those whose DC have long curly hair...

[signalred]

My 5yo DD has waist length curly hair. After years of experience we have managed to keep it maintained and manageable at home. However I have just had 2 weeks of hell on holidays with the worst knots and tears ever. All due to the pool. Each day I tried something different, plait, bun, swimming cap. But by the end of the day it was a matted ball of mess that took an hour each evening to get through. Awful.

Any advice / product out there? We're due to go away again in September and I need a solution.

Done abit of googling which advised after each swim to comb through with conditioner. This just isn't an option as she spends all day getting in and out of the pool...

Elsa detangler spray
Tangle teezer brush
Having hair corn rowed prior to holidays

Hair corn rowed?

Would cutting it to just below shoulder length be an option?

Cane rowed/corn rowed?

Any Afro hair dresser knows what you mean but it works fine for holidays on European hair too... Braided close to the scalp

Dd is 4 and haS very curly hair. We keep it short - she doesn't mind either way. I dread to think how tangled it would get if it was long!

My two year old has a fetching curly bob.
If you want to keep the length try plaiting at night.

I split dd's into 5 French plaits

Squeeze out using a t-shirt but leave the plaits in

End of the day, cover the plaits in conditioner then rinse well with fresh water -then remove the pairs and wash as normal

Put her hair in several plaits.
Condition it but don't rinse in the morning. So she swims with conditioner in.

I would also cut her hair slightly shorter! My dd has curly hair and I trim regularly

What products do you use? I steer well clear of anything with silicones and sulfates as they strip the natural oils after time and make her hair straw like.

I never use a tangle teezer. I use a wide tooth comb then go down to a narrower tooth one.

French plaits or corn rows\ braids are the way to go.

Wash it less, if possible. Use a silicone-heavy conditioner in the bath, with gentle combing, to detangle. If there are any really bad bits, use a pin & unpick it - this works, I unpicked a dreadlock that my 4yo DD made in her WL, curly hair earlier this week. (She got a small fan caught in it!)

Don't pull at tangles, tease them out. Almost all tangles have a strand of lint etc in the centre or, with kids, jam to glue it up.

My DC have poker straight hair, but I have long curly hair and swim a few times a week.
1 - spray wet hair with this before swimming.
2- plait hair before swimming
3 - wear a stretch fabric cap, not a silicone/rubber one
4 - after swimming wash hair in Boots' 3 in 1 Swim and Gym shampoo
5 - spray in more of the leave in conditioner in step 1.
6 - brush through with Tangle Tamer brush.

In general though, do not wash long curly hair very often though. If j am off swimming got whatever reason, I don't wash it more than once every 10 days of so.

Oh yes - don't use cones normally, only for really bad matting. Then rinse out & clean as normal.

I usually french plait my DD's hair - a couple of small ones along the front, then one at the back with the 2 front ones worked in.

My DD has ringlets which when combed wet reach to her mid back (so curly it isn't even near her shoulders when dry). I've not had the fun of dealing with daily swimming yet, but we swim weekly. It's also regularly a bit of a rat's nest by the end of the day without swimming tbh. The following morning from her swim lesson (get home too late to deal with it before bed) I wash it, then use a conditioner for afro hair (beautiful beginnings by dark and lovely I think) and comb it through using a 'Wet Brush' starting at the ends and working my way up. Even when she hasn't swum it can take 10mins though tbh, as her hair is very fine.
If it was as long as your DD's I think I would plait it, which might not solve the problem but would hopefully make it a bit better? Has tying it up made no difference at all? Also I'd try a shampoo designed for use after swimming as the chlorine does really dry out and knot hair. Child's Farm is working for us at the moment but I think I'll need to switch her to an adult brand soon.
So no magic quick fix I'm aware of, just little things to improve it.

Just to say, if your child is very fair skinned please DON'T do cornrows- a burnt scalp hurts and itches like mad!!

Really appreciate all the advice.

Corn rowed sounds good, she actually asked if she could have them after seeing another little girl with them in.

Cutting hair isn't an option, it was brought up lots during the holiday but each time she begged me not too. Everyone comments on her hair and tells her how amazing it is, she adores it.

I'm afraid to say I did pull on the trally matted buys to separate them, I thought it was the only way.

Think the mistake I've made is not wetting and putting conditioner in it before the pool. Therefore chlorine penetrating it. I found putting a plait in seemed the make the knots worse. So went for a bun one day and that was a little better, but only so with it being one bit mess instead of two at either side.

At home I only wash it one a fortnight maybe but each night wet and condition it. This works well for home just been this pool water, it's caused so much upset for her and frustration for me.

Yeah you need a hat with fair skin and corn rows but I thought that was just common sense?

My child is mixed but even he gets a hat with flaps for ears and neck plus sun cream (we use a green people organic one) slathered on for scorching hot days and I do his scalp between plaits

You save huge amounts of time doing hair with corn rows - can last a fortnight

I'm fair and have very slippy soft hair and get at least a week with corn rows looking neat if done right. (I put tights or a do-rag on for bed to keep it neat)

And corn rows are ok when taken out when swimming all day every day for 2 weeks? Not matted to head? Thanks again everyone

Bump

If done properly they shouldn't Matt - I'd use some sort of moisturiser perhaps to keep them slicked down and not snagging to be really sure. Not sure what - best thing is to ask an Afro hair dresser who says they've done European hair also... Don't trust anyone who says they can but haven't done it before! Iv made a mistake or two on my own hair with ones who haven't realised it doesn't behave the same as my child's

I would trim the ends. I find it easier to comb dd's super curly hair. She's 5 - you need to take charge about cutting it otherwise it makes it harder for her. I'm teaching my dd (who's 4) how to care for hers which includes explaining what a trim means.

But I would try the conditioner. Cornrows can pull the hair at the edges and break it.