Will Teasing Damage My Hair?
A question I get asked a lot at workshops is 'Will teasing
damage my hair?' The short answer is, No, but Yes. You have to learn how to
tease your hair (and remove the tease!) properly, otherwise you run the
risk of causing damage to your hair that will have you cursing the pinup hair
gods.
So let's get nerdy with the science of hair (because you all
know how much I love my science!).
Each strand of your hair is covered by a cuticle which is of
porous nature, like overlapping tiles on a roof. When we have 'dirty' hair, the
natural oils on our scalp and some products we use will open up the porous
cuticles in our hair. This added texture to your hair is why many vintage
hairstylists will suggest that 'the dirtier, the better' to create vintage
styles and these styles often involve teasing to create volume, height and
stability. The act of teasing (downwards against the hair shaft) opens up
more of the hairs cuticles and increases porosity.
(Image source: Merlin Professional Hair Care)
Now, this stage of your hair is not 'damaged', you can
easily close the cuticles in your hair with a good quality, high protein
conditioner or leave in treatment (keratin is the main protein in hair).
However, if you are not careful when you are removing the tease you can create
more damage to your hair that is irreversible -such as breakages.
Why is teasing important for vintage hair styling?
Teasing or backcombing the hair creates beautiful volume and
stability. When you are doing rolls such as victory rolls for example, teasing
the hair first will not only make it easier to form a uniform roll, but it adds
security to the style as you are placing the bobby pins right through that
teased hair and it helps keep them in place and the style secure all day long.
So how do you safely and effectively tease your
hair?
- Take
small sections of hair
- Use
a comb or teasing brush
- Push
down the hair in a 'C' shape to cushion the hair at the root
- Work
your way from the root to the ends (if necessary to tease that much)
- Tease
underneath and smooth the top
How to safely remove tease:
- Gently
brush your fingers through the teased section starting from ends to root
- Once
it is easy to run your fingers through the section, then move onto a wide
toothed comb or hair brush
If you follow all of these steps, then you should be back to
your perfectly smooth and healthy hair after you wash it
as usual.
Here is a really great video all about teasing for vintage
hair styling by The Cherry Dollface: https://youtu.be/JNciR-drf7w
Still a bit sacred to tease? - I know I was when I first
started!
Check out this great 'No Tease' hairstyle by The Vintage
Vanity: https://youtu.be/dr5kxqoR88I
Also check out how I safely removed tease from my hair after doing a mega 1960's inspired beehive: