How Detangle Kids' Hair Painlessly
Does your child run in the other direction when it’s time to brush their hair? If so, you’re not alone. Ask any parent about their most frustrating tasks and detangling kids hair is sure to be at the top of the list.
While no parent looks forward to getting the knots out of their children’s hair, it’s a necessary evil that must take place at least a few times a week—or more if your kids are of the “long hair don’t care” variety.
Doing a hot yoga session beforehand may help reduce your stress level and give you the patience you need to deal with a cranky kid with knots in their hair, but really the best way to detangle hair on kids is to follow some simple steps and use the right products.
Babo Botanicals gives you the low-down when it comes to detangling your child’s hair painlessly. So, take a look to discover some detangling tips and find out which products are the best to use on your child’s hair!
How To Detangle Hair Painlessly
Whether you’re basking in the sun and jumping in the pool for a swim or walking during the cold winter months with the wind blowing fiercely, you know the pains from tangly hair all too well. And where there’s hair, there are knots.
But when you add a sensitive child into the mix, disaster is sure to occur. Those dreaded words “It’s time to brush your hair” send many kids into a fit of terror.
It’s not just kids with thick, long strands who dread hair-brushing time either. Kids with fine hair suffer from knots, too.
So how in the world do you detangle your child’s hair painlessly? We have a few tips and tricks for you to try at home to ease this dreaded task.
1) Start With Freshly Washed And Conditioned Hair
Starting with a clean head of hair will help you tame those pesky tangles! But if your child’s hair is in a big knot, use your fingers to get out whatever knots you can first.
The best way to work out the knots and tangles is to start from the bottom and work your way up in sections. (We’ll go into more detail about how to correctly brush and detangle your child’s hair later on.)
After you’ve detangled what you can, wash your child’s hair with a detangling shampoo, like our Smoothing Detangling Shampoo & Wash.
This shampoo is a must-have for anyone who has hair licks, knots, tangles, or frizz. It’s packed with detangling moisturizers for faster combing time, less pulling, and no more tears. That’s worth celebrating! Bonus: It smells amazing!
Next, use our Smoothing Detangling Conditioner. This plant-based conditioner detangles and smooths unruly hair. It’s made with evening primrose oil, provitamin B, and coconut oil to moisturize and soften your child’s hair.
This extra-smoothing conditioner will help eliminate frizz, calm flyaways, and prevent static while increasing shine. You’re setting a strong foundation for your child’s hair by using these two products.
Tip: Brush your child’s hair while the conditioner is still in it (so before you rinse). Hopefully the tangles will come out easily and their hair will feel super soft!
If the tangles and knots are really bad, you can always use the conditioner first instead of starting out with shampoo. Condition, shampoo, and condition again!
2) Use A Hair Towel
After washing your child’s hair, quickly and gently towel dry it by blotting or wrapping it in an absorbent hair towel. Avoid rubbing their hair with a cloth bath towel. This will actually create more tangles.
Instead, try a towel made with a special material that won’t pull or add stress to your little one’s hair.
3) Use Your Fingers To Loosen Up Any Knots
Again, before you start attacking those annoying knots, try running your fingers through your child’s hair to break up and loosen any tangles — this is especially helpful for large knots and tangles — just like you did before you washed their hair.
If you come across a large knot that you’re not able to pull through, don’t keep pulling. Leave it alone until you’re able to add some product into your little one’s hair.
Continuing to pull at a knot might add even more tangles to their hair, so stop at this point and continue to the next tip.
4) Try A Detangling Spray
After you’ve towel-dried and run your fingers through your child’s hair, it’s time for an effective detangling spray! Babo Botanicals Smoothing Detangling Spray is a great option. This non-greasy, lightweight, leave-in conditioner works wonders on damp or dry hair.
Our plant-based botanical spray provides faster detangling and increased shine. It can be used for eliminating frizz, calming flyaways, and preventing static.
You can even use this spray in the morning to smooth any bed head or cowlicks. Simply shake well and spray on damp or dry hair.
