6yr old DD curly hair tips

[ChocolateHelps]

My gorgeous DD2 aged 6yrs has the most gorgeous curly hair…the type of hair that everyone comments on …but I'm finding it really hard to know how to style or even manage her hair. During the night she wiggles around and the back of her hair gets very knotted. She HATES me brushing her hair and to be honest it does get very pouffy when brushed…so can you please share with me your best curly hair tips:-
best shampoo and conditioner
best brush or wide comb?
how to get the best out of hairdressers?
any other tips?
I have slightly wavy hair and DD1 has totally dead straight hair so I've been making it up till now, and realise I need some expert help(i.e. Mumsnetters!)
Thanks in advance

Sounds like my 3 year old dd. Wild beautiful curly hair.

We use body shop rainforest shampoo and conditioners because it has no silicone or suplhates etc which over the long term make curly hair dull and dry.

I wash her hair with shampoo and conditioner once a week and in between use conditioner only to wash it (scrubbing to wash the dirt off instead of relying on the shampoo to strip it).

When the conditioner is still in i.e. the hair is wet, I gently comb it in small sections. Starting from the ends and working up to the roots. Takes ages at first but soon get the hang of it. Then comb all over and rinse it in one direction. Then dry by running the towel down her hair and gently blotting so the knots don't come back. Then plait it up for the night.

In the morning I can then spritz with water and comb out.

If there are days where it is looking wild or she hasn't let me plait it up, I spritz with loads of water until wet and comb again in sections.

I never ever brush it. Ever. And use a medium toothed comb. And no products like serums etc - maybe a tiny touch of coconut oil, that is it.

Her hair is gorgeous!

Her hair here although massively cropped photo so as not to out me!

Tried and failed to upload there!!

I only wash curly haired DD's hair once every 10-14 days, to prevent drying it out (shampoo tends to be drying). I wet it and condition it as often as needed between washes, though, and brush with a tangle teezer while wet and conditioner-soaked. I dont wash the conditioner out.

If she is wearing it out:

I gently squeeze out excess water and then drape with a towel and dont brush it again (or towel dry it). It dries in ringlets then. Silk or satin pillow cases are good for curly hair, as they prevent frizz from forming. In the morning, I might spray it with a conditioning or oil spray (or even just water) to refresh the curls if they have got frizzy or flat.

If she is wearing it up, I plait it while wet after the towel-draping stage above.

The curly girl method is similar, although involves no shampoo at all. This doesnt work for DD's hair as she gets a build up of conditioner on her hair and it eventually causes a flaky scalp, which only a good wash will rectify.

Also use the body shop rainforest shampoo, although we use a shea butter conditioner for afro hair from Afrotherapy.

Dont ever brush it when its dry!

I have super curly hair, as does my sister, and I remember DM struggling with the tangles when we were little!

I expect lots of people will be along suggesting the Curly Girl method, but that's never worked for me as I tend to get dandruff and need to use T-Gel shampoo (gross!!).

The best tangle-preventers for me and my sis are:

• Don't brush it - it's not worth it! Looks worse and doesn't have much effect on any tangles. Instead, comb it when there's conditioner in it anyway while washing, using a wide tooth comb or your fingers.
• A pea-sized blob of coconut oil finger-combed through the hair when it's soaking wet after shampooing/conditioning. Don't rinse it out. This has the same effect as a posho hair serum at half the price and without the silicones etc.
• Dry by wrapping hair in a turban-style thing with either a microfibre towel or a big t-shirt, NEVER rubbing at the hair with a towel.
• When my hair was longer I plaited it down my back at night and secured with a scrunchie. Also has the effect of calming the curls a bit - I like mine as curly as possible now but used to prefer it wavier.
• Hairdressers... I always look for a hairdresser who wears her own hair curly! I find that the closer their hair texture is to my own, the better it goes. Getting it cut dry is the HOLY GRAIL, but it's hard to find people who'll do this - Matt James in Birmingham is one, but poss a bit pricey for a child's haircut..?

Hope some of this helps!

Please don't do what my mum did and cut it very short and make me brush it to add to the frizz! I use this m.boots.com/mt/www.boots.com/en/Umberto-Giannini-Curl-Friends-Natural-Curls-Styling-Cream_1527010 which I find is brilliant for holding natural curls!

P.S. try the 'plopping' method when putting her hair in a turban - hideous neame, but good results!

Instructions here: naturalatwork.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/wpid-plop.jpg?w=593

Get a tangle teezer! Used to take me 30 mins to brush DD1's hair in the morning before I got one.
And it doesn't make it go frizzy (or at least as frizzy as lots of brushes do) Have faith in it - it doesn't seem to be working as the knots don't go to the ends and you have to use some force and maybe brush underneath too - but it does work - even on DD1s super thick hair...
And it is supposed to tear less and DD1s hair did get much easier -less knotty over time but then I also started washing it less (twice a week) which I think helped too. And use a 'decent' conditioner once a week or so (I used a cholesterol based one for afro type hair).
And agree with a water spray (found it just as good as detangler)- a good soaking.
She does her own hair now (13) and puts serum/oil on it -but the tiniest amounts. If I use the same tangle teezer just after my hair (wavy) looks like I've washed it in chip fat ...but DDs curls seem to take it well.

Thank you so much everyone!! I'll start peering in every hairdressers to find the one with the best curls! I'll also pop down to body shop for shampoo and conditioner.

Ahem....join the community at www.britishcurlies.co.uk/
it has changed my life.

I was recommended by a nursery mum to use products designed for mixed race hair on my DS who has a head full of ringlets. I use the Curly Kids range. Shampoo once a week and condition in between times.

In the mornings I soak with water, use a detangle spray (or leave in conditioner) and brush through with a tangle teazer. Then I work some curl creme through with my fingers.

It's a labour of love but it looks glorious and he gets so many nice comments.

I used to have the most horrible tie with DD3's hair (and she had a horrible time too) until I stopped using shampoo, started using just conditioner, and stopped all attempts to brush it.

She had a shower every second day or so and I did the Curly Girl Method with just conditioner for her and then she would run her fingers through it, then a rinse, then gentle scrunching until towel dry, and then we would leave it alone. When dry she went to bed. In the morning she pouffed it up a bit with her fingers and that was that. She sometimes wore a hairband. On days when she didn't have a shower I sprayed glycerin and water and a little conditioner on her hair and then scrunched it.