Quick Tips for Taking Care of a Child’s Hair
A child might not be to the point where they’re using a ceramic flat iron, at least not yet, but there are some tips and tricks to taking care of their hair. It doesn’t matter if you’re a brand new parent, or have found yourself wrangling several toddlers every morning, you need these tips. To start, we’re going to talk a bit about the difference between baby shampoo and regular shampoo. Is there a difference? Should you be worried about it? Actually, the answer is yes.
The Difference Between Adult and Child Shampoo
Most commonly known as baby shampoo, you probably wonder why you’re spending a bit more to add it to your hair care arsenal. Well, first we have to take a look at what’s IN the child shampoo. It starts with anionics, a common ingredient in adult shampoo. This serves to generate that rich lather, and they can be pretty drying, but the use of conditioner eliminates this problem. Something to consider is that a child’s hair does not produce the same amount of oils as an adult’s so in other words, they are far less effective. That being said, baby shampoo does not use anionics and is therefore considered to be much safer. In addition to that, it is much less toxic than regular shampoo as it will not cause nearly as much damage if it gets in their eyes. This is not to say that you shouldn’t protect their eyes at all costs, it just means that there is less chance of damage.
Tips for Combing
When you’re combing out a child’s hair, it would be a good idea to make sure that you’re using a wide tooth comb, a paddle brush, or a boar bristle brush, assuming it’s try hair. You do not want to use a vent brush (we have a great example of one right here in our store) as it can cause snags. On your own hair you probably start out at the top when you’re brusing, but with a child’s, you want to start at the ends and work your way up the shaft. Remember that the hair at the nape of the neck tends to become tangled first, so make sure that you address it early on.
Fighting the Cowlick
If you have a child then you know the cowlick – it’s as simple as that. Sure they can be adorable, but you don’t want them to stick around. You need to make sure that you’re able to tame it and there are a few ways that you can do that. First of all, you could blow dry it and use a close bristled brush. Secondly, you could go so far as to use styling gel or cream to slick it down. Or, if you want, you can allow the hair to grow out as it will eventually collapse under its own weight, which is a pretty solid solution for conquer that cowlick A protruding tuft can be adorable, but you want to tame it: Blow-dry hair smooth from the roots down to the ends using a closely bristled brush. Let hair grow longer. "A cowlick needs either weight to keep it down or length to blend it away," says Anita Bianche. Use styling gel or cream to slick it down or to play it up, as shown here. Spiky is in! Blend it in with surrounding strands on top.
Damage control
Your child played Beauty Parlor and got in a few good clips before you saw. What to do? If it's:
In the front: Try combing more hair forward and cutting bangs (see below for tips) to even it out. For a girl, a cute headband or clips also work well to hold and hide the short pieces while they grow.
A missing chunk: If you can, change the part to cover the "hole." Or ask a stylist to create a cute layered cut to blend in the jaggedness.
An allover hack job: Don't fix this at home! Your stylist will need to assess how to make it look best. If all else fails, try a cute hat.
All the trimmings
Start with damp hair, says Jennifer Bilek, a New York City stylist who specializes in kids' hair. Her tips:
Bangs: Comb hair straight back; it'll fall into its natural part. Comb hair down on sides. At forehead hairline, pull out a thin triangle-shaped wedge of hair. Don't include longer (non-bang) strands or hair farther back than three-quarters of an inch from hairline. With the middle section of hair between index and middle fingers, slide fingers down hair to brows; snip straight across. Repeat with two side sections.
Around ears and neck: Comb hair toward ear. Fold ear down; clip carefully with trimmers -- they're easier to control than scissors -- following ear's shape and neck contour, ears first, then across neck.