Q: I have an 11-month-old daughter. Her hair was super straight as a baby, and now it is very curly and growing out. My hair is curly, but I am a 3b while my daughter is a 3c/4a. I’ve been putting coconut oil and moisturizing lotion on her (like my mom did to me when I was a child”>, but it’s still very dry on the sides and back. Can you please tell me what I can do to keep her hair looking moist all day? I know her hair could look so nice, with the proper care. What products can I use and where can I get them?
Cozy: Your daughter’s hair needs products that have natural moisturizing ingredients, such as Vitamin A to moisturize and Almond Oil to lock in the moisture. So Cozy Sweet Strawberry Conditioner has both. You can even leave a little in on the ends instead of rinsing it out completely in the bath. I would also recommend that you use a leave-in conditioner and detangler for extra protection & conditioning of the hair shaft, like So Cozy Fruity Delight. Kids love the fruity fragrance and don’t mind using it again & again!
Q: have an 18-month-old daughter that has 4a/b hair. The front of her hair is more 3c/4a, but most of it is in the 4s. It’s very dry. This is my first child and I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be doing her hair every day. I currently have her hair in braids or four ponytails for two weeks, and then I let her hair rest for a week in one or two ponytails. Is it necessary to re-do her hair every day, even if we don’t go anywhere? I feel I need to do something because her hair needs moisture. But I don’t want to put stress on her hair by re-doing the style. What styles can I keep her hair that will allow me to keep it moisturized. Am I putting stress on her hair if I restyle it everyday?
Cozy: It’s great not to fuss with her hair a lot. But I’m afraid you may be damaging it with tight elastics that are left in place too long. This could be causing major breakage. Make sure that hair isn’t being pulled too tightly, and that you aren’t always leaving elastics and clips in the hair at the same place. Once hair is in place, use a spray leave-in conditioner (we recommend So Cozy Fruity Delight“> as often as you like. It will moisturize her hair and prevent it from having that dried-out appearance.
Q: I have naturally curly hair which I inherited from my Mom, who inherited it from my Grandfather. It is very thick and FRIZZY! I have tried everything to tame it: long, short, shoulder length; gel, hair spray, mousse; wearing it down, wearing it up, wearing it down with the top up. Nothing works! I will be starting high school next year (I’m 13″> and I really want to have nice, manageable hair!
Cozy: You are smart for asking for help because with a little advice, you will experience a big change in your “frizz factor”. Frizz is caused by a ruffled cuticle. Combing curly hair is the major cause of a ruffled cuticle. The second leading cause of frizz is using products that dry out the hair, which it sounds like you may be guilty of. Use alcohol-free styling gel to prevent drying out hair. So Cozy Groovy Grape Styling Gel is our choice. When you get out of the bath, do not comb or brush hair. Instead squeeze out excess water and scrunch Styling Gel in hair, distributing evenly in sections. Let hair dry naturally or blow dry with a diffuser. This will allow curls to form naturally and it will prevent the hair from frizzing. For added conditioning/moisturizing, leave in a little of your conditioner instead of rinsing it out thoroughly.
Q: I took my daughter, Julianne, to a hairstylist today to have the horrible matting and knots removed from her hair, since it was beyond my ability. My poor child endured nearly an hour of painful tugging on her head while the stylist, whom we’ve seen before, worked to unravel the mess. Lots of conditioner and many tears later, Julianne’s hair is in a braid and doing fine. But I promised her she’d never have to go through that again. The stylist has suggested a perm to relax the hair and make it manageable. She wants to run the perm through the last few inches. I’m scared to death. We’d do a strand test first, of course, to check the result. What do you think of perms for little girls? I feel like we have few choices: cut it short, relax it with a perm or suffer with knots, which isn’t an option at all.
Cozy: I have vivid memories of my mother trying to detangle my hair as a child! I can really sympathize with your daughter. I don’t think that a perm will do anything at all for your daughter’s tangles. Proper hair care is what your daughter needs. Here are step-by-step instructions:
- While in the bath, use thick creamy conditioner (we recommend So Cozy Sweet Strwawberry“> and comb out hair with wide tooth comb WITH the conditioner in her hair.
- Work in 1-inch segments, starting at the bottom of the hair strand while holding the top of the hair strand with the other hand to prevent tugging on her scalp. Work your way up the strand and around the hair.
- Do this as often as possible to prevent matting & knotting
- At bedtime, put hair in a loose braid or pony to prevent tangling. You might try using a satin pillowcase as well.
- Do the same for active times of the day or week. PREVENTION IS KEY!
- Use So Cozy Fruity Delight Detangler to comb out hair. It works like magic to remove tangles painlessly.
