I have a really big urge to backcomb my hair into an afro type style just for the hell of it. I was wondering if there will be any long term effects? - Like being stuck with it for ever....

I sometimes backcomb/tease my hair a little bit. It won't exactly give you an "afro", though. Just make it big and puffy. I like the messy 80s-goth Robert Smith-type backcombed hair(is that anything like what you're talking about?). I haven't teased mine very often since i grew the sides back in, though.

It depends on how your hair is, when it comes to how long it takes to get it out. You shouldn't be stuck with it forever, lol. If you do it a lot it can damage your hair some, though. Mine always came out pretty easily, but mine was always short-ish. Longer hair would be harder. You'll probably want to use hairspray to keep it up(like Aquanet or something. i always used aquanet)... So you might need to wash the hairspray out before you can un-tangle it.