Editing Comb (section)

==Description==
[[File:Local artisan cutting and filing animal horn to make combs.webm|thumb|Local artisan cutting and filing animal horn to make combs in [[Alappuzha]], Kerala]]

Combs are made of a shaft and teeth that are placed at a perpendicular angle to the shaft. Combs can be made out of a number of materials, most commonly [[plastic]], metal, or [[wood]]. In antiquity, horn and whalebone was sometimes used. Combs made from [[ivory]]<ref>{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4DaHyIC3DeEC|title = Archaeology and Environment in the Scoresby Sund Fjord|last1 = Sandell|first1 = Hanne Tuborg|last2 = Sandell|first2 = Birger|year = 1991|publisher = Museum Tusculanum Press|isbn = 9788763512084|language = en}}</ref> and tortoiseshell<ref>{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-rHmq8CXIMwC&q=comb%2520tortoise&pg=PA104|title = American Artifacts of Personal Adornment, 1680–1820: A Guide to Identification and Interpretation|last = White|first = Carolyn L.|year = 2005|publisher = Rowman Altamira|isbn = 9780759105898|language = en}}</ref> were once common but concerns for the animals that produce them have reduced their usage. Wooden combs are largely made of [[boxwood (genus)|boxwood]], cherry wood, or other fine-grained wood. Good quality wooden combs are usually handmade and polished.<ref name="auto">{{Cite book|url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofha0000sher|url-access = registration|title = Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History|last = Sherrow|first = Victoria|year = 2006|publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn = 9780313331459|language = en|access-date = 2016-03-07}}</ref>

Combs come in various shapes and sizes depending on what they are used for. A hairdressing comb may have a thin, tapered handle for parting hair and close teeth. Common hair combs usually have wider teeth halfway and finer teeth for the rest of the comb.<ref>{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AcDmHwcv4jMC|title = The Archaeology of Celtic Britain and Ireland: C. AD 400–1200|last = Laing|first = Lloyd Robert|year = 2006|publisher = Cambridge University Press|isbn = 9780521838627|language = en}}</ref> Hot combs were used solely for straightening hair during the colonial era in North America.<ref>{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IFKNL65TwcEC|title = Interpreting Archaeology: Finding Meaning in the Past|last = Hodder|first = Ian|year = 1997|publisher = Psychology Press|isbn = 9780415157445|language = en}}</ref>

A [[hairbrush]] comes in both manual and electric models.<ref>{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YygDAAAAMBAJ|title = Popular Science|year = 1937|publisher = Bonnier Corporation|page = 39|language = en}}</ref> It is larger than a comb, and is also commonly used for shaping, styling, and cleaning hair.<ref>{{Cite book|url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_ve9NAAAAYAAJ|title = The Toilet and Cosmetic Arts in Ancient and Modern Times|last = Cooley|first = Arnold James|year = 1866|publisher = R. Hardwicke|language = en|access-date = 2016-03-07}}</ref> A combination comb and hairbrush was patented in the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yElGAQAAMAAJ|title = The Canadian Patent Office Record and Register of Copyrights and Trade Marks|year = 1895|publisher = Patent Office|page = 437|language = en}}</ref>