In these days of temporarily shuttered salons and barbershops, many men are finding that this is the longest they’ve gone without a haircut. Managing your hair well becomes even more important during these times. While most men have at least a comb in their dopp kit, knowing how to use it effectively can make a significant difference in your hairstyle and overall hair health. This article will explore the world of men's hair care, focusing on the tools and techniques needed to comb your hair properly.
When it comes to hairstyling, the experience can often be separated into two distinct categories: barbershops and salons. Some men find the word "salon" to be intimidating, as the word has been somewhat feminized, much like the word "perfume". Salons are staffed by hairstylists trained in cutting both men’s and women’s hair, but the main difference for men often boils down to hairstyle.
Barbers typically specialize in short, traditional styles like tight fades, shape-ups, edge ups, and crewcuts. On the other hand, hairstylists tend to be better at longer hairstyles and specialty services such as coloring. This difference also influences the types of products you’ll find in these establishments. Barbershops tend to be more traditional, centered on shaving and close-cut hairstyles. Taylor of Old Bond Street in London, one of the oldest and most famous barbershops in the world, exemplifies this with its soft badger bristle shaving brushes and almond-scented soaps and creams. They also sell their own brand of men’s hairbrushes and combs, including military-style brushes backed with hardwood or imitation ivory.
Salons, while also stocking combs and brushes, offer a wider variety of products aimed at styling longer hair. This includes clays, pastes, pre-styling treatments, finishing sprays, and texturizing products. You can also find specialized combs and brushes, such as round combs, paddle brushes, vented brushes, and brushes made from technologically advanced and traditional materials like ceramic, plastic, and boar bristle.
Combs are particularly useful for achieving clean-cut, neatly set styles, such as slicked-back hair, pompadours, and hard side parts. Combination combs with fine and coarse teeth are the most popular, offering ease of use and greater control over your hairstyle. If you prefer a hard side part, a rat tail comb may be beneficial.
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When purchasing a comb, it’s best to avoid those made with injection-molded plastic, as they often have tiny ridges (mold marks) that can damage your hair. Instead, opt for a seamless comb that has been buffed and smoothed. Higher-end combs are often made from cellulose acetate, designed to look like imitation ivory or tortoiseshell, or they’re cut from oxhorn.
Paddle brushes are another common hairstyling tool. Often large and rectangular, they are defined by widely spaced, plastic teeth set on a cushion and finished with rounded nibs. Paddle brushes are useful for distributing hair product evenly and setting your hair without making it look too neat. They are especially helpful for detangling longer hair when it’s wet, which is when it’s the most fragile. A narrow paddle brush with flexible, plastic teeth set on a bendy cushion is easier to use for hairstyling and can also be used to grip your hair and pull it upwards to give it volume.
Boar bristle brushes are constructed from the thick, coarse bristles of boars. These bristles have tiny hooks that grip your hair, allowing you to pull and shape it. Boar bristle brushes are really useful for minimizing frizz and smoothing out hair. They come in various shapes and sizes: flat, curved, rounded, and half-round. Rounded brushes are particularly useful for putting extra tension on your hair, as you can twist them to lock your hair in place. Choose a size that’s right for you; if you have longer hair, you’ll want a brush with a larger diameter.
Ceramic brushes are another essential hair-shaping tool. Much like how a tailor sets shape into a suit jacket with a hot iron, you can use a hairdryer and ceramic brush to give your hair definition, waves, or volume. The technique involves rolling the brush backward on your hair - rolling it gently will give it waves, while pulling it up will give it volume. The heat from your hairdryer will heat up your brush’s ceramic plate, “pressing” your hair into shape. When purchasing a ceramic round brush, take note of the size; those with longer hair will want brushes with a larger diameter.
If you’re unsure where to start, consider getting a Denman brush. These brushes, made by a company that has been making specialized brushes since the 1930s, are considered a staple in many hairstyling kits. Their seven- and nine-row brushes are popular because they’re gentle, which makes them useful for detangling longer hair. Voss also makes a Denman-like brush with a ceramic plate for more shaping.
