Diapers & Cocktails

One mom's survival guide to balancing life, kids and fun

  • Traveling With Kids
  • Parenting
    • Babys
    • Toddlers
    • Holidays
    • Raising Girls
    • Preschool
    • Childhood Illness
      • Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR)
  • Pregnancy
    • First Trimester
    • Baby Registry Tips and Ideas
  • Self Care
    • Working Moms
    • Relationships
    • Gluten-Free Kitchen
  • About
    • Get in touch!
    • Topics
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures

What to Do when your Child Hates Brushing Her Hair?

February 11, 2020

Long Hair, Don’t Care? Well, maybe us Mom’s actually do care!

This post may contain affiliate links to products I love. Please see our full disclosure policy here.

While many little girls love to grow their hair long, what is a parent to do when our child hates brushing her hair? 

As a Mom of two little girls, one of whom was born with a full head of hair that I was able to BRAID by the time she was seven months old, I know a thing or two about hair brushing battles with kids.

Seven-month old braid.

My now 5-year old daughter has the most beautiful hair in the world, but there are still days that I want to break out the buzzer and shave it all off when cries about brushing her hair.

For the most part though we’ve reached a mutual understanding about what needs to be done to keep up with her long mane. This typically involves me downing a glass of Pinot Grigio and tackling her into the shower. 

Does your daughter hate brushing her hair?

Toddler hair care really boils down into three groups – hair washing, hair maintenance between washing and hair cuts. Having the right hair care products for kids is also extremely important if you want to avoid tears.

How to Wash Toddler Hair Without Tears

If your child hates brushing her hair, chances are she is not a big fan of washing it either. It still baffles my mind that my 2-year old will stand still and let me pour gallons of water directly over her head, while my 5-year old is on the verge of hyperventilating any time a drop of water touches her face, but I digress.

Start Them Young

One key to helping toddlers and babies feel comfortable with hair washing is to start them young. I mean even as babies, gently pouring water over their hair and face helps them get used to the sensation. 

Get Them Involved

As they get older, making sure they have fun bath cups that they can use to dump on their own bodies helps them take control over the situation and learn how to have fun with it.

Use The Right Products

If your child hates brushing her hair, a set of good hair care products can be a game-changer. As babies, I always used a tear-free shampoo and body wash on my kids. If you have a toddler with long hair, you will need to move on to a higher level of shampoo/conditioner sooner than later. We have used a variety of products including Herbel Essence and OGX. 

Let The Conditioner Sit

If your child has long and fine or tangly hair. Letting the conditioner sit in the hair for five minutes will make a huge difference when it comes to after-shower brushing.

Products You Need for The Toddler Who Hates Brushing Her Hair

A leave-in condition will change your life. I have used Honest Company leave-in conditioner for several years for my daughter, but I recently changed my own leave-in conditioner to an organic non-paraben clean leave-in, which now we are both using. It is a little bit pricier, but I only need a few sprays so it lasts forever. This change has made it SO much easier to brush hair after showers.

A wet brush – If you haven’t heard of this genius tool stop what you are doing and run and get it RIGHT NOW! This detangling brush will change your life and your hair-brushing hating toddler’s life as well. I use it both after the shower (while hair is wet) and also when dry to keep up with maintenance.

Maintain, Maintain, Maintain

For optimum results, I think it’s best to wash kid’s hair every other day. On non-hair wash days we brush with the wet brush before bed. It takes less than five minutes and is a huge game-changer going into the next day’s hair wash.

Small Trims for The Win

I cut my entire family’s hair and I have for several years. I have no formal training, but luckily my kids have hair that is easy to trim.

I use a basic pair of haircutting scissors and trim off the dead ends (about two inches) once ever 2-3months. It makes a major difference and prevents my toddler from crying when I brush her hair.

Does Your Toddler Hate Brushing Her Hair? Check our list of Toddler Hair No-Cry Best Products

A Wet Brush

An excellent leave-in conditioner

Non-baby Shampoo and Conditioner

Bath Cups to Play in the Shower

Haircutting Scissors for Small Trims

Happy brushing!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
« Blazing Buffalo Chicken Nachos
9 NICU Gift Ideas »

Comments

  1. Erin says

    February 16, 2020 at 12:26 am

    This is great! My girls have very knotty hair and it hurts to brush it. Great tips!

Recent Posts

  • BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT IDEAS FOR 3-YEAR OLD GIRLS
  • Best Christmas Gift Ideas for 5-Year Old Girls
  • 6 Things to Know About Disneyland Reopening in 2021
  • The Best 2020 Amazon Prime Day Steals
  • The Tear-Free Sleep Training Routine That Worked for My 6-Month Old

Categories

  • Babys
  • Childhood Illness
  • Gluten-Free Kitchen
  • Holidays
  • Parenting
  • Pregnancy
  • Preschool
  • Raising Girls
  • Relationships
  • Self Care
  • Traveling With Kids
  • Uncategorized
  • Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR)

About

Hi! I'm Steph. I live in Southern California with my husband and two daughters where we juggle two careers and two kiddos. I look forward to sharing all the wacky crazy experiences (and hopefully some insights!) that we've learned along the way. More here! https://diapersandcocktails.com/about/

Featured Posts

suncsreen for babies

Archives

Subscribe to get our latest parenting hacks, blogs, and deals in your inbox each week

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd )

Copyright © 2023 · Grace Theme by Bites to Brand

Copyright © 2023 · Grace Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in