# what is this?



## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

me and my hubby bought an antique vanity.. looks very similar to one my grandmother had.. but when opening the drawers we found this.. umm. we have our ideas about what it is. but i thought id ask to make sure..


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## LouiseH. (Feb 10, 2011)

Cat comb....


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## rolyn63 (Jul 18, 2011)

It could be a cat comb, or maybe a comb for combing clothing to get rid of the "pills" and other things.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

we figured a fleece comb like for combing wool before spinning


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## Maureen knits (Apr 28, 2011)

Maybe a beard comb?


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## e.ridenh (Jan 24, 2011)

It's a comb for hair - pets. It's not a curry comb. From it's sturdy look, I'd say dogs, but it would be used for cats, rabbits - probably a longer animal, though.

This type detangles matts, some what.....matts combs usually have a slicing blade within the combs.

Whadda ya think? LOL! Yours could be an older one - thinking 40-50s - I'm not sitting on the pic right now..could copy this, though and back up - I'll do that. LOL!

From the rust, I'd say you have an older (original) one. Value? $10?

Donna Rae
~~~~~~~~~



LouiseH. said:


> Cat comb....





lifetime crochet said:


> me and my hubby bought an antique vanity.. looks very similar to one my grandmother had.. but when opening the drawers we found this.. umm. we have our ideas about what it is. but i thought id ask to make sure..


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

i have no clue about any value.. it can be cleaned up its only surface rust... and its really heavier than you'd think. made soild thats for sure..


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Long before there were electric gizmos for straightening hair, heavy metal combs like that were heated on the stove to straighten hair considered too curly. It's opposite was stove heated curling irons.

Mystery solved?!


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## Superdot2007 (May 19, 2011)

If it was in an antique _vanity_, I would think 'personal' rather than 'pet' .... It's not a nice thing to think about, but I wonder if it could be a nit comb?????


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

i found and antique hot comb on the net it looks like mine lol thank you mine is in better shape they wanted $15 for theirs


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## tpmcgoo2 (Mar 7, 2011)

whatever it is , it sre is a fun find!! nice bonus huh?!!


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

might clean it up and use it...


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

tpmcgoo2 said:


> whatever it is , it sre is a fun find!! nice bonus huh?!!


i like bonuses


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## laceandlovelies (Feb 21, 2011)

This might sound gross...........but with the teeth so close together, I wonder if it would be a lice comb?


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## Wan (May 24, 2011)

The comb that you are looking at is a Pressing comb; It is used to press or straighten black people's natural hair; before the perms came about. OMG... Amazing.

It is used for virgin natural hair to make it earier to comb; get the naps out. Not a pet comb of any kind ... that was so funny to me when I read that. My mother use to press my hair with that by heating up the comb end on a fire to get it hot and using just a little pressing oil on the hair and then comb through. Those combs are hard to come by and that one is an anitque; because the once they make now are electric and doesn't press the hair as well.


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## Wan (May 24, 2011)

The comb that you are looking at is a Pressing comb; It is used to press or straighten black people's natural hair; before the perms came about. OMG... Amazing.

It is used for virgin natural hair to make it earier to comb; get the naps out. Not a pet comb of any kind ... that was so funny to me when I read that. My mother use to press my hair with that by heating up the comb end on a fire to get it hot and using just a little pressing oil on the hair and then comb through. Those combs are hard to come by and that one is an anitque; because the once they make now are electric and doesn't press the hair as well.


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> Long before there were electric gizmos for straightening hair, heavy metal combs like that were heated on the stove to straighten hair considered too curly. It's opposite was stove heated curling irons.
> 
> Mystery solved?!


i'm agreeing with Jessica-Jean...my mother-in-law was a hair dresser with her own shop in the 30s... she had a large collection of various torture devices and this was one of them.... it is a hot comb, to get those frizzies out....


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

LOL! Torture devices! YES! I had the misfortune to be born with - compared to my mother, aunt, uncle, and grandmother - straight hair. My grandmother - she raised me - was insistant that my straight hair could be 'trained' into curly-lock-hood by permanents. The perms of the early 50's were surely torture devices! A machine with a Medusa's head of curlers hanging down; the hair was wound tightly around them, and the heat was turned on. If you so much as twitched, a hot coil would scortch your scalp! What pre-teen, totally uninterested in fashion, style, or hair-dressing could possibly sit stock still for ages??? Torture? Hell, yes!!


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## inishowen (May 28, 2011)

I have the modern equivalent and it's definately a cat comb.


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## granjoy (Jun 29, 2011)

Superdot2007 said:


> If it was in an antique _vanity_, I would think 'personal' rather than 'pet' .... It's not a nice thing to think about, but I wonder if it could be a nit comb?????


Heavy duty nits!!?? LOL!!


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## Katie Largent (Apr 7, 2011)

A flea comb for cats.


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## Wan (May 24, 2011)

ic


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## Dreamweaver (Feb 1, 2011)

I'm going with jessica-Jean. Great find...


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## rob529 (Apr 10, 2011)

Looks just like my cat's flea comb.


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## nannaknits (Mar 30, 2011)

what a fab find.. def looks like a straightening comb to be warmed by stove top. BONUS indeed.. and in good condition. ! 


lifetime crochet said:


> me and my hubby bought an antique vanity.. looks very similar to one my grandmother had.. but when opening the drawers we found this.. umm. we have our ideas about what it is. but i thought id ask to make sure..


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

You're absolutely right! As a woman of color, I recognized it right away as a straightening comb. 
