How To Get A Stuck Comb Out Of Your Hair

That’s what I get for letting my 6 yr. old play with my hair. Yes, as I type this, a comb is still wrapped tight in my hair. I can’t get it out.

She thinks it’s funny…

woman with comb stuck in hair
woman with comb stuck in hair

As you can imagine, I do NOT think it is all that hilarious!

If you’re reading this article, I’m hoping that you’re not in the same situation I was! But if you are, don’t panic, because there are several tried-and-true tips you can follow to get yourself out of this kind of predicament.

Here’s what I did…

Avoid Wetting Your Hair at First

Later, I’ll tell you about how you can wash your hair to help get the stuck comb out, but first, I recommend that you try removing the comb without doing so. Although wetting your hair can often help, it can sometimes make things worse, too.

If you’re reading this after trying to wet your hair to get the comb out, don’t panic – just use your hair dryer on cold mode to dry your hair. Avoid using the hot setting, as this will set your hair inside the comb (not the desired effect).

To Oil or Not to Oil?

When I was trying to find solutions on how to get this comb out of my hair, I read a few different pointers online…

Some people said not to oil, as that would make it harder for me to latch on to the comb. Other people, though, said that it was best to oil up with Vaseline, baby oil, or hair salve.

I didn’t ultimately try it, so I’ll leave it up to you. I did find conditioner to be helpful, so it would make sense that other “greasy” additives might help, too.

Try Not to Pull

You’re probably going to stop pulling immediately, the minute you realize how badly this hurts, but if you’re stubborn and just want to get that thing out resist the urge to tug and pull.

It’s only going to pull out more hair and not help you in the long run. If your goal is to not be bald after this, then avoid any pulling and tugging!

Pulling the bristles will only work the bristles or the tines further into your hair, making things more difficult.

Loosen Things Up

Use a sharp item, like another pointed comb or a pen (or a pick, if you have one) to gently and slowly remove the hair from the comb and to loosen up the tangle. You may want to get someone to help you, as you won’t be able to see the knot that your hair made beneath the comb.

Pull Out Small Strands Slowly, One at a Time

Again, moving slowly, pull the strands of hair out of the comb. You will want to find the ends of the hair first then follow it where it leads back into the comb. Pick it out and pull gently until the whole strand is pulled out of the comb.

Be super patient with this. It could take you several hours to get the comb out! Work slowly, starting at the ends and working your way to the scalp.

Use Detangling Spray

Detangling spray works great for kids, but it’s something you should have on hand for healthy locks, too.

Using a bit of detangling spray is a great way to work tangles out of your hair, so it only makes sense that it would work wonders on a stuck comb, too. Spray some all around the stuck comb or brush and don’t be afraid of using too much.

If you don’t have any detangling spray, consider mixing a bit of conditioner with water in a spray bottle and applying that.

Wash Your Hair

If you got the comb out with one of the tips mentioned above, great! Time to wash and condition as normal – trust me, you will want to, because your hair is going to look like a huge rat’s nest! But if you still don’t have the comb out, I actually recommend giving washing and conditioning a try.

The conditioning is especially important, so feel free to skip the shampoo if you’re in a rush. Lather up with some conditioner and you might find that it greases up your hair enough to get the comb out.

Cut the Comb or Brush

If you have a comb stuck in your hair, you can always break it (which is what I did). But if it’s a brush, breaking it might be more of a challenge. I recommend cutting the bristles of the brush. Do this slowly and patiently so you don’t accidentally cut pieces of your hair.

Cut it Out

This is the absolute last resort, but if you have a flat plastic comb stuck in your hair, your only option might be to cut it out. Sorry! But I do recommend visiting a hairdresser if you have to do this, as they’ll be better at cutting only the pieces that need to be cut and making the most of the mess you have going on.

Another suggestion? If you have to cut your own hair, cut tiny, tiny pieces. Don’t cut the whole section – this could be overkill. Just cut only small sections at a time.

Prevent Tangles Next Time

Of course, the best way to deal with a stuck comb is to not let it get stuck in the first place!

A few tips?

If you can, cut your hair on a regular basis. There is nothing wrong with long, luscious locks, but if you don’t trim the ends every now and then, you’re going to find that you get more knots and tangles. That’s because split ends tangle more frequently than frequently sheared ones!

When you brush or comb your hair, apply detangling spray or leave-in conditioner first. Comb your hair with a wide tooth comb (ideally in the shower) to help keep tangles at bay.

Always use a clean brush or comb and if you’re using a round brush, don’t roll it backward from the direction you started with in the first place. Work in sections when you brush your hair to avoid getting large clumps stuck together.

Again, a clean brush or comb is essential. If you have a ton of hair or debris clogged inside a comb, you’re going to find that it gets stuck easier in your hair. Remove all old hair from your bristles or tines and give the brush a scrub-down with some baking soda every now and then.

What I Did To Get Out My Stuck Comb: An Update

Thanks for not laughing at me too much!! 🙂

I finally got the dumb comb out. When my husband came home I showed him what happened. Being the sweetie that he is, he offered to help.

