Sugar and Spice and Tangles – 5 Hair Care Tips for Girls

Having thick hair my whole life, I hoped that my girls would benefit from the same.  Sure, it comes with it’s frustrations but I love having an abundance of hair to work with, and impressing my hair stylist kind of makes me chuckle each time I go in for a cut and color.  I have two daughters, ages 6 and 3, and while my youngest still has what I call “baby-chick” fine hair, her older sister at 6 has my thick mane and has started to grow it out from the short bob she had when she was 4.  That, of course, comes with its own challenges.

If you have daughters I’m sure you’ve encountered a tangled mass of hair either after their evening bath, first thing in the morning and well – sometimes in the middle of the afternoon too!  If your daughter is still sporting a baby-chick head of hair, this might be useful to bookmark and refer back to later.  Also – it’s worth noting that some boys have a gorgeous thick head of hair, so take note moms of boys too!

1. Pre-bath-prep: Attack tangles before your little one hops into the tub or shower.  Comb hair first and eliminate any tangles before you start.

2. Be gentle in the water: When wet, hair is at its weakest point (water breaks down the natural hydrogen bonds in the hair) so this is not the time to struggle with tangles and damage the hair.  We use both shampoo and conditioner in the shower or tub.  Products like Kandoo Scrub Your Hair Conditioning Shampoo are great because kids can use the hand pump themselves! It contains Vitamin E and Natural Fruit Extracts to clean and condition hair. If you use a separate conditioner, use a wide tooth or paddle brush to comb it through hair.

3. Dry off with care: Though tempting for kids (because it’s so fun!) to rub a towel back and forth on their head to dry, it creates a massive head of tangles when doing so.  Instead, use the towel to blot or gently squeeze the hair dry rather than rubbing.

4. Spray a detangler on hair once towel-dried.  A product like Kandoo Detangler can be used to make combing wet hair a breeze.  My girls love the scent!  Kandoo Detangler is tear free, just like the Shampoo and it’s important to note that it does not contain parabens, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates (SLS), phthalates, BHA/BHT or petroleum distillates found in some detanglers.  When combing wet hair, start at the tip and work your way up to the root.  I know that sounds odd if you’re used to combing root-down, but it’s the best way to work through tangles and not have a giant one piled up at the bottom.

5. Dry hair before bed.  Wet hair on a pillow can cause a nest of tangles in the morning.  If blow-drying, use a blow dryer with tourmaline technology (tourmaline boosts the number of negative ions produced, which leads to healthier, shinier hair.)  If you want to be really fancy (and make your daughter believe she truly is a princess!) experts recommend a silk pillow case to help reduce nighttime tangles as well.

I wish I could say I was a hair-care expert with my girls and that we never have tangles but that’s not the case.  Sometimes I don’t have a moment to comb their hair before they hop in the shower.  Sometimes they go to bed with wet hair (a detangler spray is a great help even on dry-hair in the morning, moms).  However, if I keep these 5 tips in mind, I’m giving myself a yellow star more often than not. 😉