Toddlers: Ultimate Afro Hair Care Routine

Toddlers: Ultimate Afro Hair Care Routine

Most of us have experienced how challenging it is to care for our own hair when we don't know where to start. This challenge usually multiplies when we think about how to properly care for the hair of our children - especially toddlers!

Today, I am going to help you find out not only where to start but also where you're going when it comes to looking after your toddler's afro hair.

One of my biggest passions is to change this ideas that afro hair unattractive and unmanageable. I want all our children to have a deep love and confidence in afro hair - to know that afro hair is beautiful!  

So let us create a routine that works!

If you already have a routine, it’ll be pretty easy to know what works for your toddler and what doesn’t.

If you don't have a routine then creating one is the key to knowing what works for your toddler’s hair since you will easily be able to spot if something doesn’t agree with your toddler’s hair.

I recommend the CMS routine: Cleanse, Moisturise, Style and repeat.

Cleanse

The science behind it: Since hair growth starts in the follicles and new hairs grow through the tiny pores in the scalp, this Cleanse step is vital!

When your toddler's hair is not cleansed for long periods, the pores can become blocked. This makes it difficult for the new hair to poke through. This often results in painful bumps and ingrown hair for your toddler.

A dirty scalp is also more likely to encourage fungal infections, dandruff and stunted hair growth. So it is crucial to cleanse the scalp often.

Routine: You need to regularly cleanse the scalp - every 7-10 days with a gentle cleansing shampoo or a conditioning shampoo. Pay attention to massaging the shampoo into your toddler’s scalp using a gentle circular movement to dislodge dirt and encourage blood flow to the scalp. Alternatively, use a scalp massager to do this for you.

Take away: A clean and stimulated scalp encourages optimum growth for their hair.

4 quick tips for effective Cleansing:

  1. Pre poo your child’s hair with coconut oil. Coconut oil helps your hair avoid hydral fatigue. Focus on the ends of their hair then cover the hair with a shower cap. Leave it on for around 30 minutes. Their favourite cartoon/TV show will help to distract from any tantrums during this process hahaa!
  2. Follow this up the cleanse with a rinse out conditioner. Select one that has a lot of slip to make the detangling simpler. Do not leave it on for longer than the specified time in the instructions, because leaving the hair wet for too long will weaken it.
  3. Detangle their hair with your fingers to or a wide tooth comb to lessen manipulation.
  4. Once you rinsed the conditioner out of your child’s hair wrap it with a microfiber turban or towel. Leave the blow-dryer alone as it can damage your toddler's hair. Also, you will notice that it leaves hair softer and stronger in the long run.

Moisturise

Once the hair is clean and almost dry, it is now time for the most important part of the afro-hair routine: moisturising.

Quick question: Would you give your toddler a bath and not moisturise their skin after?

One of the main culprits for the breakage of afro hair lack of moisture. Dry hair breaks easily, and since afro hair is quite susceptible to dryness it is also very prone to breakage. Protecting your child’s hair by locking in the moisture is key!

Routine: I advise layering on products using the LOC method!

L – Apply a Liquid.

A water-based liquid will be best for this initial step. My personal favourites are water, aloe vera juice or any good quality hydrosols. Our hair is made of protein bundles held together by hydrogen bonds and disulphide bonds (these give our hair it's elasticity and strength). To keep hair strong, it is important to keep it hydrated, which it needs for the hydrogen bonds.

O - Seal in hydration with a natural oil.

Water- based liquids evaporate easily from the hair. Think back to when you wash your hands, and even without drying them, you know that the water does not take long to evaporate into thin air.

Therefore a well formulated oil blend is needed to seal in that hydration. The best blends contain grapeseed oil, avocado oil and castor oil. Nourish contains these and so much more which makes it a top recommendation for your toddler’s hair.

The vitamins and minerals in Nourish literally nourish the hair and leave your strands feeling moisturised and easier to manage - it even remains that way for hours afterwards.”

C – Layer on a cream.

This should be a moisturising cream or a leave in conditioner.

I recommend Moisturise with its blend of healing ayurvedic herbs, protecting mango butter, and hydrating aloe vera. This moisturising cream will make your toddler’s hair soft and that moisture will stay locked in for days! 

Style

Protective styles and low manipulation styles  are ideal for your toddler’s Afro hair care.

Protective styles:  Any style where the ends of your hair are tucked away. Examples include braids, twists or bantu knots.

With these styles, make sure that you only keep the style in for no more than 6 to 8 weeks. And whilst in, make it a priority to keep your toddler’s hair clean and moisturised.

 Low manipulation styles:  Styles requiring little to no maintenance. Examples include tuck and pin styles, low tucked bun.

With these styles, making sure to wrap your toddler’s hair at night will keep the style looking neat and tidy as the week goes on.

Once you are confident with your toddler’s hair routine, you can start thinking about how to save time while maintaining the integrity of the routine. The key is always to keep the base of your routine the same and make only minor changes only when needed.

Share with me what your toddler's hair routine is and whether you have will be applying any of the ones i shared 

Peggy -x-

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