Question
Why shouldn’t I tease my hair? sometimes I have gaps from twist and I like to make my hair fuller.
Answer
There are some things you should never do with textured hair and backcombing, or teasing, is one of them. Backcombing involves holding your hair taut with one hand and using a small tooth comb to comb the hair toward the root with the other hand. This technique is often used on naturally straight hair to provide volume at the crown, but it is not ideal for curly and especially Type 4 hair because it can cause matting and damage the cuticle.
Why shouldn’t you tease?
Matting
Curly and coily hair is already prone to tangling, and backcombing would only encourage it to matt. Matted hair is tangles on steroids. It requires patience and a lot of slip from oils, detanglers, or conditioners to unravel. If you hair is matted, the last thing you want to do is saturate your hair in water, as it will encourage your curls to only shrink and retract on themselves even more. You will want to untangle this as soon as possible, because the longer you wait the more likely scissors will be your only option.
Damaging the cuticle
Brushing or combing your curls upward toward the roots and against the grain is damaging. Healthy hair is a result of the cuticle being in tact, and pushing your hair upward will create friction, chipping away at the cuticle. Remember that a chipped cuticle means increased dryness and more potential for breakage.
Try this instead
Eliminate the gaps, for good
First, a consultation should always be the first step to any hair appointment; it is a great opportunity to ask your stylist about the gaps in your hair and have him or her assess for signs of breakage. The stylist will evaluate your regimen and styling habits to identify the problem and provide solutions. A fresh, even haircut will eliminate gaps, helping your curls to look less limp and providing a great foundation for styling.
Twist and curl
Oftentimes what we perceive as a gap may just be low density hair. For more volume, consider styles like twist and curl. When installing twists or flat twists, consider wrapping your ends with perm rods. This will create more volume and fullness at the ends. Check out this tutorial.
How to twist and curl
What do you do about gaps in your hair?
