9 Tips To Help You Style Your Mixed Child’s Kinks and Curls

Styling your bi or multiracial child’s hair is a lot different than styling any other kind of hair because it has a lot of different textures and curl patterns going on. However, it doesn’t have to be a difficult task! It’s actually quite easy once you get the hang of basic techniques and tips.

If you’re having trouble, don’t worry! There’re a few things you can do to make the process easier on you. Here are 9 tips to help you style your mixed child’s kinks and curls.

Use safe detangle methods

Curly hair is going to tangle and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Your best bet is to find out the quickest way to detangle your child’s hair without being too rough and damaging it.

The best way to detangle would be a wide tooth comb* or finger detangling. It can be frustrating, but please avoid yanking, pulling, and ripping–and always move from tip to root, not root to tip.

Braid or twist their hair before bed

Like I said above, detangling can be a pain! If you want to deal with the least amount of tangles and frizz, loosely braid your child’s hair before bed. It will keep it from being all over the place in the morning as well as protect it from damage.

If you can’t braid, don’t worry! Loose twists or a satin pillow will suffice. Just make sure you avoid tight ties and bands as those can be damaging and counterproductive.

You cannot tame “poofy” or frizzy hair 100%

Curly hair is going to have more volume and frizz than straight hair simply because it is kinkier and, well, curlier! Instead of trying to downplay your child’s natural texture, go for taming the frizz and defining the curls instead.

It might still have tons of volume and curls everywhere, but there won’t be any tangles or frizz to deal with so that is a huge win. Applying a product that was specially made for curl definition onto wet or damp, freshly detangled hair is probably the best way to go.

Hold off on flat ironing

We as adults don’t even want to apply heat to our hair for fear of damage, so you should think twice before sticking a flat iron* to your child’s hair!

Curly hair is already prone to damage and split ends as it is, so the introduction to heat busts the door wide open for possible damage like brittle dry hair and burnt ends.

If you must flat iron* your child’s hair, go to the salon for the first time. This way, you’ll be able to get your child’s hair flat ironed without damage! If you don’t want to keep going to the salon, go once and ask questions about what you can do at home while you’re there.

Use gentle or kiddie products

Products made for kids usually have simpler formulas that don’t incorporate too many ingredients and chemicals. They’ll have a larger selection of choices if you’re looking for something that is unscented or hypoallergenic.

If you can’t find anything that fits your needs in the kid’s section, try looking for “gentle” formulas. Use these types of products until you can figure out what your child’s hair can and cannot take.

Section it off

Nobody should try to tackle curly hair all at once; Especially if it is long and/or thick! So what do you do? Section all of it off. Part the hair into two or four sections and work on one section at a time, twisting or tying the other ones up to keep hair out of the way.

This method works for pretty much everything; washing, detangling, and styling included. You can section off hair with your hands or with a comb. For neater parts and clearly defined sections, use a wide tooth comb*!

Do not skip hydrating and moisturizing…ever

Your child’s curl may be on the looser side, or possibly even straight. However, this does not mean you can style it without moisturizing! Any type of hair with some curls and kinks needs moisture, even if it’s only a little bit.

You don’t have to go through rigorous deep conditions and hot oil treatments everyday, but you should have an “everyday” product that you use for moisture. Leave in conditioner* mixed with water in spray bottle or light curl creams or a spritz will get the job done.

Always work from tip to root

Simply put, working from tip to root will prevent damaging your ends and make hair more manageable while detangling. This is where sections come into play; grab a section of hair and gently comb the hair starting at the ends and working your way up to the scalp.

This will also help when saturating the hair with a product before styling or working in shampoo before lathering up.

Stay away from rubber and tight elastic bands

Rubber bands and tight elastic hair ties* can cause breakage and thinning like nothing else. If you style your child’s hair too tight, it’ll not only damage their hair, but it’ll damage hair follicles and possible give them problems for years to come.

Use loose ties, plastic bobby pins*, fabric covered scrunchies and pony tail holders and thick headbands*. Not using rubber bands and tight hair ties* and accessories will also help if your child is tender headed.