Detangling your kid’s natural hair is never fun, but these tips will help. There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. If your kids have different hair types and textures, you may have to detangle their hair differently. Find the go-to detangling method for each child and adjust it depending on how severe their mats and tangles are.
1. Use Your Fingers
If tangles are minimal or just in a section or two you may be able to use your fingers to detangle. Finger detangling typically only works on small tangles, such as those at the nape of their neck or back of their head after waking in the morning.
Spray the tangled area with water mixed with conditioner, or with plain water—then add a leave-in conditioner. Press the conditioner into the tangled area and gently use your fingers to detangle from bottom to top. From top to bottom is always tempting but it increases breakage and often makes the tangle worse. It may also be helpful to use the end of a rattail comb.
2. Shampoo and Condition
If your child has all over tangles and it’s time to shampoo their hair, pop them in the bathtub with a few toys to keep them occupied. Wet their hair, then apply a Moisturizing Curly Kids Shampoo. The moisture in the shampoo will make their hair smooth and less prone to breakage. Shampoo twice, massaging it into their scalp.
After the shampoo is rinsed out, apply a Moisturizing Curly Kids Conditioner, pressing it into any tangles and mats. Leave it in for up to 15 minutes, clipping their hair out of the way so that it doesn’t disrupt your child while they play in the tub.
After the 15 minutes is up you may be able to finger detangle their hair. However, you may need to section their hair to detangle it. You can do this in the tub before rinsing out their conditioner or outside of the tub after you rinse out their conditioner.
3. Detangle In Sections
If they’ve just come out of the tub or shower towel dry their hair first. Then, part their hair into four sections. There’s no need for the parts to be perfect, it’s just to make detangling easier. Clip 3 of the 4 sections so that they stay in place. Start detangling the first section.
If needed, depending on their hair type and how tangled their hair is, further section their hair. The larger their curls the fewer sections you will need, the kinkier their curls the more sections you will need.
You can detangle with a Curly Kids Leave-In Conditioner, or you can use the LOC or LCO method, using coconut oil and a leave-in conditioner. Detangle with your fingers or use a tool.
4. Detangling Tool
We mentioned using the end of a rattail comb earlier, which is excellent at breaking up both tangles and small mats. Also, experiment with different curly hair detangling combs and brushes. This includes natural bristle brushes, widetooth combs, and the growing range of detangling tools. Select the tool designed specifically for your child’s hair texture and type.
Always detangle each section from bottom to top. Be gentle and go slow to minimize breakage.
5. Consult With A Stylist
Kids are active so if you find yourself struggling to keep your child’s hair tangle-free, consult with a stylist. You can wait until it’s time to get their hair trimmed or call ahead and schedule an appointment to discuss haircare. Your stylist will:
- Suggest Curly Kids Hair Products
- Suggest detangling combs, brushes, and tools
- Advise you on a weekly shampoo routine
- Provide daily styling and detangling tips
- Suggest changes to your child’s hair routine
- Help you select a few fast and hairstyles
How To Minimize Tangles
Natural hair is prone to tangling, especially with your child’s active lifestyle. The tips below will help you keep tangles to a minimum:
Keep Their Hair Healthy—curly hair requires moisture-rich and gentle hair care products that won’t strip their hair of moisture. If their hair dries out it will begin to feel brittle, look dull, and will tangle more often. Ensure everything from their shampoo to their styling products adds moisture, and add moisture and a protective layer with coconut oil or your preferred natural hair oil.
Mix Up Their Hairstyles—curly hair is fragile so repeating the same hairstyle can damage their hair. For example, a ponytail worn in the same spot every day will weaken the hair under the elastic. Even if the elastic is gentle, it will increase the likelihood of damage that leads to tangles.
Mix In Protective Styles—protective styles don’t just minimize tangles, but if properly maintained, can help repair damaged hair and minimize the risk of damage. They also simplify your daily and weekly hair care routine, making mornings faster and easier.
Use The Right Styling Tools—everything that comes in contact with your little one’s hair must be gentle and ideally designed for curly hair. This includes their hairbrush, combs, elastics, hair accessories, and the sleep bonnet or pillowcase they use at night. Sometimes this means saying no to a super cute hair accessory to ensure it doesn’t damage their hair.
Personalize Their Hair Care Routine—create a personalized hair care routine for each of your kids that varies by their hair type, hair texture, the season of the year, and their active lifestyle. You may even adjust their routine by their age. This includes how often you shampoo and whether you use natural oil in addition to your hair care products. Start talking to your child about why you do their hair the way you do from a young age so that they gradually learn how to keep their natural hair healthy.
Detangling your little one’s hair is never fun, but with the tips above you can detangle their hair with ease. As always, FroBabies Hair has everything you need to shampoo, condition, detangle, and style your child’s natural hair!
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