To DD (aged 7) having short, curly hair

[PinPon]

My DD (aged 7) has curly hair, similar to the photos (not actually my DD). She dislikes having it brushed, braided or fussed over, so it is frequently messy. She’s expressed an interest in having it short.

AIBU to take her to a hairdresser and let them cut it all off? Will she / I suffer from terrible regret or will it be the best thing ever? (We have tried the curly girl method, but it still gets knotty if not braided.)

And if I’m not being unreasonable - do you have any tips to get a suitable cut for her at the hairdressers? Thanks!

Are you anywhere near Birmingham, because I really recommend Spring the curly hair specialist salon in the city centre.

I have similar length hair of similar curliness. Mine gets much curlier the shorter it is, above shoulder length it sticks out rather than hangs. Above ear length, and its full on poodle.

Is she mixed race? If so better keeping it long and taking her to a hair dresser to keep it maintained - some places near to be in (and in London) offer cheap 10-20min slots specifically to kids to wash, style and even comb afro/arab hair.

I have hair similar to your DD's. I would advise she doesn't go so short you can't put it in a ponytail, even if it's only a little one. If she has a nap or lies down for whatever reason, the hair flattens and goes a bit skew-whiff.

I had a short haircut when I was about 11 and it was the bane of my life!

My dd has straight, very fine hair and as a little girl it tangled terribly, birds nest style. We started cutting it shorter at a similar age (initially into a bob, now at 17 she has half of it buzzed). Looking back at pictures of her I wonder why on earth we grew it long at all. It always looked tangly and messy and the shorter styles suited her so much more. However it's difficult when every other girl has long hair, so much so that long hair almost = girl.

If you do decide to go short it's incredibly important that she has a really good cut and that she really likes the way it looks. Asking a curly haired friend for a recommended hairdresser sounds like a great idea. Also looking at short curly styles together so that your dd gets an idea what options there are (although it's important to caution that not every head of hair is the same and the end results might not be just like any picture).

The other thing we did after dd had her first shorter cut was to do a 'photo shoot' (just her dad with our family camera at the local playground) so that dd got lots of reinforcement that her new style was great. We are mostly into more of a 'you are wonderful and appearance doesn't matter' message, but on this one occasion we wanted to make sure she had lots of positive vibes in case she got 'you look like a boy' type feedback at school (which she did).

You can't cut it short though it will stick up.

I feel your pain op my dd has the same hair. Very different to mine so dealing with it a learning curve!

Wash every 4 days use tons of conditioner and Combe through when wet with Afro comb. I have never cut her hair but it doesn't seem to grow any longer ? Buy Aragon oil Afro hair type products. Good luck (but don't cut it)

If she has expressed an interest, just do it. It's only hair and it will grow back in better condition. Long curly hair can be even more painful to deal with as it can lose condition if not cut very regularly and is very prone to split ends making the tangles even worse.

I have curly hair that knots as soon as I've finished brushing it and the air turns blue around me every time a brush is in hand. Your head can get so sore. I personally wouldn't wish that agony on a child.

I'd love to chop all of mine off short but I'd look like a particularly butch truck driver. Fortunately a little girl doesn't have that worry.

You can't cut Afro hair short though. Terrible advice.

www.amazon.co.uk/Aunt-Jackies-Instant-Detangling-Therapy/dp/B008R40C22/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?keywords=hair+detangler+cream&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1513016662&sr=8-1

www.amazon.co.uk/Tangle-Teezer-Ultimate-Hairbrush-Pink/dp/B01M075JTT/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&keywords=tangle+teezer+brush+for+thick+hair&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1513016706&sr=1-1

I have curly hair like your daughters, have you tried the above two products? I use them on both my childrens hair and my own and the tangle teezer is for much thicker hair than the standard tangle teezers are. Together the brush glides through hair (normal tangle teezers can't go through my dd's thick hair)! I use it on dd after a bath, then I plait her hair. In the morning her hair is still damp and tug free but I add more detangler and either plait it again or put it up in a ponytail.

I will say that is you cut your dd's hair shorter it will take a ball/ afro shape. If your dd likes this kind of style, then go for it, however, it takes a long time to grow out and I would try anything I could before drastically cutting her hair. I would make sure that her hair is regularly trimmed, this should help reduce knots. If you want to cut it, I would do it in stages, so it's not such a big shock. First, maybe cut to just below the shoulders, then chin length if she likes it. Unfortunately, short of shaving her hair, curly hair will always tug/ know. So a good detangler is more important.

Kerala of course you can cut Afro hair short. Have a look on youtube, lots of beautiful girls/women on there with very short hairstyles.

My 7 yo DD has very different hair (straight, long, fine) but is also desperate to get it all cut off into a crop. I’d been putting her off but when she said ‘but why can’t girls have short hair?’ I had no answers that weren’t stupid.
So no advice on the hair style but we’ll be having the chop on the new year too!!

You can't cut Afro hair short though. Terrible advice.

Don't cut it, you don't cut girl's Afro hair short. You just need to learn how to manage it correctly, as pps have said: condition then comb through when wet with a wide toothed comb -- then leave it!

Where the hell is all this "can't cut Afro hair short" nonsense coming from?? It's bullshit! Length isn't a prerequisite for having Afro hair ffs!

If the child wants her hair cut short then let her cut it short, you just have to learn how to maintain it. If her hair is the same texture as those pics in the OP, the maintainance is fairly straight forward and will look very cute.