Dee's No Comb No Brush CHALLENGING Challenge

[CCmomof5]

OK - I'm in! I am actually over-do for detangling , so I will be doing some pre-poo conditioning with oil & conditioner this evening before I get in the shower. I usually use Vatika oil, and a cheap conditioner like Tresemme Naturals, but I might try this detangler by Shea Moisture that I just bought. THANKS, Dee! Now this challenge seems a little less daunting.

And OHR - I'm going to find one of the drain covers today - I appreciate the pics!

[deecoily]

Since i took my locs down in Dec., all I've been doing is no comb. i bought a few and even a new Denman brush..tried them at FIRST to release the last mat/tangle but it felt violating to me. lol. After 7 yrs w/o a comb, Im just not with that life anymore. My fingers do a good enough job for what I'm doing with my hair and I see it thriving, especially in my crown area and along my edges where it's weak. I remember when i was loose before this area stayed broke and shreaded using brushes and combs. It' thriving and the same length as my longest hairs. So, I'm going to 'listen' to my hair this time and keep with the combless/brushless theme..so yeh, add me to the challenge.


Beautiful pics Dee!

Yes, I am keeping a close eye on the areas where I have been experiencing breakage. Honestly though it is so refreshing not to be using a comb. My scalp already feels so much better. My scalp is so tender I could never wear cornrows and box braids were like a tool of torture so it's a relief to free my scalp from pulling and tugging.

I didn't detangle but I fully wetted my hair this morning (didn't have time to detangle and condish so I just ran water through and separated some areas - and now I have hundreds of well defined ringlets all over my head. Haven't seen my hair do this since I was a child. Put some mousse on and I'm good to go.

[OHR]

And OHR - I'm going to find one of the drain covers today - I appreciate the pics!

You're welcome. Don't spend a whole buncha $$$ for one...they're available everywhere, for under 4-5 dollars. They last forever!

You'd mentioned that you shed a lot (so do I) I would suggest finding one that looks like the first or third one. The one in the center has holes that are a bit on the larger side. Good luck!!

[OHR]

Put some mousse on and I'm good to go.

What kind of mousse??

My thoughts about the challenge: I've got to say, I've been better with finger detangling lately. I only use my wide tooth comb and/or TT at washtime (which is maybe 1-2 times monthly). I rinse with water in between wash day. It has taken me years to relax enough and rely on my fingers to detangle...and I also see the benefits.

I decided to rinse my hair last weekend, then I didn't redo my twists until yesterday. Yeah, my hair was fuzzy and undefined in twists, but I'm learning how to put up with more frizz and puffiness.

[afroknots11412]

i haven't used a comb in so long i wouldn't know how to use one. seriously. straight finger comber.

when it is wash day, the night before i will section my hair and apply my prepoo. that softens my hair up for finger detangling the next day.

[CCmomof5]

OK, so I did the whole nine last night - pre-pooed with my Vatika oil & conditioner (not sure about that Shea Moisture detangler yet - gonna have to give it another try), and because I was overdue for a detangling session and it was pretty bad, I did a little finger detangling during that step, then put on plastic caps and let the heat & pre-poo concoction soften up my hair for about an hour (since I had not worked out yesterday, I did a 30 minute work out with the caps on to increase the heat and really encourage conditioning effects ). I put my hair in 6 huge twists under the caps.

Then I got in the shower and followed Dee's steps 1 - 4, thoroughly wetting (and rinsing out my pre-poo products) and finger detangling each of the 6 sections that I previously twisted (twisted each section back up after detangling). Followed that up with shampooing and scalp scrubbing with ACV, then finished up with steps 5 - 9. When I applied my leave-in, I separated each of the six twists into 2, so I ended up with 12 jumbo twists. They weren't dry this morning, so for Church I tied on a cute headband, pulled the twists back and tucked the ends under the headband.

When I was separating the twists last night, I found several more tangles and cleaned out more shed hair. While this gave me that familiar feeling of having not thoroughly detangled, I realized that the tangles were not that much worse than after I've spent 2-3 hours pre-poo detangling with fingers AND comb &/or Denman. I had a lightbulb moment then: My strands are going to join together no matter what. I have to accept that this hair will never be "fully" detangled in order to really commit to being totally comb/brush free. Gotta just let my strands do what they're going to do in between detangling sessions, and consistently break up the marrying sections with my fingers as often as I can.

Here's what I will change next time: I'll spend less time on the detangling during the initial wetting (or rinsing out the pre-poo products), and commit more time to getting my fingers through my hair from roots to tips with the conditioner on it (steps 5 & 6 of Dee's routine).

[CCmomof5]

You're welcome. Don't spend a whole buncha $$$ for one...they're available everywhere, for under 4-5 dollars. They last forever!

You'd mentioned that you shed a lot (so do I) I would suggest finding one that looks like the first or third one. The one in the center has holes that are a bit on the larger side. Good luck!!

Those are the 2 I got - before I even saw your post! I could tell that middle one might let too much hair through. And I only used the one pictured in the top pic for a little while then took it out, because I didn't trust the suction around the bottom. I like the metal mesh on the bottom one, and the fact that it sits down in the drain. That one will probably be my go-to.

[OHR]

Those are the 2 I got - before I even saw your post! I could tell that middle one might let too much hair through. And I only used the one pictured in the top pic for a little while then took it out, because I didn't trust the suction around the bottom. I like the metal mesh on the bottom one, and the fact that it sits down in the drain. That one will probably be my go-to.

that's the one I typically have in my shower drain. I use #1 in my kitchen drain.

The only thing though...since I do shed a bit, it will become clogged quickly. I have to bend down, clear out the hair, then place back in the drain. Oh, also...you can easily clean these in the dishwasher! Keeps the holes clog free.

[LBellatrix]

When I was separating the twists last night, I found several more tangles and cleaned out more shed hair. While this gave me that familiar feeling of having not thoroughly detangled, I realized that the tangles were not that much worse than after I've spent 2-3 hours pre-poo detangling with fingers AND comb &/or Denman. I had a lightbulb moment then: My strands are going to join together no matter what. I have to accept that this hair will never be "fully" detangled in order to really commit to being totally comb/brush free. Gotta just let my strands do what they're going to do in between detangling sessions, and consistently break up the marrying sections with my fingers as often as I can.

Ding ding ding... The simple fact is that past a certain length, there's just no way you're going to get every single strand separated from every other strand in a single sitting unless you're just anal. No offense to the anal/OCD folk out there...

Congratulations on your first attempt at the challenge!

[OHR]

Ding ding ding... The simple fact is that past a certain length, there's just no way you're going to get every single strand separated from every other strand in a single sitting unless you're just anal. No offense to the anal/OCD folk out there...

^no offense taken! It has taken me years...YEARS I tell ya to just get over my 'my hair isn't ok unless I comb/brush/lay down my edges' obsessions.