This is my first post. I have been gearing up for a knitting question but I couldn't pass this one up.
I've been standing on the "outside" watching you guys and learning already. I have four new granddaughters (mixed families) and it suddenly dawned on me to start knitting and crocheting again, but it's been years and I've never made any real clothing, so I'm looking forward to chatting again with you all. It's been very pleasant and informative.
Thank you


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## inkasmum (Mar 29, 2011)

Its a flea comb for cats and dogs - I have one just like it which I use most days on our furbabies...


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## bobbterrell (Mar 20, 2011)

mystery solved!!!!!


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## citynenanyc (Apr 30, 2011)

They still sell those here in NYC, in the beauty supply store, for a few bucks, like 2 - 6.00. They have electric one's now that look exactly like yours, but with a plug and it goes for about 15 - 20.00. They put them in the brush section. Africans still use them in their salons but cold to remove braids.


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## Martha French (Aug 1, 2011)

Could be a wool comb, for combing fleece prior to spinning, or a comb for beating the weft when weaving.


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## zipknitter (Feb 6, 2011)

I was a hair stylist and the shop I worked at in the late 60s had been there for 50 years. We had these in the back room and the owner would occasionally use them on her customers. The other lady is right. These were used to straighten hair. We had 3 elderly ladies who would come in weekly to get their naturally curly hair straightened and I helped on several occasions. We would heat the combs on a hot plate and do the hair. Boy did it stink if they were heated to much.


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## hare (Jun 27, 2011)

it looks like a comb for removing fleas from cats and dogs, I used to use one on my animals


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

Trust me! I still Have one packed in the basement! It' too thick for pets or lamb and the teeth are too dense.


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## molly'smum (Jun 22, 2011)

Its a moustache comb


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## hare (Jun 27, 2011)

marjemal said:


> Trust me! I still Have one packed in the basement! It' too thick for pets or lamb and the teeth are too dense.


I am sure you are right marjemal, but the teeth on flea combs are dense as they have to catch those little mites!


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## hildy3 (Jan 29, 2011)

Ha ha..love you gals..guess the vote is in...she has a comb!!
Hildy... :thumbup:


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## Charquilter (Mar 26, 2011)

Looks exactly like a flea comb I bought at a pet store about 10 or so years ago. Best one I ever had.


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## ecando (Apr 4, 2011)

I think its a comb to comb lice out of hair. I saw one at a flee market some time ago.


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## luvmypip (Mar 23, 2011)

I think a mustage comb, A beard comb.


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## Gloria N. M. (Aug 17, 2011)

It is an antique hot comb used to straighten curly hair.
Hot combs, or pressing combs and now ceramic flat irons are used by women all over the world with "ultra curly hair" to press it flat so they can achieve a variety of hairstyles.
Look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_comb


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## revmobofo (Mar 14, 2011)

Looks like a flea comb to me.


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## virginia42 (Mar 13, 2011)

marjemal said:


> You're absolutely right! As a woman of color, I recognized it right away as a straightening comb.
> This is my first post. I have been gearing up for a knitting question but I couldn't pass this one up.
> I've been standing on the "outside" watching you guys and learning already. I have four new granddaughters (mixed families) and it suddenly dawned on me to start knitting and crocheting again, but it's been years and I've never made any real clothing, so I'm looking forward to chatting again with you all. It's been very pleasant and informative.
> Thank you


Welcome. You're "inside" now. Hope to see some of your work soon. It will be fun to make things for those granddaughters.....


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## virginia42 (Mar 13, 2011)

This has certainly been an interesting post to follow...


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## evesch (Apr 3, 2011)

lifetime crochet said:


> me and my hubby bought an antique vanity.. looks very similar to one my grandmother had.. but when opening the drawers we found this.. umm. we have our ideas about what it is. but i thought id ask to make sure..


That could be a lice comb. People used to be much more prone to lice infestation and those tiny spaced combs were taken to the scalp to take the nits out of the hair and rid people of them.


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## samiyah (Apr 3, 2011)

lifetime crochet said:


> me and my hubby bought an antique vanity.. looks very similar to one my grandmother had.. but when opening the drawers we found this.. umm. we have our ideas about what it is. but i thought id ask to make sure..


It's a hot comb used by hairdressers to straighten hair. Nowadays most hot combs or straightening combs come with a electrical cord attached to them. The one you and your husband found are the kind that had to be placed on the stove to heat it then the hair was just parted and combed till it was as straighten as you wanted.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

after looking at it better, it does have the rainbow effect on the comb end made from heating metal.. it is in perfect condition except one tooth is a little bent. i can probably fix that.. ok i want somebody to visit who can show me how to use this hot comb! im fascinated now


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## jackieh (May 28, 2011)

Wan is right, is a straightening tool-for human hair.they still sell these today but have a heating element to place th em in, to get them hot.


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## tired n' cranky (Aug 2, 2011)

I agree, especially since it was in a vanity I think it is an early hot comb.


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

Yes the teeth are shaped like the flea combs, but they are smaller and finer. I couldn't even come near my dog with that!!! He thinks I'm out of line now when I brush him.


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## Sewbizgirl (May 11, 2011)

Superdot2007 said:


> If it was in an antique _vanity_, I would think 'personal' rather than 'pet' .... It's not a nice thing to think about, but I wonder if it could be a nit comb?????


Ditto... judging by how close the teeth are set together, it's probably for combing out nits. (Bleeeeehhh!)