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Vented brushes are similar to Denman brushes and can be found for less than $10. However, since they’re vented, they’re designed not to heat up very much.
When it comes to using a comb to care for and style your hair, there are certain tips and tricks you should know.
If you find yourself reaching for a plastic comb, it’s time to reevaluate. Plastic combs can often lead to static. Instead, use a rubber comb on wet hair and a wooden comb on dry hair. It’s also better to use a wide-toothed comb, as this will gently pull apart knots and tangles.
Always comb your hair with care, especially if your hair is on the longer side. Work your way from the ends upward when combing through, and be patient.
Comb your hair before washing it. This will make your routine go much smoother.
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Comb your hair after you’ve applied your conditioner but before rinsing.
Use a comb to detangle your hair after your shower. For long, medium, or short hair, mist a tangle tamer through your hair to help with any pesky knots.
Combs can also be used to create some popular men’s hairstyles.
A deep side part is perfect for men with hair of all lengths, especially those with longer hair at the top and tapered sides. Align your comb with the arch of your eyebrow, pull it in a straight line toward the back of your head, and brush sideways so that the majority of your hair is combed away from your face.
To achieve a slicked-back hairstyle, first use your comb to brush your hair backward, removing any knots and tangles. Then, apply styling gel to your roots and comb backward through your hair again.
For a no-fuss style, take a small amount of hair putty and rub it between the palms of your hands. Then, apply the paste to your hair by running your fingers through it. To create messy texture, use your comb to brush through your hair in various directions. Remember, the messier, the better.
Brushing your hair isn’t really something that should be optional. There are far too many benefits, including keeping hair loss at bay, having healthy hair, and improving scalp health.
Pretty much all hair types can benefit from brushing. However, knowing how and when to brush is the main issue. You should brush if you’re growing your hair out, if you frequently experience tangling, if the ends of your hair are dryer than the rest, if you frequently experience breakage, or if you want to help fortify follicles and hair strength at the root.
A brush helps distribute those oils so that you can avoid the host of problems that come from having too-dry strands: breakage, frizzing, split ends, and overly greasy roots. Plus, you get a healthy shine in the process.
A well-spaced, flexible brush will help detangle your hairs with minimal breakage and headaches.
Like a scalp massage, brushes stimulate the capillaries in your scalp and increase circulation in the area. This increases the oxygen and nutrient delivery to the follicles, which fortifies hair growth at the root. So, daily brushing can help ensure that you have stronger, sturdier hairs sprouting at the start.
Brushes with open, “vented” backsides are terrific for use with a blow dryer, as well as rounded brushes that help define a buoyant pompadour. Others can help tease hair to achieve voluminous styles.
Brushing coaches out those hairs that were ready to shed in the first place. They’ll be back in a couple of months’ time, just as if they had fallen naturally.
If you want to properly incorporate brushing into your regimen, then you should do it at least once a day. A morning-and-night pattern is a good maximalist approach, particularly in dry hair. Brushing is typically best done in dry hair, since it is far less prone to breakage compared to wet strands. However, some curly-haired guys prefer to brush wet hair. Use a good conditioner to keep things from slicking and use a gentle dedicated wet brush.
How you brush your hair will change based on whether you’re brushing for style or based on your hair type. But the main thing to know is that you shouldn’t brush with a lot of force. In terms of detangling and routine hair health, you primarily want to start with the ends. Work upwards in sections, steadily freeing hair from the bottom and then inching up further with each new pass. Small, steady strokes are ideal, and you can even use your fingers to help “comb” through as you go. (A wide-tooth comb will do wonders on detangling, too.) As you free up each new section, eventually you’ll reach the scalp area and will have the ability to use longer, slow strokes. Take it easy, take it slow. Don’t pull too hard or fight knots with force. You can always apply a detangling product if you need extra slickness. The last thing you want is to induce breakage.
