Actual combing vs. Finger combing… What works for you?

Hi people, how’s everything going? This post is just sort of an advice post I thought to do after I read a comment on a previous post.

I would like you to be careful of the advices that you implement in your natural hair journey. What works for you might not necessarily work for another person, this is because we all have different hair textures, even though they might be of similar ‘types’ and different people’s hair react differently.  Know what works for you, and stick with it.

As for newbie naturals, one of the things you will get in your journey is loads of well-intentioned advices. It is imperative that you find what works for you and not over experiment.

For instance, I have a friend that has been natural for almost seven years now but her hair looks so short and compact. She hardly ever combs it, she just pats it down and it looks like she has just had her natural hair for six months, everything stays in shape. This is because her hair has this uncommon ability to 5% of its original length, and this is not an exaggeration. If I try to carry my hair by not combing and just patting it down, I will look like the ‘maddest’ person on earth.

Source

Source

So one day, someone told me that as a natural girl, I should not pass comb through my hair again. She said I should use my fingers to ‘comb’ and things will be fine, just as if I used a comb. This is to be done in order to minimize hair loss.

I followed through with my friend’s well-intentioned advice. I loosed my twist, detangled gently with my fingers (as usual), did my prepoo overnight (as usual) and then went to wash. I refused to pass comb through my hair while conditioning (which is what I would have done on a normal day), I only used my fingers to detangle. After drying my hair, I then proceeded to do my usual bimonthly twists.

Oh my gosh! I almost cried. I lost so much hair, the twists were rough, the tangles were a lot, the frizzes were all over, etc. I regretted my decision not to comb while washing. Needless to say, I swore never to try that again. Normally, I only comb my hair while washing, which is every two weeks and I think that is fair. But to never comb my hair?… count me out! It did not work for me.

Please, naturals, find what works for your hair and stick with it. Be careful about the numerous Natural Hair Rules out there.

Update: Hi everyone. I just thought it proper to let you guys know that I now Finger-Comb my hair. I have found a way to be more gentle and patient while finger combing, and I think I have had less breakage because of this. All in all, find out what works for you.