Three year old curly frizzy hair - any tips?

[Peppermintlover]

Hi,

I have straight hair so am clueless on this!

My 3 year old DD has beautiful brown curly hair but it is so frizzy at the back and sticks out a mile from her head!

I think this happens from sleeping on it.

We currently wash every night with boots kids detangling shampoo and use a detangling conditioner spray when brushing in the morning.

What could//should I be doing differently to ease the frizz? Thanks.

I have curly hair and so does my almost 3yo DD. I know a few straight-haired mums who've asked me for advice on their curly children! Here's what I tell them.

• Stop shampooing! It just dries out curly hair and makes it dull and frizzy. Save the shampoo for when hair is actually dirty, and then make sure it's a gentle one with no sulphates. You can google the Curly Girl method for more on this.

• Conditioner is your friend, but make sure it's one with no silicones (see Curly Girl again). You can use conditioner to wash hair instead of shampoo - just use it in the same way, but you don't need to rinse it all out, you can leave a tiny bit in.

• I use Aveda Be Curly myself and will on DD when she's older / her hair is longer. At the moment, I use an Argan oil conditioning spray on her. At night I just rinse her hair in clean water and give it a quick spray. In the morning, i spray some on, then wet my fingers and run them through her hair to separate the tangles without flattening down her lovely curls. If I'm going for a more 'brushed' look on her, I use a Tangle Teazer plastic comb (it's a bit like a curry comb you'd use on a horse!)

• If you stop drying out her hair with the shampoo, you'll find that it gets a lot less frizzy and tangled. If her hair is short, just rinse it with clean water and that will be enough most nights - once a week (or more if her hair is long) wash it using a silicone-free conditioner, and rinse out (leaving a tiny bit in).

Hope that helps!

Agree with the pp, exactly what I was going to say, except I wouldn't wash at all every night, we just squirt with a water spray (39p in home bargains) and brush with the tangle teaser.
I like the bodyshop rainforest moisturising shampoo and conditioner for dd.

How long is her hair?

My DD's hair was such a tangle at the back that the hairdresser suggested keeping it shorter (a very cute bob) until she got a bit older, and then grow it out.

It worked and made life much easier all round.

But yes, tangle teezer and a detangler spray.

We have the same issue in this household as I have poker straight hair and DS (nearly 3) has a head full of ringlets.

I recently started using the curly girl method and it's made such a difference.

Night time: wash a couple of times a week with conditioner and then leave some in. I'm between just water and tangle teaser.
Morning:spray with water, tangle teaser then spray with water with a bit of conditioner it it then curl creme.

We use the bodyshop rainforest range and boots curl creme. All silicone free.

I second the suggestion for the water spray bottle in the morning. That is an absolute must in our house before we go out in public! Whilst DD is eating breakfast I spray her hair, comb through with the Denman kids tangle brush and scrunch the curls back up a little with my hands. 15 mins later her hair is completely dry with no frizz and all curls formed

I found avoiding brushing and by handling it as little as possible prevents mine frizzing as well as all of ths above.

All of the above. My girls hair is not as curly as mine as can be brushed when dry but has frizziness on top (frizzy- willows we call them), that sticks up. The plant spray with tiny bit of argan oil works. Sometimes I put a tiny bit of gel wax to smooth the frizzies. It's so nice you are asking, my mum has straight hair and just always cropped mine as she had no clue how to deal with it and I was desperate for longer hair.

DD's hair is thick as well as frizzy so I found it a complete waste of money as it just got jammes. Instead, we've gone for a wide toothed comb & it is so much easier. We've also abandoned washing her hair in the evenings & just do it twice in the mornings as then it can air dry. I just run my fingers through her hair repeatedly whilst washing it. She's off to school in September so I've let her hair grow as I want her to mainly be in plaits to reduce the nit risk (can you imagine nit combing hair like this?) and have found putting her in plaits to sleep helps too.
We've gone from tears most mornings during hair brushing to happy. I'm so pleased as I did not want to chop it all off as it is even frizzier when short. Having said that, she has it trimmed every six weeks to keep split ends under control.

Hi, thank you so much for your replies.

Her hair is shoulder length but very thick.

Will definitely follow your advice and stop washing every night! And will look up some of the products you mentioned.

She is a flower girl in a few weeks, what specifically should i do in run up to the wedding, maybe wash 3 days before then follow your other tips.

Will read curly girl tonight once she is in bed, thanks again for your help.

Oh and what about swimming? Wash after or not? X

I always give DD a quick shower before swimming then smooth a bit of conditioner through her hair, when we get out I just shower the rest of the conditioner out.

My dd was the same and it was like a birds nest in morning, what I found good was kids detangling stray (Avon/tesco/Johnson etc)

I used to washing with Johnson's shampoo and conditioner, little spray and comb through to get rid of tangles and leave to dry in morning just the spray and little comb sorted it out

I've just started pineappling my dd hair, when she goes to bed with either wet or dry hair I put her hair in a high pony with a scrunchie, in the morning you don't have to do nothing apart from take scrunchie out and shake hair

I tend to french plait DD's hair when it is wet on a Sunday night and leave it in all week when she is in school. I dread another nit infestation, which took hours to comb through and then I still had to resort to hedrin!

never brush curly or frizzy hair. Comb when wet, leave to air dry. Wide tooth comb only.

if long enough, plait before bed, really does reduce tangles.

Hi am wondering if any body can help my 4 year old girl has long brown curly hair very thick I was it about twice a week I use shampoo and conditioner plus of a Morning spray mixed Conditioner woth water so it's no tangled recently it has started falling out from the end so I don't no if am doing anything wrong drying it out can any body help thank you ☺