Long Hair, Don’t Care? Well, maybe us Mom’s actually do care!
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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.
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.
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
An excellent leave-in conditioner
Non-baby Shampoo and Conditioner
Bath Cups to Play in the Shower
Haircutting Scissors for Small Trims
Happy brushing!
This is great! My girls have very knotty hair and it hurts to brush it. Great tips!