They say your family becomes complete only when you welcome a little one into your family and while we will do anything it takes to nurture and protect these tiny bundles of joy, there are several other things we miss. One such thing is hair – many parents do not consider taking care of their child’s hair to be a top priority. However, if you want your child to have a physical appearance that is not only pleasing, but also one that commands attention, you need to make sure that you pay equal attention to his or her hair too.
As is the case with adults, it is important that the hair of children too be detangled first, before they are washed or tied up. However, detangling hair in little ones can be a tough task at times and you need to have knack as well as patience to ensure that it does not end up in a crying session for your child.
It is best that you invest in a wide toothed comb or a paddle brush for your child. This will be especially useful, when you are trying to comb dry hair. Stay away from brushes which have tiny teeth, because they will certainly cause much pain to your young ones, mainly because the snags will get caught in them.
- When you start detangling your child’s hair, the best tools are your own hands. Work your way upwards, slowing detangling the lowest parts of the hair first. Make sure you use gentle hands to detangle you hair, because that way you can make sure that there is minimal breakage. Make sure you handle the hair at the nape of the neck too, because there are bound to be tangles in the short hair there too.
- If there are some truly nasty snarls, it is best that you not wet them, because they will only become worse. If you do find some such snarls, you should ideally spray some detangling solution or even a small amount of regular conditioner and then gently comb it out, while holding onto the hair.
Now that your baby’s hair is completely detangled, it is time to head for a wash. But as is the case with adults, children’s hair too needs moisture.
- It is best that you stick to normal and natural oils, such as coconut oil or olive oil. Then there is also the option of virgin coconut oil, which is extracted from coconut milk, as opposed to coconut flesh. Any of these oils can be used on a regular basis for your child’s hair.
- It would be better if this oil is warmed up a little and then applied. A gentle massage, at least once a week, will prove to be truly beneficial. The oil need not be kept in hair for more than 30 minutes, before heading for a bath.
The next step is picking out the right shampoo for your child. Many parents make the mistake of using their shampoo for their children, but your child needs a shampoo meant for him or her. Shampoos meant for adults include strong chemicals such as ammonium laurel sulphate or sodium laurel sulphate, which are what allow the shampoo to lather up. Kid friendly shampoos will normally not have such strong chemicals and most of them will also ensure that your child’s eye does not sting.
- If yours is an infant, then you need not wash hair more than once or twice a week. However, if your baby has a condition such as cradle cap, then you might need to wash a little more often. It would be prudent to talk to a doctor first and use a medicated shampoo.
- Toddlers tend to get into a lot of mischief, which could include dumping things on their head or falling head first into sandboxes or meals! This is why, it is important that toddler hair be washed two to three times a week. It is important that you oil the hair regularly too, because frequent washing is bound to strip the hair of its natural oils.
- When your baby grows up a little bit more and has a better control over the daily habits, there will be lesser need to wash hair each day. Oily or normal hair can be washed every other day, but dry or curly hair should not be washed more than twice or thrice a week. For such hair, regular use of conditioner is also recommended.
No matter what the age of your child, if he or she prefers to take a bath in a tub, it is advisable that that hair be washed at the end. This will ensure that your child is not sitting in the shampoo foam filled water for a long time.
You might be keeping your child’s hair oiled, washed and conditioned, but his or her hair style is just as important. It is important that your hair is trimmed on a regular basis and this should ideally be done at a kids friendly salon. If you take your child to your regular salon, there is quite the chance that the staff there might not be equipped to handle a child. For parents who are handy with a pair of scissors, there is always the option of trimming hair at home.
Children, especially girls love wearing all kinds of hair accessories, including clips and bands. However, make sure that you choose accessories that are child safe and without any sharp edges, because those could damage the scalp. A good idea would be to keep the hair neatly tied, because that would reduce the chance of tangling.
