Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make a Mermaid Seashell Comb for Beachy Hair Days
When I created my moisturizing sea salt spray for “mermaid” hairstyle days (and for adding texture to short hair), I started seeing embellished brushes on my Pinterest feed. I love using a wide tooth comb, so instead of a brush, I got out my bamboo wide tooth comb, and got creative. Read on to learn how to make a mermaid seashell comb for beachy hair days. It's a great beach-lover gift idea!
I love this comb for brushing through my waves
The Inspiration
I’ve used a wide tooth comb on my hair since I got one free at a “Got Milk” marketing college event. I have no idea why they gave out combs, but I did end up liking it. After many uses, the “Got Milk” slogan wore off, but it held up and I still have it to this day! While I wanted to keep my college years plastic wide tooth comb without embellishments as it hangs out in my shower, I thought my bamboo comb would be perfect for this project and bamboo is very durable and sustainable too. Read more about Bamboo here.
I use my comb on my wavy hair along with my DIY sea salt spray
See my past Mermaid hair craft….Mermaid Hair Clips… in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Why Wide Tooth Combs + Discount
I use my plastic wide tooth comb in the shower along with a hair mask when I want to really get all my hair saturated with the product. The wide tooth comb glides through my hair when I have the hair mask (I use a Viori Advanced Moisturizing and Repair Conditioner bar and you can use my link here to get a 10% discount or use code CAROLYNBRADEN at checkout on their website AND sometimes I use Marc Antony Grow Long hair mask and get it on Amazon) on my hair.
My completed Mermaid Life comb
I also use a wide tooth comb when using my moisturizing sea salt spray to distribute it through my hair and I also use it to lightly brush out curls if I want them to be softer after using a curling iron. It untangles without pulling and wide tooth combs are great for many hair types.
Check out my 1-minute video tutorial for this project on my TikTok now or coming soon here and to my YouTube channel @carolyjbraden!
Why Wood or Bamboo?
You could do this on a plastic comb or brush, but with the wood or bamboo being more porous, the seashells and embellishments will stick to it a bit better and with potential daily use, you want it to last. I’ve noticed some of my plastic embellished crafts not always holding up for years, no matter the glue I use (I notice this on some costume jewelry I’ve bought too), so if you are going to use the comb or brush a lot, I’d make sure it’s wood or bamboo.
The craft supplies you need for this project
Now for the project. Here’s what you need:
Bamboo Wide Tooth Comb (I got mine, which is a great size at 6.57” x 2.36” on Amazon, Target also has a similar one here)
Ivory Flatback Pearls in Various Sizes (I got mine on Amazon and it came with a wax pencil and glue that you could use instead of the Liquid Fusion)
Flatback crystals (I got mine as a mix on Temu and picked out colors to coordinate with the shells, but Amazon and Walmart has them too)
Variety of shells (I found mine EMPTY on the Sanibel Island Florida beaches which are FULL of beautiful shells, but you can get similar shell sets on Amazon and Walmart)
Letter Beads (Amazon)
Optional: pointed cotton swabs for glue clean-up
Gluing on the letter beads
How-To:
I laid out the letter beads (I put “Mermaid Life” on my comb, but you don’t have to put letters at all!) and some shells and pearls for placement ideas.
Once I was sure about the placement, I put some Liquid Fusion glue onto the shells and glued them to the front of the comb. I layered some and kept adding shells until they looked right to my creative eye.
Gluing the seashell onto the comb
I added some Liquid Fusion glue to the comb and glued down the letter beads. I used a natural line in the bamboo to make sure the letters were even, and lifted up each one to put glue, then the letter bead on the glue. I used a pointy cotton swab to move any that were slanted.
I added some more Liquid Fusion to the comb and used my wax tip pencil to grab some pearls and rhinestones one at a time and added them to the glue. I made sure to add a thin layer of glue so they wouldn’t slide and ooze off.
Removing oozy glue
I only placed embellishments on ONE SIDE of the comb as it started to get a little heavy. One side of embellishments gave the comb a little weight, but not too much. I also only placed embellishments at the top of the comb because I use it! If I put the embellishments down the comb part, they would fall off with use.
I used a pointy cotton swab to clean up any “oozy” glue and allowed it to dry overnight on a flat surface and then it was ready to use!
A close-up look at the comb
It’s very simple, but super cute and it looks great sitting on my vanity. You can use other shells and other color rhinestones/pearls to suit your tastes. If you try to make one, let me know how they turned out in the comments below!
If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: How to Make Seashell Christmas Trees
Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.