A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since Prehistory times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating back to 5,000 years ago in Persia.
Weaving combs made of whalebone dating to the middle and late Iron Age have been found on archaeological digs in Orkney and Somerset.[Helen Chittock, “Arts and crafts in Iron Age Britain: reconsidering the aesthetic effects of weaving combs,” Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 33 (3) August 2014, pp.315-6.]
Description
Combs are made of a shaft and teeth that are placed at a perpendicular angle to the shaft. Combs can be made out of a number of materials, most commonly
plastic, metal, or
wood. In antiquity, horn and whalebone was sometimes used. Combs made from
ivory and tortoiseshell
were once common but concerns for the animals that produce them have reduced their usage. Wooden combs are largely made of boxwood, cherry wood, or other fine-grained wood. Good quality wooden combs are usually handmade and
Polishing.
Combs come in various shapes and sizes depending on what they are used for. A hairdressing comb may have a thin, tapered handle for parting hair and close teeth. Common hair combs usually have wider teeth halfway and finer teeth for the rest of the comb.
A hairbrush comes in both manual and electric models.
Uses
Combs can be used for many purposes. Historically, their main purpose was securing long hair in place, decorating the hair, matting sections of hair for
dreadlocks, or keeping a
kippah or skullcap in place. In Spain, a
peineta is a large decorative comb used to keep a
mantilla in place.
In industry and craft, combs are used in separating cotton fibres from seeds and other debris (the cotton gin, a mechanized version of the comb, is one of the machines that ushered in the Industrial Revolution). A comb is used to distribute colors in paper marbling to make the swirling colour patterns in comb-marbled paper.
Combs are also a tool used by police investigators to collect hair and dandruff samples that can be used in ascertaining dead or living persons' identities, as well as their state of health and toxicological profiles.
Hygiene
Sharing combs is a common cause of
parasite infections much like sharing a hat, as one user can leave a comb with eggs or live parasites, facilitating the transmission of
Louse,
,
,
fungi, and other undesirables. Siblings are also more likely to pass on nits to each other if they share a comb.
Making music
Stringing a plant's leaf or a piece of paper over one side of the comb and humming with cropped lips on the opposite side dramatically increases the high-frequency harmonic content of the hum produced by the human voice box, and the resulting spread sound spectrum can be modulated by changing the resonating frequency of the oral cavity.
This was the inspiration for the
kazoo, a
membranophone.
The comb is also a lamellophone. Comb teeth have harmonic qualities of their own, determined by their shape, length, and material. A comb with teeth of unequal length, capable of producing different notes when picked, eventually evolved into the thumb piano
Types
Chinese combs
In
China, combs are referred to by the generic term (labels=no) or (labels=no) and originated about 6000 years ago during the late
Neolithic. Chinese combs are referred as (labels=no) when referring to thick-tooth combs and (labels=no) when referred to thin-tooth combs.
A form of produced in
Changzhou is the
Changzhou comb; the
Palace Comb Factory, also called
Changzhou combs Factory, found in the city of Changzhou started to operate since the 5th century and continues to produce handmade wooden combs up to this day.
were also introduced in
Japan during the
Nara period where they were referred by the generic name .
Japanese combs
In
Japan, combs are referred to as . Indigenous Japanese started to be used by
Japanese people about 6000 years ago in the Jōmon era. In the
Nara period, Chinese combs from the
Tang dynasty were introduced in Japan.
Another form of comb in Japan is the
Satsuma comb, which started to appear around the 17th century and was produced by the samurai warriors of the
Shimazu clan as a side job.
Liturgical comb
A
liturgical comb is a decorated comb with used ceremonially in both Catholic and Orthodox Christianity during the
Middle Ages, and in
Byzantine Rite up to this day.
Nit comb
Specialized combs such as "
flea combs" or "
head louse combs" can be used to remove
macroscopic and cause them damage by combing.
A comb with teeth fine enough to remove nits is sometimes called a "fine-toothed comb", as in the
usage "go over something with a fine-toothed comb", meaning to search closely and in detail. Sometimes in this meaning, "fine-toothed comb" has been reanalysed as "fine toothcomb" and then shortened to "toothcomb", or changed into forms such as "the finest of toothcombs".
Afro pick
An Afro pick is a type of comb having long, thick teeth which is usually used on kinky or Afro-textured hair. It is longer and thinner than the typical comb, and it is sometimes worn in the hair.
The history of the Afro pick dates back at least 5,000 years, as a practical tool that may also have cultural and political meaning.
Unbreakable plastic comb
An unbreakable plastic comb is a comb that, despite being made of plastic rather than (more expensive) metal, does not shatter into multiple pieces if dropped on a hard surface such as bathroom tiles, a hardwood floor, or pavement.
Such combs were introduced in the mid-twentieth century.
Today, most plastic combs are unbreakable, as advancements in plastic manufacturing have continuously improved the durability of the material.
Modern artisan combs
Modern artisan combs crafted from a wide variety of new and recycled materials have become popular over recent years. Used skateboard decks, vinyl records,
,
titanium alloy, acrylic,
sterling silver, and exotic wood are a few of the materials being used.
French side combs
Some hair combs are designed to be used similarly to
Hairpin, to hold hair away from the face, or in
Updo.
Shorter ones may be worn in hair on the side of the head,
or to accessorize a bun.
Longer ones may be purpose-made to hold up specific hairstyles, such as the French twist.
Gallery
File:Egyptian - Wooden Comb - Walters 61306.jpg| comb, fifteenth century BC
File:Etruscan - Comb with Lions and Geometric Designs - Walters 71495.jpg|Etruscan comb, seventh century BC
File:Scythian comb.jpg| comb, 400 BC
File:KB Knochenkamm.jpg|Ancient Rome comb, 4th or 5th century AD
File:Kam-med-runer-fra-Vimose DO-4148 2000.jpg|The world's oldest runic inscription (160 AD) on the Vimose comb, Denmark
File:MaryRose-combs.jpg|A set of combs found on the 16th-century ship Mary Rose
File:Sculptured Comb in Ivory of the Sixteenth Century Sauvageot Collection.png|Ivory sculptured comb, 16th century
File:Indian antique comb.jpg|Indian metal comb for keeping hair in place, adorned with a pair of birds. After removing the central stopper, perfume can be poured into the opening in order to moisten the teeth of the comb and the hair of the wearer.
File:Punjabi Comb.JPG|A Punjabi people wooden comb
File:Nissenkamm-01.jpg|Head louse comb
File:Modern metal comb from Chicago Comb .jpg|Artisan hand-finished metal comb
File:MHNT ETH.AC.NC.203 (black background).jpg|Bamboo comb of the Kanak people people
File:Wooden comb1.jpg|Wooden comb in Nepal.
See also
External links