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## 2CatsinNJ (Jan 21, 2011)

It sure looks like the flea comb I have for my cats.....just older.


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## BettyJC (Mar 26, 2011)

Looks exactly like one I bought some 20 or thirty years ago off the rack in a Petco type store under the name of "Flea Comb". Still have it and use it occasionally cause i t's wonderful for combing tangles from a long haired cat's coatl.


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

Basically you heat it on the stove, towel around shoulders, part a section of hair, smooth some pressing creme along the length of the parted section (not to much) cool the smoking comb by wiping it along an old folded towel ( don't let it sit on the towel, it will burn) and gently comb through from scalp to end. 
Wow I just flashed back across 40 years! When I was old enough to do it myself, I always had a nice little burn scar to show, either on the ear or forehead.
DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS! :lol:


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

marjemal said:


> Basically you heat it on the stove, towel around shoulders, part a section of hair, smooth some pressing creme along the length of the parted section (not to much) cool the smoking comb by wiping it along an old folded towel ( don't let it sit on the towel, it will burn) and gently comb through from scalp to end.
> Wow I just flashed back across 40 years! When I was old enough to do it myself, I always had a nice little burn scar to show, either on the ear or forehead.
> DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS! :lol:


lol lmao lol for real..i remember the modern electric curling irons...mmm i had burns usually in the center of my forehead from curling my bangs oh that looked sexy!


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

In Brooklyn we wore our burns with honor!


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## Serene Knitter (Aug 22, 2011)

laceandlovelies said:


> This might sound gross...........but with the teeth so close together, I wonder if it would be a lice comb?


That was my first thought, but the thickness of the metal does lend itself to the possibility of a straightening comb. I don't think that is rust, it does not look like iron or steel...looks like bronze or brass to me.


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## knittylou (May 24, 2011)

It looks like a flax comb. Flax grows and then is beaten to get the hard core off and the fibers are put thru several combings. ==knittylou. My mom used to spin and we as children (Oh I forgot we also were re-enactors revolutionary war) there were a lot of history books around our reports were usually on some history stuff. Have fun.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

seeing your post on brass gave the idea on how to clean it.. BRASSO.. and the tooth was way to easy to bend so yes im assuming brass. here is the cleaned vresion


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## PatElaine (Aug 2, 2011)

I think it maybe a fine tooth comb for cleaning out bugs and nits from heads. Years ago bugs were common and every school child had them at least once.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

im sure it had several uses! everything back in the day (lol) had several uses...im sure heating it would kill some bugs too. in the area i live and bought this vanity im leaning toward a hot comb for as was said earlier "a woman of color" i live in a community that was settled mainly after the civil war.. so without getting to political. this area is mostly "people of color". which fits with this being a hot comb.. this is a fun and interesting post. thank you all!

oh and trying it just for fun...my cats like it too..lol


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## khayslip (Apr 14, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> Long before there were electric gizmos for straightening hair, heavy metal combs like that were heated on the stove to straighten hair considered too curly. It's opposite was stove heated curling irons.
> 
> Mystery solved?!


That's what came to mind for me, too. You'd have to be careful not to actually burn your hair though!


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## Star58 (Apr 6, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> Long before there were electric gizmos for straightening hair, heavy metal combs like that were heated on the stove to straighten hair considered too curly. It's opposite was stove heated curling irons.
> 
> Mystery solved?!


You're right. As an Africa American woman, I remember my grandmother and mother using these to straighten my hair. Then if I were to have curls the curling irons were used. Brings back memories!


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## jollypolly (Apr 30, 2011)

marjemal said:


> You're absolutely right! As a woman of color, I recognized it right away as a straightening comb.
> This is my first post. I have been gearing up for a knitting question but I couldn't pass this one up.
> I've been standing on the "outside" watching you guys and learning already. I have four new granddaughters (mixed families) and it suddenly dawned on me to start knitting and crocheting again, but it's been years and I've never made any real clothing, so I'm looking forward to chatting again with you all. It's been very pleasant and informative.
> Thank you


You are going to have a good time on this forum and we will enjoy chatting with you. Best I've found. Welcome!


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## Wan (May 24, 2011)

yes I know they are still in use; however not as heavy duty as the one in the picture. I don't think the newer ones works as well; just my feel.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

Wan said:


> yes I know they are still in use; however not as heavy duty as the one in the picture. I don't think the newer ones works as well; just my feel.


defiantly heavy duty! i think i can find one more use for it. knocking a burglar over the head. it should pretty much end that situation! lmao


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## Wan (May 24, 2011)

LOL that would put his/her Out cold


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## Nina Weddle Tullis (Feb 13, 2011)

It looks like a mustache comb men used in those days. 9a


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

Wan said:


> LOL that would put his/her Out cold


lol yup!


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## hgayle (Aug 22, 2011)

It's a mustache comb. For real.


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## Star58 (Apr 6, 2011)

marjemal said:


> You're absolutely right! As a woman of color, I recognized it right away as a straightening comb.
> This is my first post. I have been gearing up for a knitting question but I couldn't pass this one up.
> I've been standing on the "outside" watching you guys and learning already. I have four new granddaughters (mixed families) and it suddenly dawned on me to start knitting and crocheting again, but it's been years and I've never made any real clothing, so I'm looking forward to chatting again with you all. It's been very pleasant and informative.
