I’m sure by now you’ve switched to your winter hair and skin regimen but don’t forget your child’s thirsty little curls. Their hair also needs extra attention during this season to remain healthy and prevent knotted and matted hair. Wondering where to start? I’ve put together a winter survival guide for healthy kids curls.
[Tweet “Natural Hair Winter Routine For Kids #NaturalKids”]Protective Styles.
The first step is to ensure that the way you style your child’s hair isn’t making it vulnerable to breakage. This is the time when your toddler’s hair needs to be protected the most. Her curls are vulnerable to the harsh weather, the drying materials most hats are made from and getting caught in coat zippers or on sweaters. When styling my daughter’s tight curly hair, I stick to braids during the winter as her hair doesn’t unravel or getting frizzy too quickly. I redo the braids every 2-3 days to prevent her hair from getting dry. When braiding her hair, I stick to just a few big braids instead of small ones. Smaller braids can present challenges to undo, lead to more tangles and breakage. Plus, it’s more time consuming and toddlers hate to sit for a long time to style their hair. If you don’t feel confident about braiding child’s hair, you can also try two strand twists and comb curls.
Keep ends moisturized.
Healthy ends are important for length retention. To lock in moisture at my daughter’s ends, I wrap the ends of her braids around my finger with Jojoba Oil and African Shea Butter.
Extra care for styles wearing hair out.
My daughter loves to wear her hair out a few times a month. Whenever she does, my goal is to add an additional layer of moisture during the day. During the winter, I rotate between using Oyin Handmade Juices and Berries, Deva Curl Set it Free and Argan Oil Treatment. Besides the fact that these products smell incredible, they add moisture without making her hair greasy.
Satin pillow case.
Last year, I observed that my daughter’s hair towards the middle and back where her head rests on her pillow wasn’t holding onto moisture well. I’m not a fan of toddlers wearing head scarves or bonnets so I was happy when I found an age appropriate Dora Satin bedding with a satin pillow case. Since she’s been sleeping on it, the middle of her hair is retaining much more moisture.
Detangle during every styling session.
I usually detangle her hair only on wash day but during the winter, I detangle each time I redo her braids. My goal is to to make wash day easier and to prevent nasty knots and tangles. To do this, I moisten her hair by spritzing a combination of a water and TRESemme Flawless Curls Conditioner. Then I finger detangle, add Jojoba Oil and African Shea Butter and proceed to braiding.
Need help detangling you child’s hair? Check out my How to Detangle Kids Natural Hair Video
Be mindful of hair accessories.
I’ve found that dry hair snags easily and gets tangled quickly especially around hair accessories. When I was a child, my mother rarely used accessories in my hair and my hair thrived. I take the same approach with my daughter’s hair. Whenever you’re purchasing hair accessories avoid products with metals or combs that can easily get caught in curls. Some of the accessories that we occasionally use are Goody Ouchless No Metal Black Elastics, headbands wrapped with satin, satin ribbons and simple hair clips.
Remember that in the winter, the key is to ensure that your child’s curly hair is always moisturized and protected. Ensure that the products that you’re using are moisturizing and not drying out her curls.
How do you maintain your child’s curly hair during the winter?