We are having some serious hair care needs.
My toddler has fine baby hair that is slightly curly. I wash it regularly and comb it daily. Promise. But this is what happens:
Within minutes, it gets snarled, fuzzy and tangled. I have to comb thru knots.
I affectionately refer to it as the nest. Because if a bird got a good look at it, well, let’s just say, my daughter would be sportin’ some twigs and leaves in her hair. I’m just sayin’.
So, dear internets, can you help a vain Mom out? Should I cut it? Buy a hat collection? I’m open to all suggestions…
And to help other problematic people out, visit the Backwards Edition of Works For Me Wednesday.
Don’t cut it! I used to do hair, and my daughter and I both have curly hair. The best thing – since she’s so small, is to put a LITTLE bit of leave-in-conditioner in while it’s still damp/wet. I also throw in a little gel – I mix it in my hands with the leave-in-conditioner. Good luck, her hair looks beautiful!
No, it’s too cute to cut! My daughter has extremely curly hair. Just keep glopping that conditioner on it. The leave in kind. Well, with a toddler, perhaps you shouldn’t glop it on but you know what I mean. And as it gets longer you can put it in a pony tail and it will not longer be tangled. Or as tangled.
I have a nester too! We buy a lot of tangle-free spray. Sometimes the expensive leave in conditioner that you would buy for yourself work best. Get one of those huge wide tooth combs… they seem to work best for tangles (I think I’ve seen them labeled “wet hair” combs). When her hair is wet try to comb the conditioner through as that seems to keep the nest away in our house for a day or two! It’s weird, isn’t it?!?!?!
Oh, and don’t comb it when it’s dry!
Leave in conditioner is the best thing for it. It was the only thing that worked with Boo’s curls, before I couldn’t take them anymore and I cut her hair. Dont’ do that! I still regreat it 4 years later.
You don’t need to do anything except buy some leave-in conditioner…we also have “that” problem with sissy.
I use only the best:
Two of the best professional products:
It’s a 10
and
Instucure by Matrix
either one works great for right after bath time and before combing!
Good luck!
My middle gets the same thing. But apparently on boys it is cool. That messy bed head looking thing. He could start dreadlocks any day now.
I only have the boys, so I have never had to deal with bad hair days for girls. If you don’t like the bed head look on your daughter, I would buy her a hat. A cute one, maybe several cute ones. And then if the hat comes off, you can blame the hair style on “hat head.”
Hope that helps.
My own hair does the same thing, behind my neck. And I’m and adult and I brush my hair!
I agree with the leave – in conditioner and not combing it dry.
http://www.beautydeals.net/shop/list.html?categ=329&gclid;=CKzn1ufYvpUCFQNbxwod1EWL1w
Here's one link…for It's a 10 and here's the other…
http://www.matrix.com/products/matrix_essentials/instacure.aspx
Don’t cut it…her hair is so adorable!
When my daughter was younger, we had the same problem. I tried Biosilk and it worked wonders. Kind of expensive, but well worth it.
Try some BioSILK (or other “Silk” type products). You just use a couple of drops – it’s almost like baby oil. You can find these products at beauty supply stores. What a beautiful family you have!
We have the same problem, with my daughter AND my son! We use Suave for Kids Detangling Spray. I spray ’em down then comb ’em out and we’re good to go!
I think that tangle-free spray works pretty darn well. Give it a try, and keep her hair intact. It’s too dear to cut!
I bought some detangling spray for my curly-headed little one. It can be used on wet or dry hair, and it seems to do the trick for us:)
Biolage™ Daily Leave-In Tonic
I’ve used it for years for my daughter. I love it!
My daughter has curls, and the Longs brand of detangler works miracles I tell ya. Miracles. Plus, it’s WAYYYYY cheaper than the Johnson’s brand. The last time I bought it is was just over a dollar a bottle. Score.
Always condition it when you wash it.
Never comb when it’s dry.
I HIGHLY recommend “Noodle and Boo Conditioning Hair Polish”
And I also recommend the Biosilk. But use it really really sparingly-a little can go a long way. You will find a good deal on it at Price Club (that’s right) sometimes.
