Curly hair - advice for straight haired parent

[Dipsydoodlenoodle]

The title is self explanatory haha.

I have naturally very straight hair which is very easy to deal with. My 8 month DD is starting to look like she has curls...what do I do? My hair, I wash, use a tangle teezer in the shower, comb with a detangling comb afterwards and dry naturally...regular paddle brush for brushing. How do I care for curls? I have absolutely no idea so any help is appreciated.

It depends what kind of curls, my son is 3b (on chart pic).

I wash once a week with conditioner, then add a leave in conditioner. I try to brush when wet but he hates it. I then use the African pride detangle spray during the week to moisturise.

I also use a hair oil if his hair is looking dry. I use a brand called Bread.

You could've been my DM 50 years ago!

Never brush curly hair dry - it will just frizz.

Wash infrequently (was mine about once every 10-14 days). The structure of curmy hair makes it very prone to dryness, a bit a grease is good for it.

Use a good, thick, SLS free conditioner alone between wastes.

Keep the ends trimmed.

Manage tutor expectations of "tidy hair".

My DS has a curly mop…. Tips from hairdressers have been to use a wide tooth comb/brush. When drying with a hairdryer, don’t dry it fully - it goes frizzy. Leave it a bit damp as the curls form better. And use a diffuser head if you have one.

I’m a 3a. My mum and dad both had very straight hair - and I’m definitely theirs!

My mum never brushed my hair - just washed it, combed it when wet, blotted and scrunched it and left it to air dry.

Your daughter’s curls might not stay - my friend’s little girl had hair just like mine until maybe five years old and then it gradually straightened as it got thicker and heavier. Now it’s absolutely poker straight.

My son is 20 months and also has curls (like me) but his hair isn't long enough for me to need to do anything special to it yet.

I'd suggest using a wide tooth comb and not a brush as a brush will fluff them up. I don't think my mum did anything special to my hair when I was little but letting hair dry naturally helps curl definition :) Maybe a light curl spray when it's wet might help too?

Youtube is your friend. There are loads of Youtube tutorials for curly hair of all types.

Work out what sort of curl type and find a Youtuber managing a child with a similar hair type and you are away!

General rules - never ever brush, get an Afro comb. Wash as little as possible with SLS free shampoo, apply bonkers amounts of silicone free conditioner. Can be simplified by just using ranges designed for curly hair, there are some great ranges designed for children. Never blowdry, get a diffuser or let it dry naturally.

You could have been my mum !! She spent all my childhood not knowing how to deal with my curls. My advice is never brush, and use loads of conditioner. Look on Facebook for the curly hair method and you will learn loads. Good luck !!

Look up Curly Girl method

No brushing. Never ever ever.
Sls free products.
More conditioner than you think possible.
Learn to plop!
Diffuse or air dry only to avoid frizz.
Hair oil between washes can be amazing.

Thank you everyone...its one of those things I obviously know nothing about. I've got good suggestions here, so thank you.

DS and I both have 3a hair and it’s taken me 35 years to work out how to look after my hair! I thought I had a frizzy mess but now I have lovely curls. Like others have said never, ever, ever brush it when it’s dry. I use Cantu products as does DS but they’d probably be too heavy for a small child’s hair. They do a kids range but I can’t vouch for it.