[AmyY]

I'm getting interested in this subject now that I'm into the no 'poo thing. Who knew this could all be so interesting?

I have straight fine hair that is growing out, almost shoulder length now. I'm using a shampoo bar (plus BS sometimes) and lemon juice rinse. Oily hair that splits so I get it trimmed slightly about every 10-12 weeks. I use a paddle brush when wet or dry to get out the tangles and smoothe it down. I also have a natural bristle brush that I use occasionally.

So - I've read a couple of threads on hair care here where someone has posted their hair management routine, and I'm especially fascinated by how hair is managed/arranged without any brushing when wet, and some folks report not combing or brushing at all. How in that case does one keep oneself from looking, well, uncombed?

Also - feel free to spam me with websites and info.

 

[Linda in OZ]

I have very fine hairy but a lot of it, at the moment it is layered to just past my shoulders, I don't brush that often, maybe once a week if that. Sometimes I will run my fingers through it when it's wet, just to break up the big knots and give it that messed up tassled look

 

[wynkenblynken&nod]

If you brush it out with your fingers, depending on your hair type, that should work. Some people just cannot and must brush their hair once a week (after shower, or sometimes during, while conditioner is still in there.

If you CO, I suggest you also wash your face with oil at the same time (oil on face before CO=no little red dots around your face because of conditioner

and once you've steamed your face a few times (with hot water in a wash cloth you've wrung out and set on your face,I hold the ends down) then you can rub your face to get dirt up out of your pores and also then rub your scalp to release oil dirt and dead skin off of it. Then rinse your hair as it naturally falls (or you want it to fall) and let it air dry. Just put a towel over your shoulders and work with it as little as possible (I use oil and aloe and once in a great while glycerine because it is a humectant, but I've heard you should use very little) and just let it dry. I am a curly haired girl but I like my hair brushed twice after a shower (see a post down a ways about no-pooing where I go into detail about my routine).

Just make sure that whatever you use does not have metal parts where hair can get lodged or cut or plain damaged causing splits. Also make sure there aren't any seams. Look for where the comb or brush rises out a bit and it looks like the molds that made it came together. Either buy a seamless one or take the time and sand it down VERY WELL. These seams can cause a lot of damage that you won't notice right away. In two weeks when your hair feels like crap, you'll know why.

You can feel free to pm me and ask me any questions.

)

Olivia

 

[Alkenny]

I use a wide tooth comb to comb it out when it's wet.

 

[velcromom]

I never comb at all, after towel drying I shake out the hairs and separate them with my fingers. I have below shoulder length hair that is a weird combo of very fine and very coarse textures, slightly wavy. I let it air dry and that's it. I usually use a soft scrunchie and just put it in a ponytail if I'm not going anywhere, so it doesn't have much chance to get seriously tangled anyhow.

When I did use combs and brushes, I was always careful to start at the very ends. It seems like common sense and you'd think hair professionals would know to always do that, but I just about lost it when the stylist who cut my hair a few weeks ago stuck a comb into my hair above ear level and dragged it down the length of the hair.... snapping hairs the whole way. Grr!

 

[AmyY]

Thanks for these tips. I am just curious - those of you who brush seldom or never, how does your hair look? I'm afraid that if I went out in public with unbrushed hair mothers would instruct their children to avert their eyes while kind strangers offered me directions to the nearest shelter.

However, a few months ago I couldn't conceive of going without my Suave shampoo and my toilet paper and here I am no 'pooing and using cloth toilet wipes. So anything's possible. I just am curious about how it looks. I looked at myself in the mirror this a.m. before I brushed and may I just say WOW it was not a sight for public consumption.

Thanks for your responses so far and I look forward to maybe finding a way to try this out as I am in the process of growing my hair out again, woohoo! And I want it to be as healthy as possible.

 

[velcromom]

This is how my hair looks, this is slightly damp and I've had it cut about four inches since then. I'll never have the perfectly coiffed "do", but then that's not my style either. My hair is smooth enough to be shiny even without brushing or combing, and so far as I know, hasn't frightened any pets or small children.

When I wake up, it's kinda unkempt so what I do is mist it with water til it's just barely damp all through, bend so the hair hangs down and shake through it with my fingers to get it all going the same direction. During the summer it got a bit dry from the pool, so I used a bit of product from Jessicurl to tame the frizz if I was going out.

 

[Mere]

I think it all depends on your hair type. I have thick curly hair that I never, ever ever brush (brushing = BAAAAAD with curly hair). I do, however, get it wet and condition it ever other day or so. That's pretty much all I do. It has a mind of it's own, and I have learned to respect that

.

Alternatively, my dd has very straight hair and it definitely looks better when I brush it.

 

[AmyY]

velcromom - wow that's a great pic!! Thanks for sharing!

I am also wondering if as my hair and scalp get more used to the no 'poo thaing, if my hair will become more manageable without so much attention. Hmm... I say this because although I'm only in month two of the no 'poo routine, I am already noticing a marked difference in my hair and scalp. Perhaps this will, over time, translate into less of a need to attend to the whole thing with a brush. Who knows? And it's not like I'm attacking the mane all day with a brush

I give it a horrified glance in the a.m. and brush then, and then usually not again until after my shower in the afternoon.

I need to check into one of those seamless combs I think. Feel free to spam me with more websites and product info if you have ideas for me. Thanks!

 

[AmyY]

Thought I'd update. Since I last wrote I decided to try not brushing/combing after washing, and see what happens. It turns out that brushing the hair wet has been setting me up for hair nastiness. I don't brush much these days. I loved all these tips and I gotta say, velcromom, that pic made me determined to try it out. My hair and scalp feel much better since I don't brush as much. Thanks for all the suggestions!