Who Invented the First Hair Comb?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 25, 2020

mother image/Digital Vision/Getty Images

The comb is such a basic human tool that historians have no way to know who the inventor of the first comb was. Combs that have been found by archaeologists have been located in settlements from 5,000 years ago in Persia.

Historically, combs were used more often for keeping sections of hair in place, either for long-term use or for other maintenance and care, as opposed to being used to straighten or untangle. Combs were initially made of stone, wood, or ivory from elephant tusks, but are now made almost exclusively from metal or plastic made to withstand a drop onto a hard surface.