Caring for little ones with curls can be quite a chore!
Their highly active play habits combined with their natural curls and kinks can make for some big tangles, at times. Luckily, with the right tools and know-how, these tangled situations can be easy to avoid, and easy to repair.
4 Tear-Free Detangling Tips
Get The Right The Tools
Have a detangler on hand for your little curly ones.
There are lots of them out there, and finding something that nourishes your child’s hair as it repairs is important. Some leave-in conditioners can also be used as detanglers for your child.
A Few to Try
- Mixed Chicks kids Tangle Tamer
- Original Sprout Miracle Detangler
- It’s a Curl! Ring Around the Curlies Leave-In
- Also have a wide-tooth comb at home so you can get the knots and tangles out. Wide-tooth combs help with tangles, and a lot less tears. It’s a good idea to keep one in your tub as part of your child’s night time hair cleaning routine too.
Tackle Tangles Right Away
Use the detangler on your child’s hair when dry, and wet.
If your child arrives home from school or a play date with tangles and knots, use the detangler and some gentle motions of the wide-tooth comb to get the knots out while the hair is dry.
Don’t wait until it’s bath time to work out the knots, they may only get worse as the afternoon and evening progress. Tackle tangles right away. If your child wants to help, let them know what you’re doing and how.
Stand in front of a mirror, if possible, and show them how you are helping care for their curls. Kids love to exercise their independence, why not teach them the tricks of the trade too?
Routines Are Important
Once emergency tangles and knots are dealt with make sure part of your night time hair care routine for your kids is helping prevent tangles too.
- Shampoo hair by working hands through the curls and avoid building up a big lather.
- Use your fingers like a comb to shampoo and condition.
- Use your wide-tooth comb to distribute product and comb through hair when your child is done.
- Apply a leave-in conditioner to help prevent tangles and knots.
For thicker curly kids, leave-in conditioners such as Kinky Curly Tiny Twists or Blended Cutie Soft Curls and Swirls can be a key step in keeping little curls looking their best and may help avoid the possible “poof” effect too.
For little curls with finer strands, a light leave-in (even a combo of water and some conditioner”> can be helpful in avoiding tangled and poofy curls.
Remind your little ones not to run their fingers through their hair too much either (well, if it’s possible…”>. Let them know that fingers in the hair could lead to more comb and bath time and less play time or time with friends.
Sleep Tight
At night, for kids more prone to tangles, you may want to put your child’s curls in a loose pony tail or even braid them.
If your child is active during the day, and still gets lots of tangles, braids and pony tails can be good for those times too. Again, show your child how to make a quick pony-tail, or even a braid, so they can be a part of the process too.
Remember, you’re teaching them skills that, one day, they’ll be able to do all by themselves!
