Find washing my childrens hair exhausting

[heartbroken22]

I know it's not normal. Any tips? Both girls long hair and then the hair drying...just thinking about it exhausts me...

Made worse by the fact that they don't like their hair being washed because of water going in their eyes...

I got one of those ring hat things that stops the water going on her face and eyes. And I don’t bother drying hair. But I wash it at night before bed, so she isn’t out in winter with dripping wet hair or anything.

How old are they? Dts were like that it just made everyone miserable. They had it cut into a Bob.

If they’ve long hair but don’t like it being cared for, and you dread caring for it, just get it cut. Easy as.

I kept my daughters hair shoulder length until she could do her own hair care.

DD has short hair because brushing it is an ordeal!

For washing it, the best way we find is to lie back in the bath and swish, rather than rinsing which goes in eyes.

It’s odd as she will happily go under in a pool, but one drop on her face at bathtime and she freaks out!

How old are they and how often are you washing it? My DD who is 5 understands that she can only have long hair if she is ok with it being washed etc. I pretend we’re in a hair salon and find the best way to prevent water in her eyes if for her to lay back in the bath.

Are they too big to lay across the draining board to wash it? To dry it, use one of those microfibre turbans, and leave it for an hour before blow drying.

Get their hair cut then

Exhausting does seem like hyperbole to be honest

@TulipsTulipTulips Have you thought of using swimming goggles in the bath?

I've found the best way is just to let them used to getting water round their face. I bought squirty bath toys and made a game out of squirting them in the face and now they aren't as bothered anymore.

Yes, what age? I think that’s quite relevant.

Also, do you need to dry it? My DD has long hair and we just let it air dry. She only has a blow dry when we go to the hairdresser.

If they’re not old enough to care for it independently then just cut the hair to a sensible and easy length and wash at sensible intervals- my kids get hair washed once or twice a week and then it air drys. It’s really not exhausting, getting them back out the bath is harder work.

That said my kids have straight and not terribly thick hair. The kind that takes two minutes to shampoo with supermarket 2in1 shampoo and we’re done. If you’re talking about hair textures that require a lot more time and products then I can see how it could be more time consuming.

I hate washing my own!

Genius!

I wonder are you washing them too often? Mine only ever got washed once a week, that's fine for a child I think. Can't be exhausting then it's just another annoying weekly task.

Children's hair doesn't have to be washed very often. That is my top parenting tip.

Cut it a bit shorter. Wash less often and plait when wet and leave. All much easier

DD had showers from being tiny - much easier for hair washing.

Get them to tip their head back and use a jug to wet and rinse shampoo and then conditioner. Takes less than 5 mins. Use detangling spray and a tangle teaser when still wet and blow dry for 5 mins to get the worst of the wetness out. No need to wash kids' hair more frequently than once a week! If your daughters kick up a fuss, say they will have to have it cut shorter.

Which part do you find the most stressful?

Get a few inches chopped off for starters. There's a sweet spot where it's as short as it can be whilst still being long enough to be reliably scragged back out of the way.

Tell them they have to have it short if they piss around with hair washing.

Shoulder length maximum.

Same for brushing it tbh.

Shower instead of bath, less bending down for me and less issues with water in the face. For a while DD had a face cloth.

DD has thick and wavy hair, the only way to manage it was max of shoulder length. She was around 11 when she had it mid-back but by then she sorted it out on her own.

My 6 year old has amazing hair. She can sit on it. I wash it in the shower (Well I check she’s rinsed properly, she showers alone)
I rarely blow dry it as I try and avoid heat on my girls hair (My 4 year olds is going the same way as her sisters)
I put some serum through it and brush it, then plait it for bed. She has a towel on her pillow and just puts her hair to the side, in the morning it’s dry and wavy.
She never wants it cut and I have told her that’s fine as long as she lets me check her rinsing answer brush the knots out daily. She loves her hair and lets me take care of it.

If you want it long, train it to go longer without washing I.e. 3 times a week.

Towel dry it do its only slightly damp, braid it and go to bed, will be dry by the morning. Fuss free and easier on their hair.