It’s back to school season and I know many mums are already worried about how to get their daughter’s hair in top condition before and after school resumes.
It’s never too early or late to get it right when it comes to your child’s hair care.
Or is it?
Anyway, I would like to mention that from the questions, frustrations, and desires shared by the mothers who make up the Muna and Luchi Haircare Community, I have come to learn that managing your child’s hair during the school session can be a major hassle.
You may put on a style and think it looks really cute, and the next day, it looks like it was made ten weeks prior. I know that feeling and it’s not even funny.
Let’s not even talk about installing a hairstyle that finishes off the little strands of hair that were present in your child’s hairline. Aaarrgh!!! So annoying, because you have to start all over again nursing those edges back. Another hairstyle into the Blacklist!
Well don’t fret, I have you covered in this blog post, all you need to do is to grab a chilled drink and take some time to digest the tips I’m about to share with you.
TIP NUMBER 1: DO A DEEP TREATMENT
DO A DEEP TREATMENT before putting your child’s hair in a long term protective style (two weeks or longer). This will help ensure your child’s hair strands are properly fortified to retain moisture and strength while in the protective school hairstyle. A deep conditioning treatment should be done regularly, preferably once a month, as this will help add a rich supply of moisture to her locs.
Read The myths and truth about shaving baby’s hair in the first year
There are two main types of deep conditioning treatments namely;
Protein-Based Deep Conditioning Treatment: this is done when the objective is to strengthen your child’s strands and to heal or prevent excessive breakage. Moisture-Based Deep Conditioning Treatment: a moisture deep treatment is essential when trying to infuse much-needed moisture into your child’s hair, and should be done as often as possible, at least once or twice a month.
Choose simple styles such as single braids, twists, flat twists and keep the size of each plait, twist or braid medium size to chunky sizes.
(Let us know if you would like to see a post about styling your child’s hair, in the comments section). If you must add any form of extensions, I suggest you add it close to the tip or midway through a braid.
Putting extensions on the scalp or close to the scalp could pose serious harm to the scalp and cause hair loss. This is because the state of your child’s scalp (in terms of cleanliness and how much tension it is under) will determine, to a large extent, the overall health of your child’s hair.
Besides, I would suggest that beads be added to extensions and not directly on the hair strand, to avoid breakage of the tips of your child’s hair strands.
TIP NUMBER THREE: PUT TOGETHER YOUR MOISTURE RETENTION TOOLKIT
Natural hair loves moisture so it’s important to always gear up with your moisture retention arsenal. Don’t be fooled by the few rainy episodes we’ve had recently, we are still in the season when the air is driest (and coldest, if you’re somewhere in the temperate regions of the world). This is very vital, as children’s hair tends to dry out a lot faster than adults. This is because, for babies, they tend to put their heads down against harsh surfaces that have the potential to suck up all the moisture present in their hair, especially in the anterior areas of their head. Older children play a lot, mostly outside and they are constantly engaging in all kinds of activities that can expose their hair to dryness.
So what do you need to keep your child’s hair looking juicy, bouncy and properly moisturized? Read Dos and Donts of Child Hair Care
Check out the moisture retention toolkit:
Spray Bottle:
The next item in the kit is the Leave-in Conditioner;
Then the oils or butter, depending on which one works best for you
Then you need Satin Bonnets, pillowcases, crib sheets and headrests for protecting the hair against dryness at bedtime. Bonnets are for children above 12 months and headrests are for children 12 months and under.
Feed your child a healthy diet. It’s been said that the best-kept secret to healthy hair is a balanced diet and I couldn’t agree more. Good food contributes up to about 40% of the growth and health of your child’s hair! A balanced diet is a diet consisting of a variety of different groups of food that provide adequate amounts of the nutrients necessary for overall good health and well-being of your child i.e. vegetables, protein, carbohydrates, fruits, and nourishing oils.
Would you like delicious recipes for your little ones that encourage hair growth? Let us know in the comments section
TIP NUMBER 5: DEVELOP A CONSISTENT ROUTINE FOR YOUR CHILD’S HAIR CARE
You should do this from day one; Take time to figure out what products work for your child and what hair care techniques best suit you and your child’s schedules.
Having a systematic plan set up to care for your child’s hair is beneficial in so many ways; Firstly, it saves time by eliminating any second-guessing, because you know exactly what to do every day. Secondly, it helps you identify when there is a significant change in your child’s hair journey since you are constantly aware of what goes into caring for his/her hair. Third, it saves you money because you can easily tell what you need, and you do not waste money buying or introducing what isn’t needed, and you can also plan.
And guess what? Children love routines, they like to know what is coming and before you know it your daughter(s) will get into the spirit of the Hair Care regimen and you receive less resistance to it. I call that a Super Benefit don’t you
I hope this helps someone. Questions are welcome in the comments section below and bonnets are still available for sale.
If you found this helpful, kindly share it with someone who you believe needs it. Thank you! If you’d like to be equipped with more information on how to tackle your child’s specific hair care challenges, you can register for my FREE email course BECOMING A PRO HAIR CARE MUM.
This course is super packed with what you need to know, to take full charge of your child’s hair care. Send me an email at [email protected] of any kind of questions or concerns about your child’s hair care, I can’t wait to hear from you.
Oluchi Madubuike is the founder of Muna & Luchi Care Services. When she’s not spending time with her husband and adorable little girl, she is helping young mothers, who have children with naturally coily/curly hair, take charge of their child’s natural hair care. You can visit her Instagram page, to see pictures of her daughter’s gorgeous hair and get daily tips to help you with your child’s hair care.
