You are combing your hair and the comb stops partway. Even if it seems like it would get through with a little more pull, stop moving before you add force. A tangled clump, a part stiffened by styling products, and damaged comb teeth each call for looking in a different place.
This article introduces an order for smoothing out tangles, mainly in dry hair, with a manual comb that has no blade or electric function. The basics are to work a short distance from the ends, and to lift the comb away and reassess whenever there is resistance. Choose a method suited to your hair type, length and the purpose of the tool, without forcibly pulling out hard-to-pass spots.
1. When it catches, stop, and lift the comb away to look at the hair
When the comb stops, relax the force in your hand. Do not keep moving it in the direction of pulling the hair down. Check whether hair is wound around the teeth, back off the motion you made a little, and slowly release it in the direction with no resistance. Avoid twisting it sideways and yanking it out.
Once it is free, move the comb away from your hair and set it on the desk. Check whether it stopped near the ends, in the middle, or somewhere hard to see such as behind the ear. If your hair is long, use a mirror and draw the hair at the back forward as far as is comfortable. You do not need to put the comb into places you cannot see in the same way.
Look not only at the top of the strand but also at whether another strand is crossing underneath. Observe separately whether there is a clump like a knot, or whether the surface has bunched together and hardened. Do not judge the degree of damage to your hair by appearance alone; think of this as a check for deciding the range you will touch now and the range where you will stop working.
If the comb is tangled in your hair and will not come out, do not increase the strength of your pull. Loosen the hair piled around the teeth little by little within the range you can see, and stop if you feel pain or strong resistance. If you cannot see the state yourself, do not go on to forcibly pulling it out or cutting it with scissors; consider getting help.
If your hair is wet from the start, do not comb it many times with the same feel as dry hair. Check whether the tool can be used on wet hair and at what stage it is meant to be used. Avoid trying to undo tangles from shampooing all at once with a fine-toothed comb.
Before you start, also check that your hair is not caught in a clasp on your shoulder or clothing. If you only look inside the strand, it becomes hard to tell apart from being pulled by clothing. Even when it is tangled in an accessory or the like, do not pull it together with the comb; handle it separately from the task of combing.
2. Check the tooth spacing and tips, and choose the comb to use
Look at the comb you took out of your hair from the front and back in a bright place. Follow the tips of the teeth, the sides, between the teeth, and the base in order, and check whether hair or buildup remains. A dark-colored comb is easier to trace if you set it in front of white paper. Do not decide that something is damage from light reflection alone; look at it from different directions.
If there is a change such as one tooth being shorter, a tip being chipped, or a tooth bent out of the row, hold off on using it before undoing the tangle. You do not need to test a chipped spot with your fingernail or slide it over your skin. Do not reuse it by filing it down, applying heat, or gluing it yourself.
Next, check the tooth spacing and its purpose. Separate the task of smoothing the surface with fine teeth from the task of loosening tangles in a strand. Rather than pushing fine teeth into tangled hair, check whether you can choose a wide-toothed comb suited to the purpose. However, a wider spacing does not mean it can undo any tangle.
If one comb has both coarse and fine teeth, look at which side you will use before switching your grip. Even if they look the same size in a photo, the thickness of the teeth and the shape of the tips differ. Do not apply the explanation for another comb as it is; check the purpose and precautions of the tool at hand.
For a folding type, also check whether it is stable when opened. Do not grip it hard and use it while it wobbles, and check that no hair is caught in the moving parts. When you change combs too, check cleanliness and damage together, and do not judge that chips have been fixed just because the dirt has been removed.
When comparing the coarse side and the fine side, look at the gaps between the teeth from the same distance. Do not make the number of teeth alone your standard for ease of use; decide first whether what you are about to do is loosening tangles or smoothing the parting or the surface, and then choose the side to use.
3. Comb a short distance from the ends and move up little by little
Once you have a usable comb, divide the strand you are handling into small sections. Dividing it into an amount you can see at hand makes it easier to find where the resistance is than just stroking the surface of a large strand. Even when supporting a strand with one hand, do not pull it taut; handle it with the hair hanging naturally.
The first place to put in the comb is a short section near the ends. Do not try to pass it from root to tip in one go; gently smooth out the tangles on the end side. If it catches, do not move back and forth over the same spot as if scraping; take the comb out once and see whether you can divide the strand into smaller sections.
