6 Tips On How You Can Cure Your Child Of Dry Hair For Good

Last night I got into a pretty heated discussion with a concerned mom who has a two-year-old child with very dry hair.

Her concern was that she would twist her daughter hair overnight only to have it unravel by the morning and be a super frizzy and very dry.

Dry hair for children is common especially when they are young because the hair tends to be very fine and often porous. It is hard to really determine the causes of dry hair over the internet, so we can only speak in speculative terms.

Dry hair is common for many of us with kinky textured hair and for children it can be especially worrying. For older children who are very active and exposed to the sun, their hair might take a beating.

Moisture escapes the strands very easily, and moms and dads are forced to find ways for kids to keep their hair moisturized and protected almost all the time.

With that said here are our top 6 tips on how to eliminate dry hair in children:

1. Keep the hair clean

Clean hair absorbs water better than strands that are covered in debris, salts oils, and product, so make it a weekly habit to cleanse her hair with a sulfate free shampoo*. Sulfates are way too rough on hair and even worse on fragile fine hair so read the labels carefully when picking out a cleanser.

2. Moisturize with water based products

To moisturize thirsty strands you need to use water-based products such as leave in conditioners or a spray bottle solution. DIY spray solutions might work better for your little one so do not hesitate to come up with your own special concoction.

I recommend a mix of aloe vera juice*, oil, and water, which works well for thirsty strands and not to mention it is all natural which is great for kids.

Stylers, butters*, oils or any kind of sheen spray are not moisturizers and should be used after you use your DIY spray. If you find that your child has kinkier coarse hair use heavy butters* or creams to hold the moisture in the strands.

For little ones with fine hair, use a creamier butter that won’t weigh the hair down but will also be strong enough to keep the moisture in the strand.

3. Deep condition

Most children do not like sitting still for a good deep conditioning* session but if she has very dry hair then a 20-minute deep conditioning* session is imperative.

Put the conditioner in her hair and cover with a plastic cap to start the process. Allow her to play for a bit and the heat from the activity will warm up the conditioner and your baby will be none the wiser. If your child is great about conditioning, then, by all means, sit her under a steamer* or overhead dryer for a 20-minute session.

4. Add a leave in

Sometimes we take it for granted that even after deep conditioning* that our dry hair actually still needs more conditioning.

With that said, I wanted to ensure that I made a separate line item for adding a leave-in conditioner* to the hair. Your leave in can be store bought or the same DIY solution I mentioned in number 2.

5. Does she need protein

Everyone processes protein differently, for some people too much protein in the regimen can lead to hard brittle dry hair.

If you find that you add moisture to your child’s hair and seal it but then her hair is immediately dry again try adding a little protein to her regimen.

Deep condition with a conditioner that has protein in it so that you can strengthen her strands and help her to retain the moisture you put in.

If you want to remain all natural in her regimen use an egg in her deep conditioning* mix to give her hair strength. I would suggest that you mix the conditioner before hand, I do not know one 4yr old who would like the idea of an egg in her hair.

6. Protective styling

Protective styling should be a staple for busy moms and busy bee kids as well. You can try twists, braids, cornrows for most of the week and then on the weekends just before wash day you can allow the hair to breathe a bit.

Protective styling protects the ends of the hair, gives the hair a break from manipulation and moisture loss.

Another quick tip

Always work in sections when you care for your little one’s hair, sectioning helps you to ensure all of the strands are covered when you add your products. Be deliberate about everything!

If you use straight parts you can maintain those parts for wash day, detangling, and styling this makes things 100 times easier for you and the little one.

Does your little girl have dry hair? Comment below and let us know how you finally cured it!