5) Choose Your Brush Wisely
Your brush can make or break your experience when detangling your child’s hair. Choose a special detangling brush to detangle your little one’s hair.
Neither a regular drugstore comb nor a boars head bristle brush will work. Those common hair tools are major sources of pain when it comes to detangling kids' hair.
Try a brush with flexible bristles that is specifically designed for taking out the knots. Wide-toothed combs have been the go-to brush for tangles in the past, but wet brushes are the new brush of choice for getting rid of tangles.
For the best outcome, have both tools handy. If you notice the wet brush is still getting caught in your child’s hair, use the wide-toothed comb instead. You can also alternate between the two to help better detangle their hair.
Grab your brushes and take advantage of the rest of our tips!
6) Distract Your Child Before Brushing
You’re all too familiar with the tears that accompany brushing your child’s hair. It’s not fun for you or your child, but you know the tangles have to go.
To help avoid the tears, give your child a distraction before you start brushing out their hair. If they’re only focused on getting their hair brushed, they may tense up and get stressed.
Try offering them a book, coloring book, or something else to divert their attention. Their focus will be on their activity rather than getting their hair brushed, meaning fewer tears!
7) Bottoms Up
Now that you have the right tools and products for detangling your child’s hair, how exactly do you brush out the tangles without hurting them?
Well, most parents comb their kids' hair from the root down. It would only make sense to follow the same direction when it comes to detangling their hair, right? Think again.
Celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend recently told Us Weekly: “Always start detangling from the ends and work your way up. If you just comb from the root down, you push all the tangles together, creating one huge knot, which can be disastrous.”
When you start at the roots, you also end up tugging on your child’s hair. This could actually cause more damage and hurt your little one’s head. Instead, start combing the ends and work your way up.
The best way to do this is to organize your child’s hair into sections. Start with a vertical part down the center and then make a horizontal part in the middle so you should have four sections.
Use a clip to hold each section of the hair. Choose one section and begin working on it using the “bottoms up” method. Remember not to tug at the roots! This is where it’s most painful.
Use this method whenever you’re detangling your child’s hair, whether it’s before washing their hair or after.
8) Pay Attention To How Your Child Sleeps
If you know your child likes to toss and turn all night long, then you know they’re probably going to wake up with a tangled mess in their hair.
Since you can’t stop your child from tossing and turning during the night, use a silk pillowcase. Silk pillowcases are known to reduce frizz and limit the number of tangles that develop overnight.
Another tip is to put your child’s hair up in a loose ponytail on the top of their head before they fall asleep. This way their hair isn’t loose and rubbing against the pillowcase all night long.
9) Freshen Up Hair In The Morning And During The Day
During your child’s morning routine, spray some of our Smoothing Detangling Spray on their hair before brushing. This will help smooth out any new tangles that may have developed overnight.
Don’t forget to also freshen up your child’s hair during the day, like at lunchtime or, if they’re older, when they come home from school. Spritz a little bit of water along with our detangling spray before you start brushing.
With a little freshening up in the morning and during the day, your child has the best chance for a stress-free, tear-free detangling session!
Ready, Set, Detangle!
Detangling your child’s hair doesn’t have to be painful. Remember to first wash your little one’s hair with a detangling shampoo and conditioner. Conditioner acts as a hair lubricant and helps soften the blow a brush takes on it.
When your little one’s in the bath, apply a soothing conditioner, like Babo Botanicals Moisturizing Conditioner or Smoothing Detangling Conditioner, to the palms of your hands and rake through your child’s hair to help ease the knots before rinsing.
Next, invest in a good hairbrush and detangling spray. Look for a gentle, botanical-based hair detangler, such as Babo Botanicals Smoothing Detangling Spray, which contains a yummy-smelling cocktail of antioxidants, calendula, chamomile, and watercress to eliminate frizz, increase shine, and detangle hair.
Set your child up for detangling success by following our tips and using the right products! Bye, tears!
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