When you were a kid, did you ever rub your head with a balloon to build static electricity? I could make my hair stand up on end. I could also stick stick the balloon to a wall and let it hang. Magic! Plastic combs and brushes aren’t quite as dramatic, but they still make hair frizzy.

I had a nice, plastic hairbrush that was wide and flat. It was a pretty gold color. And then I lost it traveling somewhere, possibly in the bag of belongings that I vaguely recall setting down to unlock my car before driving off without it. It seemed like such a silly way to lose a hairbrush that I didn’t feel like it was worth purchasing a new one. I decided to make do with my wide-tooth plastic comb.

This worked well and I learned that I didn’t need the numerous bristles of a proper brush. I used the plastic comb for a couple years before the paint started to wear away. This didn’t seem to be good for the environment. Is it possible to recycle combs? On a whim, I purchased a bamboo comb from my grocery store and immediately noticed a difference: my hair was less frizzy. I hadn’t paid attention to this before, but after detangling my hair with a wooden comb, my hair didn’t stand up at the ends. The flyaways finally laid flat.

I’ve only used my bamboo comb since then. It’s lightweight and does everything a normal comb should. Like most wood, it becomes dry over time and risks splintering or becoming rough. I put a light coating of oil (either coconut or jojoba) on it every so often to keep the wood hydrated. I never understood the purpose of a wooden comb, but now it’s now a part of my minimalist hair routine.