Additionally, spray gel is great on the curls for keeping them curly throughout the day. And comb it out every day, she needs to get used to it and it will help keep it untangled. I have to braid my daughter’s hair every night or I wake up to a nest in the morning. Her hair is halfway down her back with long, nice curls. You can manage them, the trick is just to realize curly hair is an animal all it’s own.
Ditto with the leave-in conditioner and no combing when dry! My daughter’s friends are stunned that she never brushes her hair once it’s dry. They’re equally stunned (or shocked senseless) when they see WHY. Let’s just say that brushing a 15 yr old head full of curls means a head full of bird’s nest! Not attractive at all.
Your little girl has an adorable back-of-the-head! Don’t cut.
My two-year old has the SAME HAIR! In fact, that could be a picture of her. The leave in conditioner works well but when she wakes up from a nap it looks like that no matter what so I just put a little water in it and scrunch up the curls again. Good as new.
Have you seen this blog?
shortyrocksitshort.blogspot.com
It’s called Rockin’ Shorty Hairstyles and my little one has been sportin’ some great hair since I started reading it!
I had hair like that many, many years ago. My Mama cut it in a pixie style. When I was that little I didnt care, but as the years went by, well… Since this was before all the great hair products we have now, I would not cut it. Try some gel and good conditioner.
Don’t use a brush on it, just a wide tooth combed. I use leave in conditioner, sometimes some gel. We’ve got a mass of curls on my 3 year old!!
Don’t cut the hair!! They only have that cute baby hair for so long.
My daughter had the exact same problem, and I used the kid-friendly de-tanglers/leave-in conditioners. They worked pretty well. As she got older, I used more expensive products–the same ones I use–but as a toddler I used the cheap stuff and it worked wonders.
My toddlers hair is identical to yours. The car seat does it to them everytime.
My daughters’ heads look just like that! We use detangler spray. I’m sure there’s a way to make it cheaper than buying it…
That spray junk-no more tangles- when it is DRY works wonderfully.
And. Baby is just as cute from the back as the front. That is a compliment. trust me.
Both my girls (7 & 4) have a history of screaming bloody murder when I approach them with a hairbrush or comb. So here's what works for us: condition after washing, blow dry (especially w 7 yo, seems to keep her hair smoother), and use "Octopus Juice" (aka Suave detangling spray with the octopus of the bottle) every morning before school, or whenever they need a touch-up.
Your baby’s hair looks just like my little ones. The best product EVER- I get it at Walgreens and I spray it on when her hair is dry= John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls Curl Perfecting Spray. Truly, great stuff. And, I have a closet full of NON great stuff to prove it!
The detangling sprays I’ve tried on my daughter’s hair (mass of curls) work well but make her head itch quite badly. They’re quite concentrated to make sure they work. Now I always keep the old bottle, buy a new one when it runs out and pour half the new into the old and top up with water to dilute it. It still works perfectly, but she doesn’t look like she’s dealing with an infestation once her hair dries.
Get a spray bottle. Fill it almost up with water and then squeeze some of your conditioner in there (leave in is fine, too). Shake it up and spray her hair after bathing and whenever you fix it. It will revive the curls and help soften the hair. You might also try skipping the shampoo every now and then and just rubbing her scalp with your fingers.
Princess has Shirley Temple curly hair. We found that detangling sprays were great for getting the knots out but left her hair dry or sticky.
A better solution for us was to make our own spray. I re-used one of the detangling spray bottles, squeeze in somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Suave Professional Conditioner Humectant, fill the bottle the rest of the way with water and mix it up.
I also use this same conditioner on her hair after washing it.
May I suggest the book “Curly Girl” by Lorraine Massey. It has so many great homemade recipes for hair detanglers with simple stuff that you just find in your kitchen pantry. When I bought it 5 or 6 years ago, it was about $10. It has saved my life so many times. I even got my husband to try some of the tips on his curls. 🙂 I also have two boys with curls and it has helped me a lot, especially with tangly baby curls!