> Thank you


Glad to have you here. My grandmother had one just like it except there was a burn mark on the handle. Usually our hair was straightened for church on holidays like Easter when we were allowed to wear our hair down instead of in braids. lol It is really strange that now I can remember that as if it were yesterday. Hope to see you again and welcome!


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## dchecks (May 5, 2011)

This topic has been too funny. I have a few of these, my mom has many. They are not used for pets, nits, wool, or beards. Having grown up in my mom's beauty salon, I immediately identified with the "straightening comb." I'm glad to see the forum had some that correctly identified your find. AA beauty salons still have an occasional use for these especially if they cater to the more senior woman of color. Perhaps if one is fortunate to find one that Madame C.J. Walker used, it would be an antique and have considerable value. My mom's combs are at least 40 years old and the design has not changed. GoldMedalHair.com still sells the good heavy ones for professional use and the electric hot stove used to heat them. My mom will enjoy this discussion.


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## pilgrim1953 (Jan 26, 2011)

I believe it may be a curling iron, it was set on the wood stove and heated much as the old flat irons were.


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## dchecks (May 5, 2011)

lifetime crochet said:


> seeing your post on brass gave the idea on how to clean it.. BRASSO.. and the tooth was way to easy to bend so yes im assuming brass. here is the cleaned vresion


You did a beautiful clean up job on your comb. The comb would look much worse than your original post, after many uses in the hair with the products that were used in conjunction with pressing. The standard cleaning method for many beauticians was lye. Combs were stood in containers up to the handles with water and lye. When the combs were removed, all the debris would be rinsed and brushed off with utility steel bristle brushes. Sometimes between the teeth needed a little more muscle.


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## SoniaE (Aug 28, 2011)

Yes, that is definitely a pressing comb. I guess that is why it was found in the vanity. They are still being used to straighten hair by those who do not want to put harsh chemicals in their hair. It can be cleaned easily by using a Brillo or SOS pad.


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## dchecks (May 5, 2011)

SoniaE said:


> Yes, that is definitely a pressing comb. I guess that is why it was found in the vanity. They are still being used to straighten hair by those who do not want to put harsh chemicals in their hair. It can be cleaned easily by using a Brillo or SOS pad.


yep, my mom used brillo too.


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## MuffCake (Aug 8, 2011)

I spin and a fleece comb is larger with wider teeth.


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

Ok. we're all always learning. Are they curly haired cats? Don't mind me some times I convince myself I'm funny. But I did have fun! See you all soon.


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## Star58 (Apr 6, 2011)

Maybe you should put up the measurements.


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

Wow, I'm surprised. for something like that I picture flax brushes.


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## freckles (May 21, 2011)

I would tend to go along with your description of a "nit comb"... very common in this area in the 30's to 50's. Schools were much more diligent then checking children's heads more regularly for head lice. Notices would frequently be sent home warning that someone in the class had been identified with head lice so check your kids. I think every family in our neighborhood had a comb like that. (City kids and close quarters)... hard to avoid.<G>


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

I don't have mine handy but my gestimate is that the spine is almost an inch around and maybe 9 inches in length.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

marjemal said:


> I don't have mine handy but my gestimate is that the spine is almost an inch around and maybe 9 inches in length.


lets see how close you r lol ive had mine at my computer desk since i started it last night..


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## Star58 (Apr 6, 2011)

marjemal said:


> I don't have mine handy but my gestimate is that the spine is almost an inch around and maybe 9 inches in length.


Yep, it's a straightening comb. Too long for a nitpicker(?) Too wide for a pet comb.

Here are some pictures.


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## Vern (May 3, 2011)

This is a Hot Comb! You put it on the stove top to get it hot, then you pull it thru your hair to straighten it. Black people would put hair grease on their hair so it will also shine. My Grandmother and Mom use to do my hair like this.


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## Star58 (Apr 6, 2011)

I use to beg my mother to "press" my hair when I didn't wanna wear braids.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

guess the 70's 'Afro' was tamed by these little combs.. i know a white woman that has naturally kinky hair. looks just like an Afro. she says that straightening perms would melt her hair so they used a straightener..wonder if this is what they used...


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## SylviaC (Aug 14, 2011)

If it were mine, I would clean it up, put it in a shadow box and display it.
Then it could be fun with guests trying to guess what it is. 

I agree with the hot comb theories.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

SylviaC said:


> If it were mine, I would clean it up, put it in a shadow box and display it.
> Then it could be fun with guests trying to guess what it is.
> 
> I agree with the hot comb theories.


 now thats in idea! i like to mess with peoples heads anyway.. that would be fun.


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## granny (Apr 8, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> Long before there were electric gizmos for straightening hair, heavy metal combs like that were heated on the stove to straighten hair considered too curly. It's opposite was stove heated curling irons.
> 
> Mystery solved?!


you are right, this is how hair was straightened before we had electric tools. I did hair for 40 + yrs and I have two of these myself.


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## mamastress (Feb 9, 2011)

Wan is right. This is a Pressing Comb.


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## redriet60 (Jun 24, 2011)

Wan said:


> The comb that you are looking at is a Pressing comb; It is used to press or straighten black people's natural hair; before the perms came about. OMG... Amazing.
> 
