A good thing gone bad

You know what makes me sad? I get sad when I think of a perfectly good technique that has gotten a bad reputation. Yes my friends I am talking about back combing, more casually known as ratting. But here, we don't use the term ratting, because that only encourages the bad wrap this helpful little tool has taken on. Things like Texas hair, the Utah poof, and now Jersey Shore have all contributed to this sad reputation. But I am taking a stand today. Back combing can be your BFF when executed correctly and tastefully. Allow me to explain.

*Disclaimer: I don't usually wear sweats and slicked back hair to the salon...it was late. Please excuse me :)

The real key to classy poof is adequate combing afterwards. By spraying it before you comb it out, you will prevent loosing all the poof and combing it out completely. This technique is good for more than simply getting big hair. Before pulling your hair up in any way, you should back comb it. This gives you a fabulous foundation for shaping, pinning, or whatever else you might be doing. Before you curl? Back comb! Before you do ANYTHING you can back comb! It makes your hair much more workable and rarely do you actually want your hair super slicked to your head.

Now I am not condoning overly massive hair. Let us not get confused. Properly back combed hair should show NO evidence that it has been back combed. If you can tell, you didn't do it right.