He sat down behind me, got a closer look at the mess and said, “Wow”, realizing how truly tangled it was. He tried for about 30 seconds, then said, “Yeah, you’re gonna have to cut that out.”

No!! I didn’t want to cut it! My mother in law (who read my post) called and kindly offered to come over and help me get it out. I thanked her and told her if worse came to worse I’d go to her house for help.

I worked on and off for an hour and a half trying to undo the mess. Not having much progress I began contemplating the scissors.

Fortunately, before I began hacking away, it occurred to me that I should break the comb. I began bending it back and forth in the middle of the knot until the comb snapped in half. Then I easily slid the hair over the broken ends of the comb. FREEDOM!

Next I got to pick out the dredlock that was left in my hair. It wasn’t too bad though, once I sprayed some detangler on it.

So anyways, FYI, if your hair ever gets wrapped around a comb and you can’t get it out… break the comb.

Thanks for all of your suggestions 🙂

getting comb out of hair Pinterest

38 thoughts on “How To Get A Stuck Comb Out Of Your Hair”

  1. After I freaked out I cut the comb bit by bit and when I got it out I put In a moisturizing d’étranglée and it came right out THANK YOU SO MUCH 😊

    Reply
  2. Omg, thanks to your help I had minimum damage to my hair I was about to have a panic attack from thinking about having to cut my hair. Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  3. Help plz friends hair is stuck in comb

    It has been stuck for 3 hours

    She broke the comb but only the tail came off

    Any advise?

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  4. *UPDATE* My mom had to cut it & tbh it’s not that bad I’m just so happy to be free of the comb but now I’ve got to detangle my hair now

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  5. Help Please I’ve got a comb stuck in my hair & I already broke off 2 pieces, the tail of the comb & about half of the teeth part of the comb but the rest of my hair is wrapped in the piece of comb that’s left & I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to cut my hair but it seems like that’s the only option left. Everything is tangled up so much & this happened before I fell asleep last night & I gave up so I went to bed with the comb in my hair & i’ve been avoiding my family they’ll never let me live this down

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  6. I’m a 17 year old and I have got a comb stick in my hair it is quieter a flexible comb so I may have to have it cut out or wear a hat for ever. I will see if I can break the comb but I cot it wrapped up in many ditections so I don’t know if it will work.

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  7. THANK YOU!! My daughter had a comb completely tangled in her long hair, was in tears, and we were desperate. This trick saved the day!!!! Thank you!!

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  8. Thanks for the advice I just got a comb stuck it my moms hair she is pissed so I said ok I will leave I am 13 and I love my mom’s hair so I played with it and it got stuck so yea screwed Thank you

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  9. Omg thank u soo much for the useful help! I got my hair stuck at 3 AM!!! And I started to panic and worry that I might have to cut it! Thank u soo much!

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  10. I know this is a very old post, but it saved me at lot of time and grief trying to get a comb out of my daughter’s hair tonight. Breaking the comb worked like a charm! Thanks for sharing this information!

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  11. My Kendra use to do this to her hair several times a year … we did come up with the cut the comb trick after the 3rd time. She stopped the day we cut up her most favorite comb.

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  12. When I was little my mom used to use a wee bit of baby oil to get the tangles out of the underside of my hair every morning. I had one of those ‘ultra-sensitive’ scalps and everything else just pulled and hurt!

    You are too young to remember Whizzer’s but a friend of mine wound hers up…and stuck it deep into her long hair. Her mom gave her a modified ‘buzz’ cut, both to get the toy out and as a punishment/consequence. Funny, my friend never did that again!LOL

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  13. Oh, I’m so glad you got it out!!! This happened to me once while I was babysitting!!! It was a brush with metal tips and it got bunched together!!! It was aweful…only by the grace of God did it come out…I can’t even remember how long it took!

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  14. crazy, but me and my mom and daughter were just talking about this yesterday! when my daughter was little, once it happened to her when my mom was using a round brush and they ended up having to cut it out. later, when my daughter was a little older, she got a comb stuck wrapped around her bangs and we worked with everything until she finally had to cut it out. it was a mess letting her bangs grow back! guess what? now shes a hairdresser! how about that?

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  15. Olive oil? I have no idea if that would work or not, but it seems like you would need some kind of lubricant to slide it out? Good luck!

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  16. That happened to me too! I would try a lot of conditioner or the spray in stuff for the kids…but yeah, they cut it out for me too. Sad…your hair looks so good! Another idea is to use a comb w/a long skinny/pointy handle and try to work each strand or small group of strands out separately. It may take a while and you’ll most likely need your husband’s help. Hopefully he’s patient and willing! Good luck!

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  17. Oh no! Haha…sorry! I’ve done this quiet a few times b/c my hair is curly but only as a child. I think my mom either took it out strand by strand or cut it out….maybe its time for a new hair-do? 🙂 Please share how you get it out 🙂

    Reply

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