Q: I know it’s probably way too early to tell and her hair texture will probably change, but I can’t tell the difference between curls and cowlicks. I have 2 boys — one with thick, coarse, straight hair, and the other with fine hair that would probably be wavy if it were longer. My baby girl is 8 months old now with fine hair that is a lot thinner than either of the boys. She has a few areas in the front on the right side and on the back left that seem to stick up more than they did when they were shorter. How do I tell whether she’s going to have beautiful curls, or whether she’s going to be fighting cowlicks her whole life?
Cozy: A cowlick is hair that grows in a circular direction, so you can tell a cowlick by looking at the roots to see which direction the hair is growing. The most typical problem with cowlicks is that the hair sticks up. To prevent this, don’t cut the cowlick short, that’s what makes it stick up. Instead, when cutting hair, leave the cowlick longer than the rest of the hair. Also, don’t fight with the cowlick. Comb it in the direction it is growing.
Q: We have been waiting for my daughter to finally get some hair, but now that it is here, I am finding it to be crazy frizzy and hard to manage. The products I have tried are not really working anymore. I know this is just going to get harder to manage as her hair keeps growing unless I start with the product modification now. Her hair is very fine and very frizzy — possibly a 3A. I’d love some product recommendations.
Cozy: Finding the right products will be a trial and error process for your daughter, just like it is for you! I definitely recommend using products formulated specifically for children so that they will address your daughter’s needs. For fine hair, you don’t want to weigh it down with heavy products. So Cozy has 2 different products that should help prevent frizz and manage hair. Try Kooky Kiwi Styling Cream. You can use it on wet or dry hair. Just scrunch it into her hair anytime you need to remove frizz or help to redefine the curls. You can also try Groovy Grape Alcohol Free Styling Gel. Use a little or a lot, depending on the amount of hold she requires.
Q: I need help/advice for my daughter’s hair. She is a 3c/4a and 9 years old. Her hair is very long — at least mid-back. She is not able to do her own hair yet. At what age should daughters be able to wash/condition/comb/style their own hair? She has a few more years until she will be totally independent, but in the meantime she should be learning good grooming habits and taking part in her own grooming.
Cozy: I recommend practicing in the evenings or weekends when you have spare time. Never try to teach her when you are rushing to get her to school or in a hurry. Having time to experiment and make mistakes will take the stress out of the grooming process.
Q: My daughter has come home with lice. This is our first experience, so we are learning as we go. She also has relatively curly hair and it tangles easily. The over-the-counter products are basically all poison/chemicals. We did one round and have almost destroyed her scalp, and her hair is extremely dry. AND we have do another session in 10 days. Is there a safer alternative?
Cozy: If you go online and search for lice remedies, you will notice that there are many different schools of thought on how to deal with lice, and this really has to do with your own personal philosophy regarding treatments. I recommend you look at all the alternatives on line and then discuss with your pediatrician.
Q: I have recently came to realize how naturally curly hair is beautiful. and how I was taught for so many years that natural hair is bad. My sister in law is the same way, and always wants to straighten my niece’s hair. I am trying to convince her to love it and stop combing. What suggestions can I give her so she can work with her daughter’s hair rather than fighting it. I feel like my niece could learn to embrace her natural texture if her mom was more positive about it.
Cozy: I wish someone would have taught me this lesson when I was a child. It would have saved me thousands of hours with a blow dryer trying to tame my curly hair and frizz! Perhaps you can style your niece’s hair and show your sister how beautiful her natural curls are! Make sure you never brush curly hair, and only comb it out in the tub. After bathing, scrunch hair with Styling Cream or Gel to enhance curls and keep frizz free. Let hair dry naturally or blow dry with diffuser. When hair is dry, re-scrunch with head upside down to add body and volume. You can also do this with a little styling cream to smooth hair. Good luck!
For more information about buying So Cozy products, visit CurlMart.
