A Simple Natural Hair Regimen for Your Toddler
Beginning your child's natural hair regimen is just as important as building your own. It won't be as extensive, but it will be worth it. I'll share with you how!
July 21, 2020
Beginning your child's natural hair regimen is just as important as building your own. It won't be as extensive, but it will be worth it. I'll share with you how!
Growing up, my sisters and I had waist length hair. Not only was it long, but it was also extremely thick. At about the age of 10, my mother started putting relaxers in my hair. In my teenage years leading into my early 20’s, I too began to relax my own hair. I had no clue about healthy hair, all I knew is that I wanted it to be straight and sleek. It wasn’t until I got pregnant with my oldest son at the age of 22 that I stopped applying relaxers to my hair. I started going to the Dominican salons for blow outs every two weeks and later learned that, that amount of heat was entirely too hot and was also detrimental to the health of my hair.
It wasn’t until I started seeing master stylist and Salon Owner Shavon Boughton of Salon Boio in Norfolk, Va. That I truly was educated on what it meant to have healthy hair. I started out getting silk wraps, treatments and trims every 6-8 weeks. I grew a different relationship with my hair and instead of long, straight hair I opted for short hair leading me to 3 big chops. It was the last big chop I received in 2015 that I decided I was no longer applying any direct heat to my hair. It was through my own natural hair journey that I knew I would teach my daughter how to embrace and care for her own natural tresses.
Deciding on a healthy hair regimen for your child can be intense and nerve racking. Healthy hair doesn’t just come out of thin air. Healthy hair is the result of proper care and maintenance. [DISCLAIMER] I am not a licensed professional so all my recommendations are what currently work for my daughter’s hair. Natural hair is trial and error. It takes time to figure out what works for your own hair and so is the same for my daughter’s hair.
She’s only 18 months old however, she has very tight curly thick hair and so, it’s important for me that she’s accustomed to getting her hair done so when she gets 3 years old and older it won’t be difficult for me to style her hair. Whether you’re just washing and combing your child’s hair you want to get her used to your hands being in her hair. There’s nothing worse than having a tender headed child. My regimen for my baby girl is quite simple; shampoo, condition, leave in conditioner, scalp oil, and two-strand twisting every week or every two weeks [depends on if she's been scratching her hair]. Jolie has very dry hair so I make sure I moisturize her hair with water and a little conditioner daily.
This process gets easier, but it does not start out easy. Be sure to keep your child occupied. Jolie's favorite shows right now are Bubble Guppies and Word Party. Watching her favorite shows or allowing her to hold some of her hair products or hair bows while I style her hair keeps her calm as well.
Saturday: Shampoo, condition, leave in conditioner, oil, protective style
Sunday: Moisturize
Monday: Moisturize
Tuesday: Moisturize
Wednesday: Sport twist out or apply tension free ponytails
Thursday: Moisturize
Friday: Moisturize
Saturday: Wash Day!
Shampooing your little one's hair and scalp is a must. As I previously stated, I will shampoo her hair every 1-2 weeks. I am currently using Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo and their 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deep Conditioner. I was originally using Cantu Kids, but it was too drying for Jolie’s hair. I use two quarter size amounts of shampoo and follow up with a nice amount of conditioner. I rinse the conditioner out with lukewarm water
After rinsing out both the shampoo and conditioner, I dry her hair with a t-shirt and I immediately go in with Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Leave In Spray Conditioner. After I have sprayed a good amount of the leave-in spray on her hair, I begin sectioning the hair off for detangling. Her shrinkage is real so once I have detangled a section I will do a big finger coil or twist that section as to avoid it mixing in with the hair that I haven’t gotten too yet.
Jolie’s scalp gets extremely dry just like her father’s, so I make sure that I am locking in the moisture on her hair and into her scalp. I love Carols Daughters Mimosa Hair Honey. It is a shine pomade specifically for dry, brittle, and textured hair.
I keep styling very simple. I do medium to smedium sized two-strand twists in her hair. Her wash day is typically on Saturday’s so she will rock those twists all weekend and sometimes she will wear them for the entire week. By week two, I untwist, moisturize with some water and a little conditioner and she’s sporting a fro depending on the weather. I’ve noticed that she gets extremely irritated with her hair being out if it’s too hot. If that is the case I will do “tension free” ponytails using seamless hair ties to avoid any breakage or damage that I purchase from my local beauty supply store.
Styling your young toddler's hair doesn’t have to be complicated and it definitely doesn’t have to look identical to what my hair regimen for Jolie looks like either. The number one thing that I want for you to take away from this post is to do what’s best for your child’s hair. That means learning her texture and discovering the best products that work for her crown. If your child is older than 18 months, I do suggest that you apply a satin bonnet to her hair. Jolie snatches hers off almost immediately so that is a challenge for me as her styles don’t last for more than two days before getting frizzy again. The ultimate goal is to be consistent in whatever you choose to do. Pick a designated day to tend to your child’s hair. Make hair day a time to bond even in their young age. Whatever you do, don’t give up! Your child and their hair will thank you for it.
XoXo,
