As often as not, we of the great RA club, hands have issues. Sometimes they hurt. Sometimes they are just really tired, or have limited range of motion. Regardless of why or what or how, hands tend to be a little more of an issue than some other pieces and parts.
While being a part of the club also often means that (thanks often times to the drugs that work to keep the rampant inflammation in check) we might have thinning hair, it is important that we can work to maintain at least appearances the best we can. You really do feel better if you can find a way to make yourself look a little more human.
Something I’ve always enjoyed doing is brushing my hair. I also like brushing my kids’ hair but they are kind of getting old enough that they don’t need me to do that for them anymore.
I have discovered the usefulness of animal brushes. Not all brushes are easy on my hands, but the ones that don’t actually have “normal” handles are much easier on my hands and wrists. Some of them remind me a lot of the horse brushes we used to use to brush out the horses when I was growing up. Those brushes are REALLY big, compared to a human head, but the idea is really neat. You put your hand inside the strap and you don’t have to actually hold onto anything. The other alternative (the ones I found this morning that are a lot like the one that my daughter lost in Sequine when she went for drill team) has a kind of handle on the back of the brush that fits between two fingers on your hand and you don’t have to hold onto them at all.
Granted, these brushes aren’t cheap. The blue ones are <insert OOOOOOOOoooooo here> are Martha Stewart Pets brushes and are 13 dollars a piece at PetSmart. The others are ConAir Pro Dog brushes. They are smaller and lighter and roughly half the price.
There are several different styles, several different “tooth” styles that are effective on different styles of hair. Today one I found was Boar Bristle (with Nylon) and it feels really comfortable. One of the ConAir ones that I found today was just srpingy wire and I thought it was probably going to be too hard on my head. I might be wrong, but I really didn’t want to take the chance. I have a variety now, some I can just toss in my bag when I go to work or on a run.
While I do understand that there are people who have a very great aversion to combing their hair with a dog brush even if it has never been through a dog’s coat, I also know that I’m learning more and more that I need to not worry about what people think about what I do.
These brushes help even when I’m having big issues with my fingers. I’ve used all of them today, to see the differences. I’m glad I found them. I’ve been looking for the replacement brushes since 2011 when my last one went missing. They help. And they are very much worth the money I spent to be able to comfortably brush my hair.
At least they are worth considering if you are willing to take the chance.
A Figment Of Fitness 