> It is used for virgin natural hair to make it earier to comb; get the naps out. Not a pet comb of any kind ... that was so funny to me when I read that. My mother use to press my hair with that by heating up the comb end on a fire to get it hot and using just a little pressing oil on the hair and then comb through. Those combs are hard to come by and that one is an anitque; because the once they make now are electric and doesn't press the hair as well.


Hi Wan, it is funny, I think, when you see things like that from your childhood. I remember my mom doing my hair with the heated curling iron. Sometimes we got accidental burns on our neck or forehead when rolled up too tight. but we had pretty ringlets.


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## noniforever (Aug 28, 2011)

It looks like a comb that was used in the 40's to get lice out of hair.


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## marceme (Aug 25, 2011)

it is a paint brush cleaner i use to get the KNOBBIES OF FUR OFF MY KITTY SO I BET IT IS ALSO USED FOR SOMETHING TO DO WITH MAKING YARN WHAT THEY CALL IT WEAVINGA????


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## marceme (Aug 25, 2011)

dont you have to have a plug it in or did you just lay on flames my HOUSE KEEPER ?/? NEW MOM (mine died) used to do both plug one in and one lay it on flames... she burned hands arms scalp NO HAIR THERE NOW>>> or neck she would drop on floor AND IT MELTED THE TILE>>> she tried to pay my dad for it...


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## marceme (Aug 25, 2011)

dont you have to have a plug it in or did you just lay on flames my HOUSE KEEPER ?/? NEW MOM (mine died) used to do both plug one in and one lay it on flames... she burned hands arms scalp NO HAIR THERE NOW>>> or neck she would drop on floor AND IT MELTED THE TILE>>> she tried to pay my dad for it...


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## marceme (Aug 25, 2011)

dont you have to have a plug it in or did you just lay on flames my HOUSE KEEPER ?/? NEW MOM (mine died) used to do both plug one in and one lay it on flames... she burned hands arms scalp NO HAIR THERE NOW>>> or neck she would drop on floor AND IT MELTED THE TILE>>> she tried to pay my dad for it...


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## KnitNCrochetFreak (Apr 20, 2011)

It is an antique straightening comb, has some history. If you weren't careful with it, you'd burn your scalp and/or hair.


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## Karoy (Jul 29, 2011)

That's what I thought it was - a nit comb.



Superdot2007 said:


> If it was in an antique _vanity_, I would think 'personal' rather than 'pet' .... It's not a nice thing to think about, but I wonder if it could be a nit comb?????


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## CamillaDesertMouse (Mar 19, 2011)

That is exactly what I was going to say...it was laid on a hot stove and used repeatedly then returned to be reheated...Caucasians with extreemly curly hair or Black women used this...

I have seen one like this before.



Jessica-Jean said:


> Long before there were electric gizmos for straightening hair, heavy metal combs like that were heated on the stove to straighten hair considered too curly. It's opposite was stove heated curling irons.
> 
> Mystery solved?!


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## Suzie1 (May 11, 2011)

I remember we used it to comb our Cocker Spanial in the 50's. Then used for each dog after that.


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## CamillaDesertMouse (Mar 19, 2011)

LOL..that wikipedia article about the straightening comb mentioned several types of grease to use ...one was Goose Grease...LOL haven't heard that term for years...



Gloria N. M. said:


> It is an antique hot comb used to straighten curly hair.
> Hot combs, or pressing combs and now ceramic flat irons are used by women all over the world with "ultra curly hair" to press it flat so they can achieve a variety of hairstyles.
> Look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_comb


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## Avalon37 (Aug 2, 2011)

lifetime crochet said:


> i have no clue about any value.. it can be cleaned up its only surface rust... and its really heavier than you'd think. made soild thats for sure..


when you think you have an antique the worst thing you can do is "clean it up" or so I've been told.


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## jjane139 (Mar 16, 2011)

Speaking from abysmal ignorance: If this were put to a vote, I would vote with those who call it a straightening comb. Otherwise it is hard to guess why the handle is wooden and has a straight rod between it and the comb part. It must be to keep the handle cool enough to be handled safely.


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## NMKnittinggrani (Jun 25, 2011)

Finding it in an antique piece of furniture my husband says it is definitely a wool carder and the wooden handle is a good indication of it's authenticity.


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## esmeralda (Aug 15, 2011)

nothing to tell how big this is but would guess used for beard/tache or lice (hopefully not at the same time).


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## Lalane (Aug 23, 2011)

That is amazing, what a find.


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## vponce (May 17, 2011)

laceandlovelies said:


> This might sound gross...........but with the teeth so close together, I wonder if it would be a lice comb?


I was thinking the exact same thing!for combing the nits(eggs) out of the hair shaft----that would make it a nit-picker!


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## blkeeney (Jul 18, 2011)

Don't mean to be indelicate, but since this is an antique....it looks to me like one of those combs they used to use for head lice. Could be wrong, as it could also be a cat comb, but if it was in a vanity it seems like it might be the other.
But one of the nicest things about antiques....you can make up your own story and it can be pretty much anything you wish..... 
Can see it now....all the little kids sitting in a circle, and it begins something like.....way, way back in the 1800's, there was a beautiful lady, with lovely long curls......


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## Judy M (Feb 17, 2011)

sure looks like a pressing comb.


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## Awanda (Jan 29, 2011)

Thanks for the memory and the laughter. My mother was an African American Beautician. This is an old fashion pressing comb. Every Saturday night my sisters and I would get our hair pressed. My sister use to call me patent leather head. I had very curly hair and the only way she could tame it was to press it out. Take Care


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

Not a bad guess for someone past mentalpause that couldn't tell you what she ate or wore yesterday! It's not an antique, but it was a fun blast from the past.


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## pamortrud (Feb 24, 2011)

Welcome to the forum. I used to get my hair put up in rags. My hair is so the opposite of curly! The rags did the trick....the curls didn't stay long though. They never did. The pressing comb is quite a find. I wouldn't clean it up too much...Old should look old.


