Curly-haired DD: Am I the only one losing this battle???

[LostBunny2]

DD is 5 and has the most gorgeous curls, which I love, but I'm honestly at a loss with how to look after them. I've bought SO many products. They mostly smell cheap, do nothing, or, in some cases, leave her hair greasy and with a weird texture! The products I use on my hair, in contrast, do wonders for her hair too. But they cost more and I always feel worried the ingredients are not suitable for her. Is it just me? What do you do with your DC's curls, and did you ever find something that actually works? Or have you just given up and gone for a bun every day? 😂 Send help please!

Many many of the "silk" bonnets on Amazon are satin. despite being sold as silk.

A genuine silk bonnet is quite hard to find in a smaller size.

My girls silk bonnets are from Lily silk and are about £40. I think getting a satin one for the first bonnet is a good idea until the OP finds out whether her daughter will wear it. It's quite a big investment otherwise.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=silk+bonnet&crid=3QHW687HTTCZK&sprefix=silk%2Caps%2C139&ref=nb_sb_ss_mvt-t11-ranker_2_4

this is described as a silk bonnet, but it isn't it's satin.

Also another tip is I found a salon near us that specialises in Afro hair, even though my DD doesn’t have Afro hair and they have much a much better understanding of curly hair and what products to use.

They taught me about the bonnet use, the not brushing when dry and saved her from having a frizzy messy head.

I used to use African Pride on my daughter’s hair. In fact, she still uses their detangler and she’s in her 20’s now! The Boots curl cream also used to be quite good. She uses Sof’n’Free now (or something like that) but don’t know if it’s suitable for children. Lots of leave in conditioner and don’t let her friends brush her hair at school! Looking at you DD’s friend!

I have the same difficulty with my 5 year old daughter, OP. We've tried so much, but her hair stays dry and frizzy. It's Cantu atm, but it mostly sits on the surface.

My dd had 'nuisance' hair as a child, it was curly and always seemed to be tangled and scruffy. I didn't discover that it shouldn't be brushed until she was older and started looking after it herself. She washes it and conditions it, then combs it through and doesn't touch it again until she next washes it. Her hair always looks fabulous now. So my only advice is, never brush it!

Wash, condition (this is the only time you brush it! Tangle teezer works for us) use a leave in air dry product eg Camille Rose or curlsmith when still wet then 'prayer hands' it to take off any excess, wrap in an old t shirt for a bit then air dry. Use a bonnet to sleep in (the ones with tie straps help for the head properly) if looking a bit crap spray with a water mister, use a bit more leave in and gently scrunch. Bit of gel on the top for school if she has any frizzy baby hairs. And because she'll need it tying up at school I'd suggest just washing on a Friday evening/Saturday morning.

I put my dd's curly hair in two low plaits over night. It stops it getting knotted and matted when she sleeps.

Ds19 has a super curly mop! He goes to a barber that understands and trims it well. He washes it only once or twice a week and uses Aussie deep moisture conditioner. He only combs when wet. When wet it comes below his shoulders, when dry it is a curly ball on his head! Less is more I think. I have curls as well and use Cantu on it but frizz is still part of my life.

Both my children have long very curly waist length thick indian hair. I always put coconut oil in after washing and conditioning which is once a week. Air dry never use heat and comb when wet. I find tangle teasers pointless and stick to a wide tooth comb. Then I plait it to keep it nice and neat. If it's loose then I just use a bit of leave in conditioner and scrunch it with moose. But I think the key with curly hair is to use as less product as possible otherwise it weighs the curls down

Wow! I’m learning so much here. Keep them coming! I thought I knew a little bit about curly hair, but it turns out I knew NOTHING at all! :-) Thank you so much for all the incredible tips so far.

I used to hate my curly hair as a child, my mum used to comb it through when it was dry and it was just a frizzy horror. Took me until adulthood to learn what works for me.

Wash maybe twice a week, wet in shower/spray wet every morning
Curl creme and curl gel (I'm using Only Curls at the moment, think they do a range for children too)
Wide tooth comb/brush when sopping wet only (I bought a nice brush off Amazon recently that has plastic ridges on the sides to separate the curls) then scrunch up the curls for a bit of lift
Air dry if possible, I use a diffuser on cool setting in winter to dry it about 80-90% dry
Don't touch it, or touch as little as possible

Keep thinking about looking into a silk bonnet to sleep it, but think DH would die laughing at me!

'I thought I knew a little bit about curly hair, but it turns out I knew NOTHING at all! :-)'

So many of us curlies feel EXACTLY the same! 😁 I'm 46, and I learn new stuff about my hair all the time!

Following this thread! What about leave in conditioner?

Me and DD use Only Curls

I read this with interest cos my straight hair is now a mass of curls apparently due to menopause.

I dont know how to look after it, but feel more enlightened now. Thanks for posting the thread, I hope it helps you manage DDs hair @LostBunny2

For those not using shampoo that often don't they ever suffer with HO (head odour) or does the conditioner disguise it? Have often smelt HO on both adults and kids when getting to close.

Curly hair tends to be very dry, when using just conditioner you need to really massage your scalp with it to keep it clean. I do use shampoo but not every wash, but my hair dries out between washes rather than get greasier. Scalp oils aren’t able to travel down the length of curly hair in the same way they do on straight hair

Curly hair is quite dry so doesn't get greasy and smelly.

Im new to styling my hair curly having been a straightener user for years! Im getting on well with only curls too. They do a trial starter pack which is also great for travelling. I use the children’s set on the curly haired kids!
i now only wash my hair once a week! I use the only curls wide tooth comb and microfibre towel and I have bought a silk pillow case instead of a bonnet 😅
So pleased to no longer blow dry or straighten

Aww she’s only 5! Seems madness to me to be putting styling products in a child’s hair when she’s so young. Just keep it short and manageable. She’ll figure out her own style as she gets older.

So you don’t wash or brush your child’s hair because you are going to wait until she figures it out herself?

Ask a hairdresser.
Istarts with the correct hair shampoos and conditioner..leave in conditioner?

My daughter has curly hair. It gets very knotty. Doesn't it need shampooing to keep it clean? I wash it once weekly.

Cut it short and wait til she actively wants long hair before you let it grow.