Once the ends pass through without resistance, move the position where you insert the comb a little higher. The direction of movement stays toward the ends. Do not mistake "start from the bottom" for moving the comb backward from the ends to the roots. Smooth it a short distance at a time while moving the starting point upward.
Regardless of hair length, no number of repetitions is set. Rather than repeating a section that has already passed, check the position where resistance appears next. If it stops again partway along the strand, shorten the distance you pass at one time and check that you are not dragging in the ends that have already been undone.
Behind the ears and at the nape, divide the hair into small sections so you can see before handling it. Do not keep pulling with your neck tilted far; return to a posture where your hands are easy to see. Do not make pushing through pain your goal; putting it down and resting for a while is also one of the steps.
If another strand gets mixed in partway, put the comb down once and reassess the section you are working on. You do not need to forcibly pull apart a strand that has become easier to pass. Divide the range you can see with your fingertips and return to a state where you know where to insert the comb, then resume work in a short section.
4. Do not proceed the same way with stiffened or wet hair
If it is hard to pass even from the ends, do not try to solve it with the comb's force alone; reassess the condition of your hair. Combing a spot hardened by hairspray or the like can produce resistance different from a simple tangle. Recall what you used, and check whether it is a product you may comb after styling.
If you rub a stiffened spot many times and white powder comes out, do not try to remove it all with the comb either. Do not assume it is dirt on the hair itself; go back to how to handle and remove the styling product after use. Rather than adding water or another styling product one after another, decide whether to wash it out according to the instructions for the product you own.
If you use a leave-in hair care product to smooth out tangles, check its purpose, how wet your hair should be, and the amount to use. It is important not to mix up products meant for dry hair and those used after towel-drying. Rather than adding more until it feels slippery, keep to the indicated amount and check whether the hair is easy to handle.
Do not assume that wetting it with water will always undo it, or that any oil can be substituted. If a strand is strongly tangled and does not move with the methods at hand, take that part out of the work for now. Do not go on to methods such as inserting a nail, needle or thin stick into the knot and tearing it open.
Do not stop with the tool or hair care product and repeat if you have pain or a scalp problem; stop using it before that. Think of the work of smoothing everyday tangles and the response to symptoms as separate. If an unusual state continues, do not keep up care that applies force on your own judgment; seek advice.
To check the state of the ends, avoid layering many kinds of products onto the same one strand. If you do not know the conditions of what you already applied and what you are about to use next, stop adding. Do not judge only by whether it passed today; smooth it within a range that respects the purpose of the products you own.
5. Once it passes, do not repeat; leave one point to check next time
Once the necessary sections are smoothed, let the strand hang naturally and look at the whole. You do not need to run the comb from root to tip many times just to check how it feels. When you do a task to finish the surface, separate its purpose from that of undoing tangles and keep it to the necessary range.
After removing the hair left in the comb, look between the teeth and at the base. If dirt is attached, check the care method approved for that tool. The handling differs depending on the material and the joints, such as wood, resin or metal. Avoid soaking the whole thing without checking that it is designated as washable.
When storing it, place it in an orientation where the teeth are not pressed by the edge of a pouch or another tool. If there is a dedicated case, also check that the tips of the teeth are not butting against the inside. Close a folding comb after making sure no hair is caught, and do not force it shut when it is hard to close.
For next time, note down one place or situation where it stopped, such as "a corner of the ends," "behind the ear," or "after using styling product." It is a record for checking at which step it catches, rather than changing your hair condition, comb and products all at once. You do not need to treat it as a verified result that has settled the cause.
If you switch to a brush, check for hair collected at the roots and damage to the tool as well. For the order of cleaning, also refer to Caring for a hairbrush when hair has collected in it, and follow the instructions for the product you own. When the hair stops, do not add force but release it, look at the tool, and comb a short distance from the ends. Make this order your check before you move your hand next time.
If it catches on the same tooth after you have carried it around, reassess that position before using it on your hair. Check whether it was stuffed forcibly into a pouch, or placed so that something pressed against the tips of the teeth. If you see a change in the tool, do not try to make up for it with how much force you use; hold off on using that comb.