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

Star58 said:


> Jessica-Jean said:
> 
> 
> > Long before there were electric gizmos for straightening hair, heavy metal combs like that were heated on the stove to straighten hair considered too curly. It's opposite was stove heated curling irons.
> ...


me, too!!!.... though not African-American...we (my irish family and my jewish friends) used all the same straightening products till the late 60s when WE came into style for a few years.... still used the combs to tame the friz.... we called them Iros (Eye Rows) and Hebros (**** Rows) .... and we had all the same problems and all the same fun.... I loved my curls for those few years... now am back to straightening..... it's about time to come back again.... it was good for me when people remembered shirley temple curls and then 30 years later when our Iros came in.... should get one more use from my (now) white curls before they cart me off!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## jean72 (Jul 30, 2011)

Hi: pretty new here. It looks like the comb I used for my dog. Jean


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## jean72 (Jul 30, 2011)

Hi: pretty new here. It looks like the comb I used for my dog. Jean


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## ralac71 (Jun 1, 2011)

When I was young we had a friend of the family stay with us and she would use a comb just like that to straighten her hair. I remember being absolutely fascinated by the process being very white and having very straight hair to boot. I can remember thinking "why would you straighten it?". I thought her hair was beautiful before. I now realize how unruly it was


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

question? forgive me for being not so politically correct but i am white and indian.. my moms family has thin, raally straight hair. mine is more like my dads indian side.. naturally wavy. i like the straight look sometimes.. im thinking about trying my hot comb. i know that white peoples hair melt faster than black (afican american and others) is there something i should know about the heating to keep from melting my hair., burns on the skin and stuff i can handle..lol


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

blkeeney said:


> Don't mean to be indelicate, but since this is an antique....it looks to me like one of those combs they used to use for head lice. Could be wrong, as it could also be a cat comb, but if it was in a vanity it seems like it might be the other.
> But one of the nicest things about antiques....you can make up your own story and it can be pretty much anything you wish.....
> Can see it now....all the little kids sitting in a circle, and it begins something like.....way, way back in the 1800's, there was a beautiful lady, with lovely long curls......


for those of us who can't convince you of what we know it is..... check out this video....she's using one ....
http://www.ehow.com/video_4409265_introduction-hot-comb-straightener.html

it is EXACTLY like what we're seeing here, not even electric, which of course, most of us have by now....


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

lifetime crochet said:


> question? forgive me for being not so politically correct but i am white and indian.. my moms family has thin, raally straight hair. mine is more like my dads indian side.. naturally wavy. i like the straight look sometimes.. im thinking about trying my hot comb. i know that white peoples hair melt faster than black (afican american and others) is there something i should know about the heating to keep from melting my hair., burns on the skin and stuff i can handle..lol


http://www.target.com/p/Instyler-Rotating-Hot-Iron/-/A-11493659#?ref=tgt_adv_XSB10001&AFID=shopzilla_df&LNM=|11493659&CPNG=health%20beauty&ci_src=10043468&ci_sku=11493659
here's an expensive version, but really, it is the best!!!! smooths and straightens and has a guard on it.... no more burned necks and THE best results on your hair...


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## oldiesister (Jun 20, 2011)

Methinks a nit comb too :-D


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## wilbo (Feb 16, 2011)

Wow, speaking of perms, my mother used to get hold of me right before picture day with torture that came in a box inscribed "Toni". She frizzed me up real nice for that adorable picture that I wanted to burn. LOL


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## jollypolly (Apr 30, 2011)

vponce said:


> laceandlovelies said:
> 
> 
> > This might sound gross...........but with the teeth so close together, I wonder if it would be a lice comb?
> ...


Your picture of the cat caused me to stop. It looks a lot like the kitten I took in from the storm. We are too far away for it to be the same family.


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## jollypolly (Apr 30, 2011)

Do any of you remember twisting hair around a finger and putting a Bobby pin to hold the ring of hair. Mom called them spit curls. And do you remember spoolies. They were like a rubber suction cup in a stem. You wound the hair in the stem and inverted the suction cup to capture the hair. They always fell out of my hair. They came out for sale in Woolworths five and dime around the time pop it beads came out for sale. You could join the beads by a tiny knob that fit into a hole on the previous bead. Make the necklace long as wanted.


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## jollypolly (Apr 30, 2011)

wilbo said:


> Wow, speaking of perms, my mother used to get hold of me right before picture day with torture that came in a box inscribed "Toni". She frizzed me up real nice for that adorable picture that I wanted to burn. LOL


Me too! Right before the school picture. Some times it was a Lilt perm. I got a perm in grade three that lasted til grade four I think the great body I had in my hair til it turned grey was due to those childhood perms. Toni was the worse. I liked to wear my hair pulled with a Barrett but the perms gave me a full grown Afro style.


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## freckles (May 21, 2011)

oldiesister said:


> Methinks a nit comb too :-D


No, after I thought about it a bit, the nit combs were black and rectangular shaped with teeth on both sides. Took me awhile to remember.


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## Airy Fairy (Aug 2, 2011)

Yes, this is definitely a comb thats we use for
combing the fleece before spinning. Now to
get a fleece & spinning wheel!


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## wilbo (Feb 16, 2011)

jollypolly,
It's funny you mention 3rd grade. That is the year it was the worst and the one I always think of when I remember my mom's perms. I thought that one would never relax or better yet grow off.
And yes, I remember spoolies, pop beads and spit curls. I used to sleep in brush rollers as a teen. Boy, what we used to go through.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

