How to use decorative combs
Decorative combs are extremly
versatile. I recently bought a set of four seamless "Euro"-combs by
Alexandre de Paris and love them! They are hand-sawn which makes them
totally hair friendly. And because the teeth almost touch the hair gets
locked into the space towards the comb's spine and they hold very well.
I got two small ones, one in a medium size and a larger one so I can
mix and match and create an abundance of different styles.
Here is a picture of the medium sized comb:
You get similar ones from FranceLuxe (also sold at HairBoutique).
Those high quality combs are pricey, but I found them to be worth it.
The seams of cheap molded Euro combs are hard to file down because you
can't get in between those small spaces properly with a file or knife.
Sharp seams on hair accessories damage your hair!
A simple way to use combs is to hold back your front hair.
Part your hair, then "comb" each side back a bit with a decorative
comb. It's important that you insert it the "wrong" way around, the
curve not hugging the shape of your head, teeth tips pointing towards
the back of your head.
Then hold the hair behind the comb with your free hand and reverse the
direction of the comb while the teeth are still buried in your hair.
Now the curve is hugging your head and the teeth are pointing towards
your face. Push the comb forward a bit while still holding your hair
behind it. This should "lock" the comb in your hair. (If you know how
to successfully use hair sticks or hair pins, that's the same
principle.)
You can do that with your hair parted and one comb on each side,
with an extreme side part and only one comb, with no part and an
additional comb on top (this almost looks like a head band then), or
with only one larger comb on top and sides flowing down loosely.
If you push the comb(s) forward a bit more you'll get a softer look and more fluffiness around your face.
You can do that with the rest of your hair down or in any kind of
updo - great when you're growing out bangs or have layers that are too
short to stay back in a bun or twist.
 
Another comb option I like very much looks like this:
Make a pony tail at the back of your
head. Losen the elastic just enough to create a vertical slit in the
hair behind the elastic, close to your scalp. Loop your whole ponytail
through the slit from top, then pull elastic tight again.
Now you have what's called a "topsy tail".
Take the tail up again, creating a roll like you see on the
picture. Secure the roll with a large comb - make sure that comb
actually sticks behind the original ponytail elastic. Your ends will
now stick upwards behind the comb like a fan.
Of course you can secure french twists with decorative combs, too!
There are special french twist kits available that consist of two different sized combs and some plastic hair pins.
Create the roll, then insert the combs into the seam - first the larger
comb on top, then the smaller one underneath. This way you can tighten
the roll at the nape seperately which provides an extra nice and
elegant shape. You insert the combs into the very edge of the roll,
pointing away from the seam. Then catch some scalp hair, reverse
direction as explained above and slide into the seam underneath the
roll.
You can, but don't have to roll the twist further over the combs and secure with pins to hide the comb spines.
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