Young girls with long hair....what to do?

[My3Monkeys]

We found that the detanglers in a tube worked better for us than the spray kind. I think they are thicker and you can concentrate it more to where you need it.

[stripe]

I keep meaning to put her hair up at night but always forget. I will DEFINITELY have to start doing this. For those who braid their DD's hair at night.....do you just braid one down the back? Is that uncomfortable for sleeping on their backs? Or do you braid one on each side of the head?

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Maybe do it after dinner or some other convenient time. I alternate braids -- sometimes one, sometimes french, sometimes two, ocassionally three or four, change location of the part. I don't want her to have too much pressure on the same part of the hair. I think braids are pretty comfortable for sleeping unless very tight, much more so than a bun or ponytail. I would recommend a french braid esp if she has a lot of shorter hair in front, it will catch it more. Otherwise it's up to you. If you braid it during the day, she could just sleep in that. It's prettyunrealistic to have long hair swinging loose all day without getting any tangles.

[prairiewindmomma]

definitely detanglers in a tube. Our favorite is:

http://www.amazon.com/TIGI-After-Party-Smoothing-Cream/dp/B001EWF2SI

 

a teeny bit goes a long way

[Terabith]

My six year old has similar issues with hair and screaming. We finally did cut it. It didn't help. She's not just trying to be obnoxious..... no matter how much conditioner, detangler, etc, it helps, but it still mats, and she still cries.

 

So, don't think that cutting it is a panacea.

[JenniferLynn]

L'Oreal Kids has a good detangler. We also use a separate conditioner when washing her hair which makes a huge difference. I also comb more than once a day. When the hair is smooth, it is quick, easy & painless. Doing it 2-3x a day helps keep it tangle free.

[jbemom]

Oh yes! My daughter had the most long, beautiful hair. She also is a hair twirler. The crying, the screaming every time I tried to brush out the rats nest that her hair became after all the twirling. I finally decided that cutting her hair was necessary. When she gets old enough to brush her own hair (not just the top layer but all of it) I'll let her grow it out if she wants too. Until then, I try to keep it about shoulder length or a bit shorter.

 

Edited to add that conditioners, detanglers did NOTHING to alleviate the problem. She still fusses some times when I brush but it's nothing like the screaming and crying that she used to do.

[LibraryLover]

Another night braids vote. :)

Edited July 26, 2011 by LibraryLover

[Running the race]

We also use the Tangle Teezer brush and braid the hair every night.

 

I've been working on her for years about donating her hair. We're getting close... :)

[WishboneDawn]

I'd probably cut her hair and then buy some cheap wigs (The blonde, black, pink, etc. ones around at Halloween) for dress-up.

[Melissa in Australia]

I'd probably cut her hair and then buy some cheap wigs (The blonde, black, pink, etc. ones around at Halloween) for dress-up.

:svengo:

[Melissa in Australia]

I kept my Dd's hair tightly platted until she was around 10. her hair is very long and very fine. worked well here. she at age 11 now does her own hair.

[Ester Maria]

Agreeing with everybody else, braids are the magical word here. I became an expert at braiding hair when I had small daughters :D, we experimented a LOT with how to braid it and then when they were a bit older I taught them how to do it, and they still like to braid their hair. Braided hair is neat, elegant and beautiful, plus it helps with this particular issue - several birds with one stone. Even if you are not particularly good at braiding hair, you become good at it with time. There are probably even websites which break the procedure down for you, you may wish to look it up.

 

In any case, I never wanted to cut their beautiful hair and this was a great way to keep it neat.

[stripe]

I agree. I was awful at French braids. The fact my daughter has a smaller head and less hair than an adult, and is pretty tolerant of messy braids, has made it easier to learn. I experiment on her all the time.

[jenn-]

I went through the screaming hair brushing with my DD when she was 3/4. She was also terrified about going to a stylist to get it trimmed. Those two factors made the decision to get it cut into a bob for me. Then she had a yearly haircut until she was old enough to take care of it herself. By starting at the bob length, even after a year it was just barely beyond her shoulder blades when it was cut the next time.

[Cindy in C-ville]

I went through the screaming hair brushing with my DD when she was 3/4. She was also terrified about going to a stylist to get it trimmed. Those two factors made the decision to get it cut into a bob for me. Then she had a yearly haircut until she was old enough to take care of it herself. By starting at the bob length, even after a year it was just barely beyond her shoulder blades when it was cut the next time.

 

This is us too. When they're ready to brush it out daily themselves, then they can grow it past their shoulders.

[BlsdMama]

Eight girls here.

 

We simply rarely do baths at night. The tangling and knots are too much work.

 

Do baths in the AM. Our longest haired daughter has straight hair - she gets blow-dried if we want it to look nice down or it can be air dried and then fixed - bun, pony, braid, something.

 

Next longest haired daughters have curly hair. NEVER blow dry. Ever.

 

The next one cut hers into a bob. LOVE it.

 

Sarah & Daniella both have straight hair. :D So glad. Love the curls but they are a lot of work for Ana & Abigail to look nice.

 

Olivia's hair is easy, you know, being three weeks old.

 

But I am foreseeing a time in the not too distant future that I will have to invest in a detangler company.

[Sputterduck]

No, it's not. You definitely need a separate conditioner!

 

Oh my goodness yes! My hair is awful/impossible to comb out without separate conditioner. Also, it really does hurt to have someone else comb out your long hair if they aren't being extremely careful. I learned to comb my own very young because it hurt so bad.

[JessReplanted]

My 5 year old daughter gives me a hard time about brushing her hair nearly every day. My philosophy is that it is just a part of life - it's something that has to be done. She has beautiful hair, and if she wants to chop it off when she's older, she can. It's not growing to her toes or anything, but it is past her shoulders.

[Scuff]

DD likes her hair long. It helps to leave a little conditioner in. I also will just comb it in the shower with conditioner still in it. Has she had a trim recently? I've found that as long as dd's hair is still long-ish, she doesn't care or notice if it's to her waist or just past her shoulders. And it's a lot easier to take care of just past her shoulders.

[Scuff]

Any particular type of detangler? I've never bought any....we keep older DD in a short cut since it looks good on her, so I've never worried about detangler.

 

I make my own with conditioner and water in a spray bottle.

[Jan in SC]

I'll be the odd one- my ds had long hair and we found that Biosilk was awesome. You can find it in a little bottle at Target. Put a small amount (dime) in your hands and run it through her hair.

 

If your mall has a Claire's, they sell great brushes.

[ChemMommy]

Three girls with long hair here! My kids whined more when they were younger, so you are just in that stage, probably. Here's what we found that helped.

 

First, when you brush, do you start on the bottle few inches and work toward the scalp or do you start on the scalp? Start on the bottom!! Much less painful.

 

When you brush, grab the bulk of the hair at the nape of her neck with your fist, like your fist in the ponytail holder. If you are holding her hair with your thumb down, then rotate your fist so that the thumb is up. Now, start brushing. Any pulling and tugging will be against your fist, not their scalp.

 

We love a leave-in conditioner. Paul Mitchell makes a really nice one. We shampoo and even condition in the shower and then put the leave-in conditioner in as soon as the hair is towel dried. But, we don't comb it wet; it is too easy to break when wet.

 

Trim the bottom inch or two off each couple of months. This make brushing the hair so much easier.

 

I get tons of compliments about their hair, but it is extra work. And, when my dh is in charge of tub time, he never gets enough conditioner in.

 

Good luck, dear. "Princess Hair" is fun for little girls.