Backcombing, also known as teasing or ratting, is a way of styling
hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...
to create volume. It is done by repeatedly combing the hair towards the scalp, causing the hair to tangle and knot.
Notable wearers
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Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and media personality. He established himself as a stand-up comedian and radio host before becoming a film actor. After beginning his career as a comedian and la ...
, English podcaster and former comedian
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Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, List of awards and nominations received by Helena Bonham Carter ...
, English actress
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The Crystals, American girl group
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Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding (; born 21 May 1973) is an English comedian, artist, and actor. He was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside Julian Barratt in the 2000s, and has been a co-presenter of ''The Great British Bake Off'' since 2017. He is kn ...
, English comedian
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Brandon Jacobs, English musician
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Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...
, American singer
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Tim Minchin
Timothy David Minchin Order of Australia#Levels of membership, AM (born 7 October 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician, poet, composer, and songwriter.
Minchin has released six CDs, five DVDs, and live comedy shows that he ...
, Australian musical comedian
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The Ronettes
The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of the lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Ta ...
, American girl group
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Faris Rotter, English singer
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Robert Smith, English singer and musician
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Joshua Third, English musician
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Harry Wade, English musician
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Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...
, English singer
Overview
Backcombing is a part of
big hair styles such as
beehives
A beehive is an enclosed structure which houses honey bees, subgenus '' Apis.'' Honey bees live in the beehive, raising their young and producing honey as part of their seasonal cycle. Though the word ''beehive'' is used to describe the nest of ...
,
bouffant
A bouffant ( ) is a type of puffy, rounded hairstyle characterized by hair raised high on the head and usually covering the ears or hanging down on the sides.
Etymology
The word ''bouffant'' has its etymological origin in the French word ''bouf ...
s, and
dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also known as dreads or locs, are a Hairstyle, hairstyle made of rope-like strands of matted hair. Dreadlocks can form naturally in Hair#Texture, very curly hair, or they can be created with techniques like twisting, Backcombing, ba ...
. Because it rubs against the scales of the hair's cuticle, it can cause serious and progressive damage to the hair's integrity; this leads to weakening and breakage over time, and frequent backcombing is not recommended for people who want to maintain long hair. It can also cause tangles near the root that are very difficult to remove.
HairBoutique.com – Backcombed Hairstyling Tips
/ref>
Notes
{{Human hair
Hairstyles