Having hair battles? Knot anymore…

 

hair battles

Tangles, shampoo in the eyes, nits…sometimes hair care and hair washing can be a real battle. Here are some do’s and don’ts.

do: use a mild shampoo on your child’s hair. Adult shampoos are not suitable for babies or children as they are more harsh and can irritate your child’s skin and dry out the scalp.

don’t: overwash your child’s hair. Washing your child’s hair too frequently can strip the scalp of it’s natural oils, leading to dry, itchy scalp; this can then cause the scalp to overproduce oils, making your child’s hair greasy.

do: use a detangler for getting out tangles from hair and be gentle, starting from the ends of the hair and working up towards the roots, using a comb rather than a brush.

don’t: put conditioner on the scalp – it only needs to go on the ends of the hair.

do: make bathtime and hair washing fun. Bubbles, bathtime crayons, bath books and toys all add to the fun of bathtime. Sing songs, do lots of pouring and splashing – you could even get into the bath with your child and play together.

don’t: wash your child’s hair at the beginning of bathtime. You should do this right before getting out. Sitting in sudsy water for any length of time can irritate your child’s skin; and this can be the case particularly for little girls.

do: purchase a ‘water brim’ for those babies/children who particularly don’t like water on their face during hair washing. These fit like a hat brim on baby’s head, stopping water from going directly over baby’s face. Very handy!

don’t: ever leave your children unattended, even for a minute. Remember, drowning is silent.

do: try the shower if your child finds this easier for washing their hair and getting all the suds out. Showers are great for that final rinse, particularly for girls with long hair.

don’t: be tempted to use rubber bands in your child’s hair, as this will break the hair and can be very troublesome to pull out.

do: change around how you style your child’s long hair. Switch between ponytails, plaits or bunches as this will give the hair relief from being pulled one way continuously, which can cause damage.
Try not to tie pony tails too tightly.

don’t: cut or pull chewing gum out of your childs hair. Use oil and a fine tooth comb and, be patient.

nits and lice

do: check your child’s hair regularly for nits

don’t: wait until your child has nits – keep some product on hand so you can use it straight away.

do: seek treatment for an infestation as soon as you notice it.

don’t: forget to finish the treatment (many need to be reapplied a week later to catch any eggs that  hatched since the first treatment).

do: consider using a nit repellent daily spray that protects your child’s hair. Or you could leave tea-tree oil conditioner in the hair – this is a natural deterrent to nits and lice, and can be put on the ends of either wet or dry hair.

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Make bathtime and hair washing fun. Bubbles, bathtime crayons, bath books and toys all add to the fun.
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More On Health From Tots to Teens:

How To Effectively Combat Nits And Lice

Scale Down Your Family’s Sugar Load

5 Ways To Help With Hay Fever

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