4 Reasons I Do Not Comb My Natural Hair?
Most naturals are surprised when I say I do not use a comb on my hair but I don’t, and I also do not use a comb on any of my children’s hair.
One day I was speaking to my sister who is natural and I mentioned to her that I do not use a comb on my hair. She was gobsmacked and wanted to know how my hair always looks on point without combing it.
Anyway I explained to my sister how to do this and since then she has reported that she has had length retention and has no plans to go back the comb.
Here is why I do not use any combs:
An afro comb gives me bad childhood memories
When I was growing up, mum used to comb my hair with an afro comb which was made of wood and steel. Combing was a very painful experience and it left my scalp so sore that eventually I decided that I did not want my hair combed and plaited anymore, so I kept it short. Now that I am a natural mom myself, I didn’t want my kids to associate having their hair done with pain.
It is not necessary
My mum used to comb my hair as a way of detangling, however, now I have figured out there are other ways of detangling. I rub oil on the tips of the hair to detangle it if necessary.
I do not detangle my hair because I keep it stretched and I do not have any single strand knots either. I also regularly rub oil on the tips to maintain my hair and put it in a protective style very regularly.
It breaks hair
I noticed that when you comb hair it breaks. I would rather deal with the shedding than to see strands of hair on the comb.
I have a regimen that works well without a comb
After washing and deep conditioning* my hair or my kids hair, I only use a tail comb to open the lines. I spray leave-in conditioner* and braid it while still wet. I then apply an oil and allow the hair to dry in a braid which stretches the hair.
When styling my hair I will sometimes use a soft bristle brush which I bought for $2 in a dollar shop. The brush makes my hair smooth without pulling the hair out of my scalp.
Do you use combs?
