Toddler Hair Care

If you have a three-year old (or you know someone who does), chances are you know how much of a handful they can be all by themselves. Now, add hair care to the mix, and you're in for a fun-filled day!

 

WASHING

Do I wash my daughter's hair every week? No.

I believe wash days are already stressful enough; I don't want stress her (and myself!) if I don't have to. She's still too young to understand why her hair needs care. And I don't want her to grow up hating it.

 

I usually wash her hair every two weeks, unless it's visibly dirty or soiled. And when I do, it's on the weekend (Friday or Saturday) when I know she won't be going anywhere important with her hair looking unkempt.

Before washing, I undo whatever protective style she has on. Using a spray bottle containing a mixture of her detangling conditioner and water, I detangle her hair, and braid/twist it into 4-6 sections.
 

I find that washing her hair in sections makes it easier. So, with her hair braided/twisted in sections, we head for the bathtub. I make sure to have some bath toys for her to play with while I work.
 

I attach the Shampoo Cap, undo a section, wash with shampoo, rinse and repeat if necessary. When it's clean to my satisfaction, I re-braid/re-twist the section and move on to the next one. It usually takes about 20 minutes to wash her whole head.

Once we're done washing, out the tub we go. She starts to get cold if she's in the tub for too long. So, I do everything else after she's nice and warm again. Still in sections, I towel-dry her hair, and apply her leave-in conditioner to each section (undo-apply-comb-redo). I let her hair air-dry until I'm ready to put it in a protective style.

 

PROTECTIVE STYLING

Depending on the time of day I wash Adanna's hair, I might style it that day or the next. Either way, I like to wait until her hair is at least 80% dry before protective styling. When I decide what style she will be wearing, I section her hair, and style by sections. And before styling each section, I apply some type of oil to seal in moisture.

 

My daughter, as most other toddlers I know, can't sit still for too long. So, when it comes to styling, I try to keep it very short and simple. I aim for no longer than 30-45 minutes at a time, because after that, it becomes frustrating for both of us. If I choose to do something more elaborate, I do it in bits, with playtime inbetween, until I'm done. And if her hair gets too dry during the process, I use a spray bottle of water, or moisture mist, as I go.

Of course, during the time she has to sit still, I provide entertainment (cartoons and toys) and snacks to help keep her distracted.

 

 

 

MOISTURIZING DURING THE WEEK

Since Adanna's hair is in a protective style for a large amount of time, it's easy to forget that it still needs to be cared for. But, I try. During the week, I moisturize her hair by using spray mists every couple of days.

 

PRODUCTS WE USE

 

Detangling conditioner - Any V05 conditioner (usually moisturizing ones)

Shampoo - Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo

Leave-In Conditioner - Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk

Oil - Cantu No-Drip Oil

 

Spray Mists - Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Reconstructive Elixir, and Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Hold & Shine Moisture Mist