Why are small toothed combs a no-no, but Denman Brushes a yes-yes?

[TrustMeLove]

I use my denman when I have really detangled well w/ my fingers, and than my moderately sized bone comb. The denman does create great curls on my 4a/b hair. But, I have found the best gel to set the curls so I dont' really do that style anymore.

I see folks using small toothed combs all the time in their Fotki. I think it is about have smooth edges and the hairs not snapping on the rough edges of those cheap plastic smooth tooth combs. But, I have a small tooth bone comb that works really well on relaxed hair.

 

[Fine 4s]

I LOVE my Denman brush that if I don't have it on wash day, I just don't wash!

I section my hair in 6 sections or more and use it after the DC and under running water. I hold the section with my left hand and starting from the bottom working my way up, I use the Denman brush. The motion my wrist holding the Denman brush makes is like a thumb in and thumb out motion or like a regal wave without breaking the wrist ( I hope I'm making it clear :S) I don't just pull it through the section, it just works its way down in part because the brush is heavy but also because of the conditioner and water.

I wouldn't use it on dry hair, damp hair or any other kind of hair, only in the shower. However, stylists use it to blow dry my hair :S

Maybe someone should post a how to on Youtube.

I understand why someone would not want to use the brush though but this brush is just different so I say try it out...I LOVE it!

 

[Carrie A]

Okay, exactly what are y'all doing?

This is what I did:

1) Co wash or shampoo
2) Deep Condition
3) Apply lots of leave in and oil
4) Section my hair into 4 quadrants
5) Work with 1 section at a time... each quadrant I would further section into about 6-8 mini sections for detangling
6) Fingercomb to get any big tangles out, then detangle with my wide toothed comb
7) Detangle from the ends up with the Denman making sure to be gentle. It mostly glided through my hair, but when I looked at the brush and saw all the hair in it I was like

I even tried detangling with a smaller toothed comb after using the wide comb... no luck.

What am I doing wrong?

I did like how it made my curls all clumpy, but that hair in the brush... it's no joke.

Sounds like you are doing everything right to me. Can you post a picture of your Denman right after you use it. That is if you haven't thrown it down the trash shoot. I want to get an idea of how much hair is coming out. Also can somebody post a pic of a fine tooth comb because I thought those were like those small pocket black combs that guys use to slick their hair back.

 

[Neith]

Sounds like you are doing everything right to me. Can you post a picture of your Denman right after you use it. That is if you haven't thrown it down the trash shoot. I want to get an idea of how much hair is coming out. Also can somebody post a pic of a fine tooth comb because I thought those were like those small pocket black combs that guys use to slick their hair back.

I threw that evil thing out the window one day i was in the bathroom doing my hair and the window just happened to be wide open

On a non denman day I lose about... 40 hairs during detangling. With the denman seriously think it was 200 or more... like a good handful of hair. My hair isn't long, so a handfull is a lot.

That's a fine toothed comb imo. The bigger side I guess would be medium. Wide toothed to me means the spaces are 1/2 an inch and up.

 

[kblc06]

Okay, exactly what are y'all doing?

This is what I did:

1) Co wash or shampoo
2) Deep Condition
3) Apply lots of leave in and oil
4) Section my hair into 4 quadrants
5) Work with 1 section at a time... each quadrant I would further section into about 6-8 mini sections for detangling
6) Fingercomb to get any big tangles out, then detangle with my wide toothed comb
7) Detangle from the ends up with the Denman making sure to be gentle. It mostly glided through my hair, but when I looked at the brush and saw all the hair in it I was like

I even tried detangling with a smaller toothed comb after using the wide comb... no luck.

What am I doing wrong?

I did like how it made my curls all clumpy, but that hair in the brush... it's no joke.

Most people shed anywhere from 50-100 strands of hair in a day. Depending on how often you go without combing, it could be 3-5x that amount. It sounds like you're doing everything right Did you check to see if there were bulbs at the end of most of the hair?

 

[Kay.Dee]

Neith don't worry I hate that thing too

I don't think its for my hair type and I'm not about to jump through hoops to get it to work!

 

[Neith]

Most people shed anywhere from 50-100 strands of hair in a day. Depending on how often you go without combing, it could be 3-5x that amount. It sounds like you're doing everything right Did you check to see if there were bulbs at the end of most of the hair?

I thought that too, but it didn't matter if I just used it yesterday or not... I always lost a handful of hair.

