Taking care of your child’s hair can present so many problems that you may find yourself thinking about taking a shaver to her head. Active children will easily mess up their hair the second you finish styling it. It can be difficult to get some children into the bath tub, let alone to wash their hair. If you know what you’re doing with child and baby hair care, you have a higher chance for success.
Types
Many children are born without hair. It could well be a year or more before you start to see hair. Others have a full head of wispy, baby-soft hair. As your child grows, so will his hair. It should thicken up naturally. It’s not uncommon to see boys with long hair or girls with short hair. The curly hair of African-American or biracial children can be especially difficult to handle.
Baby Hair
One of the biggest concerns with baby hair is cradle cap, oily “scales” on your baby’s head that can flake off. To prevent or get rid of cradle cap, wash your baby’s hair daily with a tear-free baby shampoo. Use a soft baby brush or a toothbrush to help loosen this skin. At this stage, you will not be able to style your baby’s hair very well, though you can purchase headbands and baby bows that stick onto barely there hair.
Child Hair
For children with long hair, use a leave-in conditioner to help get any tangles out. If you braid the hair at night, you can avoid a rat’s nest in the morning. Short hair cuts are often easier to manage on a daily basis, but they do require constant upkeep. If your child has curly hair, you want to only comb it with a wide-toothed comb when it’s wet. Brushing it when dry will cause frizziness. African American and biracial children may need special conditioning treatments to help their hair look its best.
Styling
Talk to your hair dresser about a style that will complement your child’s face and your schedule. Most likely, you’ll want your child to have a hairstyle that is easy to maintain without a lot of hair products. When creating feminine hair styles, use rubber bands and barrettes that have a coating on them to prevent hair pulling.
Misconceptions
Despite popular opinion, children do not need to wash their hair every day. In fact, African American or biracial children especially should only have their hair washed every five to seven days to avoid drying the hair out.
Photo Credit
- haare waschen image by Digitalpress from Fotolia.com
