of a comb is to clean and detangle hair by way of removing hair that has completed its growth cycle so that new hairs can come in and to remove hair that is broke to reduce snarling and tangling. If you use the wrong comb or an inferior comb on your tresses (chemically altered or not), the result is unwanted damage, loss of length and/or irritated scalp.

Comb out Comb

There are basically 3-4 types of combs that have varying purposes. The first is a comb out comb or Afro comb. These combs should be made of rubber or a sturdy plastic. Rubber/plastic combs are easier to sanitize, they do not break and they glide easily through most textures (curly, kinky, wavy and straight), density ( the numbers of hair fibers per cubic inch) and length (how long the hair is) provided you have a great conditioner or detangler on your hair. Combs made of other materials or metals typically break or can not effectively detangle more dense thick heads of textured hair.  The second is the, long tooth comb out comb. This comb is shaped the same as the regular comb out comb and is best when made of rubber or plastic. This comb is the best for long, very dense and very textured heads of hair. The long teeth are the secret to an ouchless detangle and the long teeth on the combs can detalngle those hair textures and length. The third comb is a “all purpose” comb. It also known as a barbers comb. This comb is best for relaxed sleek styles. The all purpose come is also great for wrapping your hair, smoothing ponytails or combing bangs. The fourth comb is the “Pin Tail or Rat Tail” comb. This comb is excellent for parting hair to curl, flat iron or roll hair. The pin or rat tail comb is also use to section hair for chemical relaxing hair to make the suggested partings. These combs are best when made of plastic. The fifth comb is the “Rake” comb. The “rake” comb is best to create texture on thermal curled or roller set styles. Do not use wide or “rake” combs to detangle hair or use them as everyday combs. Remember the analogy above. A comb is to your hair what a broom is to the floor. And with that being written, ask yourself would you sweep your floor with a rake or would you use a broom? Ah ha, still bobbin’ yo head!

Well, that concludes my blog on combs rakes and picks; oh my! Be sure to take all this into consideration as you think about the investment spent on your tresses.