I gave it a very fair shot... I must've used the brush about 15 times before I chucked it.

 

[Carrie A]

Woa. Yeah Everythang ain't for everybody. Yes That's how a see a narrow toothed comb as well. I'm still sticking with the Denman. I recently BCed and my breakage has decreased considerably. I was losing a handful of hair at a time which I thought was shedding by I know now it was breakage at the demarkation line. I've been closely monitoring my Denman after every session because of all the hair loss reports. But I've gotta say so far it's working well for me (very few shed hairs). Then again, I've used a narrow toothed comb to coil wet ends also.

 

[JustKiya]

I threw that evil thing out the window one day i was in the bathroom doing my hair and the window just happened to be wide open

On a non denman day I lose about... 40 hairs during detangling. With the denman seriously think it was 200 or more... like a good handful of hair. My hair isn't long, so a handfull is a lot.

That's a fine toothed comb imo. The bigger side I guess would be medium. Wide toothed to me means the spaces are 1/2 an inch and up.

I wonder though - not trying to convince you to try it again - but I really suspect those were shed hairs you simply were never getting out of your hair before. But if it don't work for you - it don't work!

These are my detangling tools - I consider the rattail to be fine tooth, the comb to be medium tooth, and the rake to be wide toothed.

Looking at that, I'd put the spacing of the Denman closer to the medium toothed comb than the small toothed one.

I use all four of them every week, and I get about a jawbreaker to Jax ball sized ball of hair each time - more when I'm going through a shed - up to golf ball sized.

 

[discobiscuits]

Perhaps it is a combination of things. I love my Demans!!! I think I'm 4a? I use it on wet hair with conditioner and the force of running water to detangle. I also use it on damp hair to puff. I've never ripped my hair out or had clumps. It does get all the shed hair out. I also start from ends to root. My hair is not super thick so I don't section. I never use it on dry hair - ever. Additionally, they are good for blowdrying hair as well.

I have 3 Denmans two 7 rows and one 9 row. I think the 9 row is better for people who have difficulty with using Denmans or who have long or thick hair. I don't see a Denman's bristles even comparing to a comb in any way. Denmans are very flexible and giving and feel oh so goooood on the scalp. I have to agree and repeat the mantra: what works for you. There is a "technique" involved kinda sorta. Plus I think Denmans are really for wet/damp hair whereas normal brushes are generally used on dry hair.

Sorry you lost bunches of hair...never a good thing.

 

[ResultsMayVary]

I have a problem with seeing too much hair in the brush during denman use as well but there are a lot of good tips in here that I never thought of .. I'm going to try to give it another go ... I guess

 

[Muffinz05]

I had the same problem when I first used my denman but I realized that I caused most of the breakage my not being gentle with the brush. Also what I do now is detangle with a wide tooth comb and then run the denman through it and it much better. I dont shed as much hairs like I used to.

 

[JustKiya]

Perhaps it is a combination of things. I love my Demans!!! I think I'm 4a? I use it on wet hair with conditioner and the force of running water to detangle. I also use it on damp hair to puff. I've never ripped my hair out or had clumps. It does get all the shed hair out. I also start from ends to root. My hair is not super thick so I don't section. I never use it on dry hair - ever. Additionally, they are good for blowdrying hair as well.

I have 3 Denmans two 7 rows and one 9 row. I think the 9 row is better for people who have difficulty with using Denmans or who have long or thick hair. I don't see a Denman's bristles even comparing to a comb in any way. Denmans are very flexible and giving and feel oh so goooood on the scalp. I have to agree and repeat the mantra: what works for you. There is a "technique" involved kinda sorta. Plus I think Denmans are really for wet/damp hair whereas normal brushes are generally used on dry hair.

Sorry you lost bunches of hair...never a good thing.

*does a happy dance*

I think I'm getting close to needing a 9 row, I really do. And I'm far too excited about that fact.

 

[Priss Pot]

I tried the denman and that sucka ripped my hair out. It made my curls very defined, but it wasn't worth me loosing all that extra hair. This was after I detangled with my wide toothed comb.

I just find it funny that if I said that I detangled with a small toothed comb, people would suggest a wide one.

A denman has many rows of little teeth not spaced very far apart.

What's the difference?

Good question.

Personally, I love the Denman. While a wide-tooth comb detangles, the Denman rids all of those excess shed hairs. I assume that all the extra hair you see in the brush are shed hairs. I like to inspect the hair in my brush, and I usually always see the bulb on the strands, which means that it's a shed hair.

