Instrument for selectivity separating strands of hair

A comb for selectively separating strands of hair for individual treatment, said comb comprising:

• a base having a length;
• a plurality of teeth positioned at pre-selected spaced-apart locations along the length of said base, each tooth including a shaft which extends outwardly from said base to a free end and a hair-engaging hook portion at said free end, said hair-engaging hook portion including a tine member which extends outwardly from said shaft, each said tine member being positioned on a common side of each of said teeth substantially toward a direction of the base's length, said shaft being substantially linearly straight and smooth from said base to said hair-engaging hook portion, and a hook throat being defined by said tine member between said tine member and said shaft such that said hook throat is substantially open and substantially perpendicular to said shaft;
• said hair-engaging hook portion being positioned to engage only selected strands of hair while allowing non-selected strands to fall freely from between said teeth as the comb is lifted, moving said teeth in a direction toward said base through a lock of hair, and such that movement of said base substantially only in a direction of said base's length opposite the position of said tine members will substantially release said selected strands of hair from said hair-engaging hook portion of each tooth.