Natural hair, with its unique textures and endless styling possibilities, is a beautiful part of a child’s identity. However, caring for natural hair requires specific knowledge and techniques. This journey of discovery is a wonderful opportunity to bond with your child as you learn about gentle cleansing, deep conditioning, and protective styles. Establishing a positive hair care routine that celebrates your child’s natural beauty will help their hair grow healthy, strong, and full of shine, boosting their confidence and self-esteem. Here is how to care for your kids’ natural hair properly.
How To Wash Kids’ Natural Hair
The first step in washing your child’s natural hair is to put it in sections and detangling it gently. This makes washing easier and efficient for you and it is less stressful for your child. Detangle your child’s hair with a detangling brush and butterfly clips to hold each section in place. After you detangle her hair in sections, twist each section before washing. You can wash your child’s hair in the sink or the bathtub. Before you start washing, have all your supplies in place. The next step is to wash her hair with a sulfate-free shampoo. This is best for your child’s hair because sulfates can strip her hair’s natural oils.
After you rinse out the shampoo, apply conditioner to her hair. Conditioning is crucial to your child’s hair because it seals in moisture, making it healthier over time. Once you apply the conditioner, detangle her hair to ensure that it is well-coated with the conditioner. Some moms use leave-in conditioners for extra moisturization. As you detangle, start from the ends and work your way up. Finally, rinse the conditioner out of her hair.
How To Moisturize Your Kids’ Natural Hair
Periodically, you should oil your child’s scalp because this keeps it moisturized and healthy in between washes. When your child goes to bed, put a satin bonnet on her hair since it keeps her hair from drying out and breaking over time. Some good oils to use on her scalp are jojoba oil, coconut oil, and castor oil. Use water-based moisturizers on your child’s hair to maintain moisture. Stay away from creams and other products with parabens, alcohol, and strong fragrances because these dry out hair. Feed your child a balanced diet as this helps with growing her hair.
About Protective Styles for Kids
If you’re a mom who has a hectic schedule and cannot style your child’s hair every morning before school, give her a protective hairstyle. If you’re not skilled in doing these styles yourself, take your child to a good salon where the hairdresser will give her a style you can easily manage. When your child has a protective style, don’t keep it in any longer than three to four weeks to avoid matting and damage. Protective hairstyles are great for kids’ natural hair because they retain the hair’s moisture during weather changes.
Remember that your child’s hair still needs to be washed even if she wears protective styles. If she has box braids or micro braids, you can wash them every two to three weeks. Wash her braids with clarifying shampoo to eliminate product buildup. Also, wash with conditioner. Some good protective hairstyles for kids are:
- Bantu knots
- Two-strand twists
- Cornrows with beads
- Half cornrows, half braids
- Box braids
Essential Tools for Styling Kids’ Natural Hair
Here are some essential tools all moms must have when caring for their kids’ natural hair. You’ll need a wide-tooth comb and a detangling brush since these are the most gentle on your child’s hair when styling it. Buy a few satin bonnets and scarves for your child. Others include:
- Spray bottle
- Plastic shower caps
- Hair pins and rubber bands
- Hairbands and clips
- Bows and ribbons
- Sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner
- Hot comb for straightening or flat iron
- Hair pick
- Murray’s pomade for keeping edges neat
How To Prevent Hair Breakage
There are several ways you can protect your child’s hair from breakage. Moisturize and deep condition her hair regularly. Always be gentle and take your time when detangling and styling her hair. Your child should get regular trims because it prevents split ends that may damage her hair. Don’t put in her ponytails and buns too tight as this causes breakage. If your child is a teen, give her hair, skin, and nail vitamins. These help grow her hair. Don’t go overboard with heating tools when styling her hair.
Don’t wash her hair too much because it strips the hair of moisture and causes breakage over time. Always put a satin bonnet or scarf on your child’s hair every night before bed. This is because cotton sheets and pillowcases dry her hair.
Common Myths About Natural Hair
If you want to improve your child’s hair care routine, you should ignore common myths about natural hair in general. One myth is that natural hair is harder to care for than permed hair. This isn’t true because if you educate yourself on proper natural hair care and apply what you learned consistently, you’ll be just fine. Some also believe that by simply greasing your scalp, it will be moisturized. The truth is that oils are not enough. You’ll also need to deep condition your hair to get the moisture it needs. Excess grease on your hair clogs the pores, possibly leading to breakage.
Natural Hair and Your Child’s Self-Esteem
Our society still doesn’t value the beauty of natural hair and we see it in the way students of color are discriminated against by school administrators because of their natural hairstyles. Talk with your child about these issues and tell her not to be ashamed of her hair. Show her stories of successful people who wear natural hair and also discuss the history of black hair. Teach your older child or teen how to maintain her own hair care routine. Let her see how you do your routine and let her practice with your supervision.
Avoid These Hair Care Mistakes
Using the wrong products on your child’s hair can damage it. These include products with harmful ingredients such as benzene, formaldehyde, mineral oil, synthetic colors, and toluene. Other mistakes are:
- Not caring for your child’s scalp properly
- Overwashing your child’s hair
- Brushing curls when they’re dry
- Applying too much product to a child’s hair
- Poor dietary habits and lack of vitamins
- Drying your child’s hair with a towel instead of a shirt
With these effective strategies, you’ll be able to care for your child’s natural hair with confidence. After you teach your child to care for her hair, she’ll be able to do it herself. Natural hair is a part of our rich and beautiful history, and it’s something you and your child can wear with pride.