Shed strands left over in the hair can cause even more knots and tangles.

 

[Priss Pot]

I have a problem with seeing too much hair in the brush during denman use as well but there are a lot of good tips in here that I never thought of .. I'm going to try to give it another go ... I guess

I know sometimes it may look like a lot of hair, but you have to think about the length of your hair. One long strand wrapped around a few bristles could easily look like multiple strands. So imagine shedding like 10 strands, and all of it wrapped up around the bristles, making it look like much more.

 

[Mook's hair]

There's just something about that Denman.

Neith, maybe it's because you are texlaxed, I know the denman works better for me on the completely natural parts of my hair but the areas where there is still relaxer, not so great. I only use my denman after using a wide tooth comb first and I use it on small sections at a time.

But I've also found that it is fantabulous on my scalp when my hair is pressed straight. Oooo, the best scalp massage, scalp stimulator.

There's just something about that Denman.

 

[PhiLee]

I hate my denman. I only used it ONCE, and it made my hair look so crazy that it has just sat in my bathroom since.

And it HURT.

 

[PhiLee]

Oh, and I lost an insane amount of hair-- even after detangling first. AND I have super- fine, easy- to- comb-through natural hair...seems like it shoulda been a breeze.

 

[Napp]

well i have a 9 row and i cant even begin to get that in my hair. it doesnt smooth my waves right either. i like the 5 row better.

here is a tip i suggest:you get the cheap kind for this little trick I buy the bon ami brand denman brush the small 5 row is 99 cents to $2 and the 9 row for $4-5. i find them in alot of BSS. they work great on my hair and ive been using mostly for styling. i decided to expiriment on my 9 row once because i just cant get it through my hair even though i need a bigger sized brush because i have really thick,kinky hair and my small stylers wasnt cutting it for detangling. so i removed every other row so it has 5 rows. then taking a regular scissor(not paper scissor) i cut every other "pin" on the rows. i broke a few rows during cutting but it dosent make much of a diffrence. now it GLIDES though my hair effortlessly(w/ conditioner of course.) i was just cheap and trying to emulate this

this is my modified one lol some may call it ghetto but whatever

 

[Neith]

There's just something about that Denman.

Neith, maybe it's because you are texlaxed, I know the denman works better for me on the completely natural parts of my hair but the areas where there is still relaxer, not so great. I only use my denman after using a wide tooth comb first and I use it on small sections at a time.

But I've also found that it is fantabulous on my scalp when my hair is pressed straight. Oooo, the best scalp massage, scalp stimulator.

There's just something about that Denman.

Maybe... my hair doesn't like too much of any kind of manipulation. If I fall asleep 1 night without braiding/covering it up, the next day even if it's not tangled, it sheds/breaks more. My hair doesn't like daily co washing, combing or anything. I just use my fingers unless it's wash day.

Maybe the same people who can't have healthy hair without a no/low manipulation regimen are the same people who don't get along with this brush.

Curse the denman brush!

 

[empressri]

See, it's weird. If you only comb your hair, well, in my case, I don't get all of the shed hair out. I don't need to denman with every wash, but at least every few washes to get out the shed hair. Now since I can't use a boar bristle brush on my wet hair (which I use on my dry hair, mostly when it's straight) so the denman is like a comb and brush all together. But I'm GENTLE so I don't feel hair being pulled from the root, cause trust me I can feel the difference.

Those little tooth combs are hell though, cause it has no give for the kinks and curls in my strands. The denman has plenty of space for the hair to go through but it's not so tight where it will tug and take out my hair.

I hope that makes sense.

 

[anon123]

good question, they are both no nos for me. In fact, I'd rather deal with a smaller toothed comb (not rat tail size, but smallish). I have more control over the comb, with fewer teeth going through my hair at once. All them hard plastic teeth of the Denman (and yes, they are very hard compared to the Goody Styling Therapy brush) just rip my hair out. There is just no way I can be gentle with the denman. Either I'm gentle and the brush won't go through my hair, or I get the brush through my hair but it breaks it. There's no way I've figured out yet to get it through without breaking, even if I detangle with a comb first.

 

[BillsBackerz67]

good question, they are both no nos for me. In fact, I'd rather deal with a smaller toothed comb (not rat tail size, but smallish). I have more control over the comb, with fewer teeth going through my hair at once. All them hard plastic teeth of the Denman (and yes, they are very hard compared to the Goody Styling Therapy brush) just rip my hair out.

