Your little one’s natural hair requires curly hair care products and special attention. If you don’t stay on top of their curly hair care routine their hair will become dry and damaged, which can take many months to reverse. If the damage is too severe you may need to cut it down to the undamaged new growth and begin again. Here are 5 signs your child’s hair is damaged.
1. Their Hair Feels Rough Or Brittle
Curly hair comes in a variety of textures, but you know how your little one’s hair feels when it’s healthy. Damage occurs gradually so you may not have noticed the change. Wait until their hair is clean and dry and pay attention to how it feels. If it feels rough or brittle or the texture doesn’t feel like it used to, their hair is damaged.
2. Constant Breakage
Curly hair sheds a lot during the detangling process, but damaged hair will shed excessively when combed or detangled, leaving breakage and strands of hair on the floor or sink—instead of just in the brush or comb. You may also notice more shedding on their pillowcase and lots of breakage when styling their hair. For example, when you pull their hair back into a ponytail, they may have lots of short strands that pop up when damp or when dry.
3. Excessive Split Ends
Even with a stylist who specializes in kids with natural hair a trip to the hair salon can be stressful. This means that you might not be trimming your child’s hair as often as you should be, which can lead to split ends. Fortunately, split ends are easy to resolve by trimming them off, but the longer you wait between trims the more will have to be cut. To determine if split ends are present, pick up a coil of dry curls and examine the ends. If you find individual hairs that are split in two, then it’s time for a trim. Even if you are trying to grow their hair out trims are still required to keep their hair healthy.
4. Excessive Tangles
Curly hair is prone to tangles but if you are spending more time on detangling than you have in the past it has likely become damaged, dry, or brittle. If you aren’t already its time to start using a curly hair comb or brush and a detangler to minimize the ongoing damage. We love FroBabies Detangle Me Leave-In Conditioner. This is in addition to curly hair shampoo, conditioner, and styling product.
5. Hair Is Lacking Elasticity
Curly hair can stretch out to at least one-third it’s curly length, then bounce back to curly. Take a single strand of dry hair to see if it can stretch out without breaking and if it returns to its original curly state once you let go. If it breaks or doesn’t return to its full curls it is damaged.
If your child’s hair is damaged start with a trim or cut, then commit to a Kid’s Curly Hair Routine.
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