Whether you're a mom or a dad, managing your child's coily or curly hair can be a real challenge. Yet, it's crucial to approach their beautiful tresses with patience, as this hair type is naturally dry and incredibly fragile. From shampooing to detangling and drying, here are some essential tips to properly maintain their hair and avoid common pitfalls.
First Step: Washing!
First, you need to determine if your child's hair is more coily or curly. This will allow you to use a shampoo suitable for their hair type. Also, prefer a gentle shampoo, suitable for their age, paraben-free and silicone-free. Now that you've selected the right products for your little one, the most important part is yet to come! You'll now need to adopt the right techniques. To facilitate detangling your dear child's beautiful mane, apply shampoo and gently massage their scalp without rubbing it vigorously. Wash and rinse their hair in the direction of the length; this will significantly reduce knots. Once the shampoo is thoroughly rinsed, apply a conditioner, essential for detangling their magnificent hair. It will provide softness and shine and will make styling easier afterward. Rinse the conditioner thoroughly, always in the direction of the length.
Once the washing step is complete, comes the drying step.
Prioritize air drying. If possible, banish the hairdryer, which can make the hair swell. Natural drying helps control volume and better define curls. Moreover, the heat from a hairdryer can damage and dehydrate them. Even though it's not recommended to wash your child's hair too often, as it's naturally dry and fragile, it's hard to resist when they come back from sports or have been active all day. In this case, opt for co-washing instead! Between two shampoos, wash your child's hair only with conditioner. Less aggressive than shampoo, it will clean the hair without damaging it.
Third Step: Detangling.
A dreaded moment for both parents and children, detangling is nevertheless essential for coily and curly hair. After rinsing, gently detangle the hair with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb. This will help avoid knots and tears. Then, section your child's hair into four parts using the same comb. This styling should be methodical and always start from the ends of the hair and move towards the roots. Under no circumstances should you detangle your child's hair when it's dry! If this must happen, start by dampening their hair with a spray bottle filled with water and a conditioning oil.
Small tip: after this step and before going to bed, don't hesitate to make a large braid, a plait, or twists with the child's hair. This will prevent knots from forming and make styling easier the next day. Be careful not to braid too tightly, as this can lead to hair loss. You can also create simple hairstyles that will last until the next shampoo. This is always with the goal of avoiding knots and making detangling easier. For more experienced parents, you can opt for African braids, always without braiding too tightly. Throughout the week, you can adorn them with pretty elastic bands or fancy barrettes. For beginner parents in hairstyling, go for a simple ponytail or bun. Simple but effective! Also, avoid detangling their hair every day to minimize breakage.
Finally, the ultimate step: hair care.
Essential tools for maintaining your child's hair, hair care products constitute a perfect hair routine. To provide the protection and hydration their hair needs, regularly give them moisturizing masks based on natural oils. Sweet almond oil will be among the least expensive and easiest to find outside specialized stores. Also, consider classics like olive oil, argan oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, and especially, coconut oil. Apply the oils to the lengths and ends to soften the hair and always with the goal of facilitating detangling. Your second ally in this quest for perfect hair will obviously be shea butter. Recommended for the care of dry, broken, or damaged hair, this natural product softens, moisturizes, and protects from the sun. The ideal companion!