My sister has very similar hair to yours (excpet its a sandy brown color) and ummm yeah she tried to use my brush in the summer What an episode trying to get the brush out of her hair.

 

[anon123]

My sister has very similar hair to yours (excpet its a sandy brown color) and ummm yeah she tried to use my brush in the summer What an episode trying to get the brush out of her hair.

I know, I know "technique". I lost so much hair trying to get the right "technique" that I was about to be bald before I figured it out. Then I'd be sitting there brushing my 11 strands talking about "I got it!" People gave me all kinds of tips, I watched the video tutorials, it was not happening. In the end, it's like someone else said, everything ain't for everybody. If it's this hard to figure out the "right" way to use the brush, then it ain't for you. Try the Goody instead. There is a world of difference between the Denman and the Goody. I still had to detangle some first with a comb, still had to do it in small well-lubricated sections. But the Goody is just overall a more gentle brush. Not as sturdy, so you might have to replace it more often. But I can't recall reading about someone, esp. someone with very tightly coiled hair, having tried both and preferring the Denman. Could be wrong, just can't remember ever hearing that.

 

[aja1121]

That's part of it - and the fact that if you tug too hard, the whole brush will just come apart. You just can't use as much force with it as you can with a 'stationary' brush.

Also - and I don't know about other naturals - but the Denman is the LAST thing I use on my hair. First I use a wide toothed comb, then a medium toothed comb, then the Denman - I don't really use it to detangle, I use it to pull the remaining shed hair out of the mass of my hair. And I only use it on WET & conditioner soaked (thus max slippy) hair. And I don't pull/rip it through - I start at the ends, just like with my combs, and work my way up to my root.

I wouldn't DARE use it on my hair first - it would pop out the handle, for one thing, and it would rip out my hair, for another thing.

I had the Goody version of the Denman and the handle popped off all the time, but I got a real Denman a couple of months ago and it isn't made the same way. It would be impossible for the handle to pop off.

I use it second after my shower comb and I detangle wet in 4 sections w/conditioner and it is the only way I can get my natural 4a hair fully detangled. If I skip this step, my shed hair will get caught on my hair and knot and I end up having 10 strands of WL when I'm only BSL.

I would never use a Denman on dry natural, texlaxed hair. It works best for me on wet hair and it has been my saving grace for staying natural.

 

[aja1121]

Okay, exactly what are y'all doing?

This is what I did:

1) Co wash or shampoo
2) Deep Condition
3) Apply lots of leave in and oil
4) Section my hair into 4 quadrants
5) Work with 1 section at a time... each quadrant I would further section into about 6-8 mini sections for detangling
6) Fingercomb to get any big tangles out, then detangle with my wide toothed comb
7) Detangle from the ends up with the Denman making sure to be gentle. It mostly glided through my hair, but when I looked at the brush and saw all the hair in it I was like

I even tried detangling with a smaller toothed comb after using the wide comb... no luck.

What am I doing wrong?

I did like how it made my curls all clumpy, but that hair in the brush... it's no joke.

Try doing Step 7 with Step 2, the Denman works best for me when my hair is saturated with conditioner and when I work in sections.

 

[Allandra]

The Denman is my go-to for detangling. I don't know why it works, but it does. I think a small-toothed comb would do the same thing, but the Denman has more rows, so you don't have to make as many passes through the hair, if that makes sense.

That's my guess.

 

[vestaluv1]

I bought a Denman after all the hype on LHCF, but, , I only use it on my wigs... I guess I need some use for it. If I was to use it, I know it would rip my hair out. I tried to use it slowly on my own hair and could feel it snagging, even on detangled hair... nope... its not the brush for me.

 

[Nonie]

I'm scared of both, although my sis JustKiya has been educating me on the use of a rattail. I ordered a bone one...but I'm not sure if it'll just be an adornment on my dressing table or whether I'll be daring enough to use it. We shall see.

 

[Fine 4s]

Maybe... my hair doesn't like too much of any kind of manipulation. If I fall asleep 1 night without braiding/covering it up, the next day even if it's not tangled, it sheds/breaks more. My hair doesn't like daily co washing, combing or anything. I just use my fingers unless it's wash day.

Maybe the same people who can't have healthy hair without a no/low manipulation regimen are the same people who don't get along with this brush.

Curse the denman brush!

I'm a low mani (strictly) and the Denman brush works for me!