Last night I got into a pretty heated discussion with a concerned mom who has a two-year-old child with very dry hair.
Her concern was that she would twist her daughter hair overnight only to have it unravel by the morning and be a super frizzy and very dry.
Dry hair for children is common especially when they are young because the hair tends to be very fine and often porous. It is hard to really determine the causes of dry hair over the internet, so we can only speak in speculative terms.
Dry hair is common for many of us with kinky textured hair and for children it can be especially worrying. For older children who are very active and exposed to the sun, their hair might take a beating.
Moisture escapes the strands very easily, and moms and dads are forced to find ways for kids to keep their hair moisturized and protected almost all the time.
With that said here are our top 6 tips on how to eliminate dry hair in children:
1. Keep the hair clean
Clean hair absorbs water better than strands that are covered in debris, salts oils, and product, so make it a weekly habit to cleanse her hair with a sulfate free shampoo*. Sulfates are way too rough on hair and even worse on fragile fine hair so read the labels carefully when picking out a cleanser.
2. Moisturize with water based products
To moisturize thirsty strands you need to use water-based products such as leave in conditioners or a spray bottle solution. DIY spray solutions might work better for your little one so do not hesitate to come up with your own special concoction.
I recommend a mix of aloe vera juice*, oil, and water, which works well for thirsty strands and not to mention it is all natural which is great for kids.
Stylers, butters*, oils or any kind of sheen spray are not moisturizers and should be used after you use your DIY spray. If you find that your child has kinkier coarse hair use heavy butters* or creams to hold the moisture in the strands.
For little ones with fine hair, use a creamier butter that won’t weigh the hair down but will also be strong enough to keep the moisture in the strand.
3. Deep condition
Most children do not like sitting still for a good deep conditioning* session but if she has very dry hair then a 20-minute deep conditioning* session is imperative.
Put the conditioner in her hair and cover with a plastic cap to start the process. Allow her to play for a bit and the heat from the activity will warm up the conditioner and your baby will be none the wiser. If your child is great about conditioning, then, by all means, sit her under a steamer* or overhead dryer for a 20-minute session.
I’d also like to add in the idea of letting your child watch you care for your hair and giving them age appropriate tasks that will help establish healthy hair habits. I’ve been braiding my cousin’s hair since she was little and as she got older I started to get her involved in things like gathering her hair supplies, finger detangling small sections and having her hold her hair out of the way as I work. Explain what you are doing and how it benefits them. That way, you are doing something with them, not just to them.
Great tips…another tip I like to add is I put in my spray bottle… distilled water, aloe vera juice, vegetable glycerin, honey and oils.. this .keeps the hair very hydrated. I use this on my granddaughters hair and on mines.