i also remember the torture.. sponge rollers, perms. "the shag cut" that i wore most of my life ugh.. grandma wore them spit curls every night after her hair turned white, never was grey..and i always thought she had the prettiest body the next day when she fixed it. on up till she passed.


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

I remember my grandmother curling our hair with folded strips of brown paper and then twist the ends closed. Ooh, just thought about the little rascals. Was it Buckwheat or Farina?


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## marjemal (May 19, 2011)

Remember when they improved the process for the pin curls? Hard gels, the pink tape, and finally the Goody silver pin curl clip that snapped closed, which is still a big seller and now comes in sizes and colors.
I'm going back to sleep. You ladies could keep me here for days being nosy and sticking in my two cents.


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## meran (May 29, 2011)

Nit comb was the first thing to come to mind


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## Sharolynn16 (Jul 4, 2011)

Well after reading quiet a few of the posts i think we all agree it's a comb of some sort, and no doubt we could all find a job for it , mine would be to get the tangles out of my little Milly's fur ...


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## kittykatzmom (Mar 1, 2011)

I wouldn't clean it up before I took it to an antique dealer.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

marjemal said:


> Remember when they improved the process for the pin curls? Hard gels, the pink tape, and finally the Goody silver pin curl clip that snapped closed, which is still a big seller and now comes in sizes and colors.
> I'm going back to sleep. You ladies could keep me here for days being nosy and sticking in my two cents.


yup grandma had them too! they worked better than the bobbie pins. i grew up with the barrettes that you wrapped ribbons on that looked like a braid if done right and had strips that hung down.. great crafts to do with mom! i loved hers better.. on homecoming games we would have a special set with the school colors.


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## crjc (Jun 17, 2011)

:lol: I am cracking up with laughter. This is so funny. It is a pressing comb as Wan has described. You are correct Wan, the ones they make now are very inferior. I thought I would purchase one recently and the teeth are not even cut through neither are they smooth. Waste of my money. If you were of ***** descent or were mixed like I am - Black, Chinese, East Indian and White and you wanted your hair straight, you used the comb to straighten out your hair and then curled it with a curling iron which was also heated is what was called an "oven" no - not the ones you bake in.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

crjc said:


> :lol: I am cracking up with laughter. This is so funny. It is a pressing comb as Wan has described. You are correct Wan, the ones they make now are very inferior. I thought I would purchase one recently and the teeth are not even cut through neither are they smooth. Waste of my money. If you were of ***** descent or were mixed like I am - Black, Chinese, East Indian and White and you wanted your hair straight, you used the comb to straighten out your hair and then curled it with a curling iron which was also heated is what was called an "oven" no - not the ones you bake in.


i dont mean any harm!!!!! what a mix. i bet you have beautiful skin and eyes. but the hair..could go either way.... lol.

ive told my husband about the post here and what our find is and he said that it does make sense to be a straightening or hot comb. but that people all over the world probably had many uses for it..


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## crjc (Jun 17, 2011)

Hey, no harm taken. It is funny. Yep. My Mom was half Chinese and half *****. She is deceased now. My Dad is 1/3 Welsh, 1/3 East Indian and 1/3 *****. But you will find this kind of mixture from my neck of the woods. I am Guyanese (once British Guiana) in South America. We are the only English speaking South American country. We consist of six different nationalities. The British, Chinese, East Indian, Portuguese, *******, and of course our Amerindians (natives). So you see we are a melting pot. ( :lol: ). My hair colour is dark - not black, although it is salt and pepper now. I have dark brown eyes. My complexion is a tan. You should see my sons- I have 3. My husband is also mixed but looks more Chinese,( he is Chinese, Portuguese, ***** and Amerindian) than anything else and each of my sons look different. The eldest has drawn most of the Chinese, the second one is a mixture and the last has drawn the Indian. It is so funny and they are each married, with the exception of the eldest (I am still waiting  ). The second is married to a South African (Dutch, French & Italian mix), and my last is married to a white American from South. Can you imagine my grandchildren!!!!! :lol: :lol: Oh boy. Love does make the world go around. Take good care.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

and my momma called me a mutt... lmao
my family cant be traced on my paternal mothers side but they do know she is Mohican Indian. short dumpy dark hair and tan skin also deceased. my grandfather was white, french Canadian and kin to Abe Lincoln. my dad looks like abe except he is short and dumpy. lol my moms side are English and Scottish, Swiss and and and yea so.. i picked mostly Indian also short and dumpy except my skin color which is white with a very light tan color. i have dark wavy hair (which is dyed a little lighter now) , green eyes.. but all my grand kids are blondes with blue eyes???!!! but all of us have "good" hair. lol


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## crjc (Jun 17, 2011)

You know I believe we all have "good" hair. it's just some are straight, some are loosely curly, some are tightly curled, some are wavy, and some are kinky. As long as it is healthy, it is "good" hair. If we were all the same. What a boring world that would be. God created us all different and that is what makes this world so beautiful. :-D


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## freckles (May 21, 2011)

crjc said:


> You know I believe we all have "good" hair. it's just some are straight, some are loosely curly, some are tightly curled, some are wavy, and some are kinky. As long as it is healthy, it is "good" hair. If we were all the same. What a boring world that would be. God created us all different and that is what makes this world so beautiful. :-D


How very true! My sentiments exactly!


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

yup agree thats why i find it so facinating on this site.. so many people, so different but yet have one thing in common ...YARN ...lol


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## crjc (Jun 17, 2011)

:lol: :lol: there you go. Nice chatting with you. I like you.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

i like you too! i love learning new things of all sorts. especially about people.


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## crjc (Jun 17, 2011)