The longer or more textured/defined your hair is, the more you need to pay attention to the type of brush you get. Shorter hair has fewer tangles, and brushing is more about the styling than health and longevity.
Brushing is part of a quality hair maintenance routine, and proper technique is critical. It’s a common misconception that the only purpose of brushing is to detangle your hair. While detangling is a function of brushing, the primary benefits are:
If your hair is straight, wavy, or slightly curly, this technique will serve you well. Super curly hair or kinked hair is going to require different techniques (and different tools), and in some cases, you might not even brush your hair at all. In any case, you don’t want to brush with wet hair-unless you have a wet brush.
To get started, you’re not actually going to use a brush. You want to start with a wide-tooth comb. The purpose here IS to remove tangles and clear the path for brushing. If you’re not tangled, you can skip the combing. When combing, start with the outermost tips and work your way toward the roots as you remove tangles. Gently, don’t rip your hair out. Comb from the inside, starting in the front and moving toward the back, where hair gets the most tangled.
Once you’ve combed out the tangles, you’re ready to switch to a brush. There are all kinds of hair brushes for men, but to start with, it is recommended a solid paddle brush with plastic bristles. Since you’ve already removed tangles, brushing is simple. The technique is long, smooth strokes with light to moderate pressure. If your brush gives way beneath the bristles you can use a little more pressure, less if the bristles come straight out of a harder material like wood or plastic. Proper brushing isn’t focused on the tips, or even the hair so much as the scalp. In fact, you don’t even have to brush all the way out through the tips-though it is usually done. What you want is to make sure you are massaging your scalp all the way around with nice, even pressure. Especially make sure you brush all the way around the back of your head, which can be an easy place to miss.
As you get into your hair brushing routine, you can actually feel the epidermal layers of your scalp being exfoliated, the oil breaking up and being distributed throughout your hair. If you haven’t had a chance to comb first, you’ve even found that tangles come out easier when the oil starts getting distributed. When you’re done, your hair and scalp will look and feel great. It’ll be smooth and shiny with a healthy sheen and a little extra bounce. You’ll have also removed some of the hair that’s reached the end of its growth cycle and ready to come out.
Brushing also gives you a good indicator if it’s time to shampoo & condition. If you’ve given it a nice thorough brush, run your fingers through it. If it feels greasy to the touch, it’s time for a wash.
The main thing that differentiates combs are the width of the comb teeth. The smaller the width between teeth, the more precision and detail you can get with your hair styling. If you’re styling your hair with a side part, you’ll want a comb that has narrower spacing between teeth so you can get that kind of defined line in your comb-over. Think of the classic Mad Men type hairstyles. If you’re going for a style that’s a bit looser, go with a comb that has more widely spaced teeth. If you have really thick or coarse hair, use a wide-tooth comb. You’re less likely to pull and damage your hair with it. To keep your hair styling tools to a minimum, pick up a single comb that has more widely-spaced teeth on one end and more narrowly-spaced teeth on the other.
Combs can also be made out of different materials. Plastic is the most common, but wooden and even metal combs also exist. Well-made combs are sturdy yet flexible, which keeps the teeth and the comb itself from snapping and breaking (especially important if you carry one around in your pocket). Quality combs also sport straight, smooth teeth with comfortable rounded ends that will feel good on your scalp and won’t scratch your skin or pull out your hair as they glide through its strands. Kent is a well-vetted brand in this category.
For longer hair, you want to stick primarily with a brush. A paddle brush will keep your hair smooth, straight, and detangled without causing too much discomfort in the process. Brushes don’t allow for precision styling, but when you have longer hair, you’re usually not trying to get a sharp style. You’re going for “loose” and brushes achieve that for you. For shorter hair, stick with a comb since you’re usually going for more precision with your styling. A comb’s teeth will leave those sharp, crisp lines in your hair. Brushes are great for distributing men’s hair product evenly throughout the hair without it clumping up. A brush can be used to establish the basic structure of a hairstyle and then go back with a comb to give it a more precise look. Many men will therefore want to keep both a brush and a comb on hand.
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