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.