My girls have very fine curly shoulder length hair that is always dry. We live in the high desert, so everything is dry. But their hair is so dry it's almost rough to the touch. And it snarls very easily, especially when they do the typical five year old playing that involves getting dirt and sand in their hair. Do any of you have advice on how to add moisture back to their hair? Is there a deep conditioning treatment that would be appropriate for children?
We only wash their hair once or twice a week so we don't strip out the natural oils. We get it trimmed every couple of months for split ends, and I use a leave in shea butter conditioner after every washing.
Use a mix of warmed up olive oil and coconut oil and give her a nice hair-massage.
You can either leave it overnight on her, or better, give her a massage 2-3 hrs before you wash her hair, and leave it in till the wash.
We (sis, cousins) all had this kind of treatment from very young ages, and no harm ever done.
Hope it helps!
Great advice given so far. Also fall back on protective styles like braids and twists and pinning the hair up with ribbons and bows. The less the hair is exposed to the sun the better it can become.
I use, for myself, the Giovanni brand. It's ORGANIC so there's no need to worry about chemicals. You can find it at Ulta, Target, Wal-Mart, etc.
Matrix just started making a leave in oil that is really lightweight. You can put it in damp and add more into dry hair as well. It comes in a small container with a bright orange cap, cant remember the name if it though, sorry. I work at the salon at JC Penney, we have it there, all Penneys are supposed to have the same products so I would check there. There is a pretty big sample of it you can get free with a haircut this month, since is a newer product. It would be fine for kids hair and help with combing out tangles also. Redken makes deep conditioner you can use to do at home treatments. There are a few different kinds for different hair types, from what you describe you probably want the all soft or the smoothdown. Comb it through and put their hair in ponies or braids, leave it in for an hour or so while they play outside (so it gets heat) and rinse. You can do it once a week.
I have fine hair and when it starts to feel rough and dry, it is because it has build up from shampoo/conditioner. I use a couple tbsp. to 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar in a large cup and fill with warm water. I pour it on my hair making sure I get it on the ends, too. Let it sit on my hair for at least five minutes and then wash like usual. You can use regular vinegar but the Apple cider vin. doesn't smell as much.
This usually does the trick. I have used it on my 6 yo twins hair, too and just let them play in the tub while it is on their hair. Really helps with the tangling issues.
This is great for itchy scalp, too.
My son has dry curly hair. We use a product that helps immensely! (By the way my hair stylist recommends it to all her customers.) It's called Softee Coconut Oil Hair & Scalp Conditioner. The only place I've found to buy it is Walgreens, and it comes in a white jar with a blue lid. Thankfully, it is very reasonably priced as well, only about a dollar or so. We just put it on like hair gel and rub it all over before styling. Good luck!
I also have a curly top. I "wash" her hair with conditioner. Check out Curly Girl from our library! I also bought that expensive, infomercial product called Wen and I love it for her hair!
