Very curly toddler hair

[ChristinaYang10]

DD is 21 months and has extremely ringlet-y hair. As a comfort thing she twists it round her fingers at night while she sleeps. The back of her hair gets very matted and knotted and it’s very difficult to comb out, plus obviously upsets her as it pulls but I can’t leave it. We brush it morning and evening and every time it will have developed these big knots.
Any tips? It’s too short to tie back.

I would put Monoi coconut oil. It is a type of coconut oil for hair and skin from Polynesia.

DS's is similar, we use child's farm separate shampoo and conditioner and have done since he was younger than your DC, while the conditioner is in I use a tangle teezer to brush it, don't brush it dry (I also have very curly hair) , I put a tiny bit of coconut oil or serum through his hair while it's wet , I've had to teach very straight haired DH who used to try and brush it dry and wonder why it was so tangly and big! we wash it daily

I find olive oil helps with the worst knots and matting, although it will look oily until the next wash. Also the de-tangling spray from Boots.

If her hair is curly and fine don't use a tangle teaser use a wide tooth comb.

Regardless don't comb or brush it dry.

Also work your way from the ends to the roots rather combing/brushing straight from the roots as it is less painful.

There is also no need to wash it daily as curly hair is dryer than straight hair. You can use a spray bottle if you need to dampen it.

I use a tangle teaser brush on mine and DDs hair, it hurts much less than a normal brush.

I know you've said it's short, but can you French (or Dutch is easier) plait it? I used to do that to mine to keep it out of my eyes when it was too short to gather together at the back of my head.

Cut it shorter?

I have two very curly boys. Agree with above, don’t wash every day.

We have a spray bottle of 50:50 conditioner water mix. We spray and use a tangle teaser in the morning.

DS1 has his hair long and floppy and gets terrible “dread knots” over night.

Spray bottle with a bit of conditioner and water. Shake, spray, brush! I use a cheap paddle brush on DS, I find the spikes on tangle teasers are too sharp so he hates it. The cheaper paddle brushes have thicker spikes with the balls on the end so much softer!

Don’t brush dry.

I have curly hair and all my kids do too. Ds is 22 months and has tight ringlets. I wash with the curly girl method of conditioner only. In the morning when a bit knotty and frizzy I spray with a little cg conditioner diluted with water and comb out with a wide tooth comb, leaving soft bouncy ringlets.

X post with @Lilyofthevalleys

Would you consider something like this, or instead a silk pillowcase for her?

www.silkelondon.com/pages/why-it-works-silke-silk-hair-wrap?gclid=CjwKCAjw9MuCBhBUEiwAbDZ-7r61XXm2vbvoagLsCaNaLx1jNfT_pKObWAKV-5izSGmwmCjZu1enkhoCGEMQAvD_BwE

Always brush hair from bottom up. Some elastic brushes can produce static electricity in the hair, but hard plastic combs or wooden combs don't have the same effect.

It might be easiest to spray the back of the head frizz with a conditioning spray, and then comb out.

I have curly hair and do the same to DCs hair as I do to my own. Aussie Miracle conditioner followed by a bit of Frizz Ease serum on wet hair. In the morning we brush with a soft bristle brush then dampen it so it curls as it dries.

Hi,

My toddler has very curly hair, took us ages to work out how to stop it looking like a bird’s nest every morning. This is what helped:

-Spray on a conditioner (we use Johnson’s No More Tangles spray) every morning and scrunch
-Wash once a week and leave in conditioner
-Only brush after washing with wide toothed comb and never when dry

Can’t believe the difference it has made - always looks lovely and shiny now!

Thanks for all the advice, it’s very helpful! I will definitely give these suggestions a go.