My mom would never let me have long hair as a child. I look back at photos of me in the eighth grade with a short boy cut, glasses and braces and still cringe. Now that I have my own little girl -wow- it make sense why I had short hair my entire young adult life... TANGLES.
Since I'm still healing my own inner child, creating her best hair experience matters. Here is the knowledge I am learning in the process.
When Riley decided to grow her hair long ---OUCH--- our morning routines were pretty painful for everyone. At first, Riley would get upset BEFORE the brush even touched her hair. Do you have that problem too? Well, after consulting a variety of experts, we finally figured out our own solutions. The key seems to make sure the hair is dry before bed (a tip from my husband, who has amazing hair).
Option 1: Overnight Success
Step 1: Rye washes her hair.
Step 2: I use a leave in conditioner, like California Baby Leave In or Rinse Out. It is key to find one where the specific use is "leave in" as if you use regular adult conditioner it can itch the scalp.
Step 3: While she is still in bath or shower, we comb out hair gently. She often does this herself.
Step 4: We blow dry her hair on the low, warm setting and I use a round bristle brush. This takes about 10 minutes to get her hair almost dry.
Step 5: (optional) the Satin Pillowcase. We don't have this, but I know moms who love it for children with very long hair.
When she wakes up she still runs a brush threw her hair, but there are very few knots. This solution lasts about three days with my daughter's hair.
Option 2: Quick Fix
If we have stubborn knots in the AM my quick fix is to park Rye in front of a cartoon, saturate her hair with a spray conditioner, you can make your own, or we use Kiss My Face detangler spray, section off the top of her hair with a clip, and use the Knot Genie brush, starting with the under hair first. This take about 5-10 minutes also. She will now do this herself, so it frees me up to do my own morning hair!
Option 3: The Best One
Have someone else do your daughter's hair. The mother-daughter hair connection seems to be very tangled.
I share these tips with you in hopes of sparing you the squirrel's nest of knots and, at least, this particular morning drama! What are your hair tricks? Please share!