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## TerryLynn (Jul 26, 2011)

lifetime crochet said:


> me and my hubby bought an antique vanity.. looks very similar to one my grandmother had.. but when opening the drawers we found this.. umm. we have our ideas about what it is. but i thought id ask to make sure..


    Hi, I'm TerryLynn, you made me laugh until tears came out of my eyes. :lol: :lol: It's a comb that Madame C. Walker invented (1920-30???)for the Black Women to make their hair more manageable. your grandma was using it for something else. That vanity might be worth something. should get it appraised at the antique shop. :thumbup:


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## crjc (Jun 17, 2011)

You know what is so ironic, is that those with natural straight hair used to perm it so that it could be curly, those with the natural curly hair would press it so that it would be straight. Then guess what, now everyone wants their hair to be original, the straight - straight and the curly/kinky - curly-kinky. Now you are even seeing the Caucasian and Chineses trying to wear their hair in dredlocks. It is hilarious.


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## TerryLynn (Jul 26, 2011)

lifetime crochet said:


> im sure it had several uses! everything back in the day (lol) had several uses...im sure heating it would kill some bugs too. in the area i live and bought this vanity im leaning toward a hot comb for as was said earlier "a woman of color" i live in a community that was settled mainly after the civil war.. so without getting to political. this area is mostly "people of color". which fits with this being a hot comb.. this is a fun and interesting post. thank you all!
> 
> oh and trying it just for fun...my cats like it too..lol


hi, I'm TerryLynn, Its a comb that was placed in a hot comb stove(Beauty Parlor has them for sale )the handle was made that way so you don't burn your hands.   I love you all, we have a common thread, knittiing


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## wilbo (Feb 16, 2011)

We sure have lots of techniques we use on our hair. I agree that sometimes we want what we don't have. And remember the 70's when everybody wanted an afro. The early 80's I wore mine like a boy. Go figure.


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## crjc (Jun 17, 2011)

You know when I was in High School, I had long hair, by that time straightener had just come on the market - Jaffreys - anyone remmember that? Well my hair is soft, but my girlfriend and I took it upon ourselves to put this stuff in our hair, we both had soft hair, I mean when my Mom decided to press my hair you only had to pull it through once and it was as straight as an arrow - The next thing we both knew was our hair was falling out. We did not know that this thing came in different strengths. Needless to say our boards of education got a good lesson.


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## jjane139 (Mar 16, 2011)

At my advanced age, I now believe that we should all work with whatever it is we were handed by way of hair. If it is African-kinky, have a neat Afro with nothing greasy on it, and look gorgeous. If we have hair straight as a board, keep it short and clean and let it go at that. If it is so curly as to be unmanageable at over three inches or so, then cut it short. Chemicals and appliances all have their pitfalls, without any guarantee of enhanced beauty. Just because Clairol and Madison Avenue tell us there is only one way to "look good" in any given season, does not mean they are right.


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## crjc (Jun 17, 2011)

I keep mine short and naturally half wavy half curly and salt and pepper. I like it. Wash and wear. Have a pleasant evening to all of my wonderful hair friends.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

yup i like my wash and go styles..lol they are always "in" but i might just have to try out my comb. he he he


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## crjc (Jun 17, 2011)

Don't even try it. :mrgreen: Take care and have a pleasant and blessed evening.


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## lifetime crochet (May 5, 2011)

crjc said:


> Don't even try it. :mrgreen: Take care and have a pleasant and blessed evening.


ok ok i might try it on the goat first..lol


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## elanaanderson (Feb 12, 2011)

that is a straightening comb, usually used by black women to straighten their hair using open flame...


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## TexasT (Apr 27, 2011)

It is a hot comb. African Americans would use this to straighten their.


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## Ezenby (Mar 24, 2011)

marjmal... LOL ditto my dogs would come unglued. Looked just like the one on wikipedia. Im thinking about how thin my hair is getting...would not want to put a hot iron to it....sizzle!!!!. Short and natural it is with just enough natural wave/curl.


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## Betty White (Feb 14, 2011)

Superdot2007 said:


> If it was in an antique _vanity_, I would think 'personal' rather than 'pet' .... It's not a nice thing to think about, but I wonder if it could be a nit comb?????


That is what I thought it was. They sell something similar (only in plastic) for removal of lice.


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## PauletteB (Mar 10, 2011)

Way to go Wan that is exactally what it is. Not too common today because perms are used to straighten black hair.


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## Dolly1842 (Aug 30, 2011)

Its definitely a comb for hair lice


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

Dolly1842 said:


> Its definitely a comb for hair lice


for dolly and the gang of 'nit comb' fans....check out this video....she's using one ....
http://www.ehow.com/video_4409265_introduction-hot-comb-straightener.html


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## Elaine Ohs (Jan 27, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> LOL! Torture devices! YES! I had the misfortune to be born with - compared to my mother, aunt, uncle, and grandmother - straight hair. My grandmother - she raised me - was insistant that my straight hair could be 'trained' into curly-lock-hood by permanents. The perms of the early 50's were surely torture devices! A machine with a Medusa's head of curlers hanging down; the hair was wound tightly around them, and the heat was turned on. If you so much as twitched, a hot coil would scortch your scalp! What pre-teen, totally uninterested in fashion, style, or hair-dressing could possibly sit stock still for ages??? Torture? Hell, yes!!


Oh boy do I remember those awful things! I had a perm with one ONCE. I can remember crying and my mother trying to hold up my head becuse it was so heavy. It was truely torture. I never had another perm ever.


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## sylviaelliott (May 11, 2011)

you could be right laceandlovelies - i thought it was a nit comb


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