Kimbrah
My little one has some seriously curly hair and hers did that when she was little. I found that a little leave in conditioner helped, but I usually resorted to itty bitty pig tails.
My Daisy had curly hair as a baby and we used curl enhancing spray, it made her hair soft and curly. Try leave in conditioner.
As several others said, use the detangling spray. Use it OFTEN! I keep it in the car, because the carseat ALWAYS makes my daughter’s hair look like that. We just use the suave kids detangling spray, but I think with that texture hair anything will work–it just needs something.
I didn’t read all of the comments, so forgive me if someone has already mentioned this. But, as a small child, my sister, also a blondie with fine curly-ish hair, had the “nest” also. Someone had suggested giving her a silk pillow case to sleep one. Right now, I realize her hair is maybe a little damaged from sleeping on regular sheets and/or pillows, but in a short time, this should make some improvements! It really helped on my sister’s hair. Blessings!
I vote not to cut it. I don’t have any suggestions as my only daughter is 10 months old and my 5 sons have short hair. I guess I’m not much help.
Her hair is such a beautiful color.
Oh don’t cut that baby’s hair!! Do what Dawn (P.S. He loves You)says, She is a professional. Use what she says. 🙂
Conditioner! Check out the book _Curly Girl_.
We use only conditioner on the curly girl in our family. It works out just fine, and we’ve had no nesting since then!
I started using a bit of conditioner in my fine-haired blondie’s hair. Works wonders.
has someone said this?
BIOSILK it is AMAZING!!!
my daughter had the same issue. Not fun. I first started using the spray detangler on her once or so a day. It helped it lay down better (heavier I guess). I also started using Johnson’s and Johnson’s for fine hair. Those two things helped.. a bit…eventually though I had her hair cut into her ADORABLE stacked bob. You know, the kind that is shorter in the back and is at an angle towards the front. I LOVE it!
:0)
~robin
GOOD LUCK!
Kristen… Don’t shampoo your daughters curls. Just condition them. This is good advice for ALL curly haired folks (like me!)
After bath time, don’t rub a towel all over her head. You can put a towel on her head, to let it soak the water, but don’t RUB her hair. Why not? It CAUSES TANGLES.
If you still somehow manage to get tangles, just put some leave in conditioner in her hair.
Trust me. 30 years of shampoo and such but I’ve finally learned how to deal with my curly hair!
That’s the back of my baby’s head, right? Same color, same curls, same nest. No answers, except that we only wash every other day. The hair gets a little oily (though not grossly so), and it doesn’t get as ratty.
Biolage leave-in conditioner works great! My 3 year old uses better “products” than I do!
No, no cutty!
It’s ok….they grow out of this.
My girls have looooooong curly hair..but often looked a little messy while growing into the big girls they are now.
People stop them to comment about their beautiful hair.
They have gorgeous hair!
I started using Johnson and Johnson’s no more tangles with my two year old. I remember my mom using it on my hair as a kid. The millennium version smells like strawberry. It’s basically like spraying conditioner on her hair. Works wonders and smells good too. Try it out!
I have the same problem with my girls and son. I make my own leave in conditioner. It works great for the little ones and I think it works better & cheaper than the "real stuff". Anyway, I use whatever conditioner I am using at the time for me and using a spray bottle-like the kind at the hair salon, water and guestimate the amount of conditioner to use. I will put hot water in the bottle, add my conditioner, put the top on – shake til it's disovled and then add cold water to fill up. That's it! It make take a few tries to figure the right amount of conditioner to use so you don't use too much. When your little ones get up from their nap or whenever you need to fix their hair, you can re-apply or just use regular water (depending on how concentrated your conditioner mix is). Best wishes! Thank you for your blog!
My daughter’s hair was like that until it grew. I’ve been using Tate’s Miracle Conditioner, add a little water in a spray bottle and it works wonders. And using a wide tooth comb or your fingers works to.
My suggestion is- don’t cut it. My daughter Lauren’s hair looked just like that a year ago. Now it falls in ringlets down to her shoulders. Try some spray in conditioner. I use that in Lauren’s hair and it really seems to tame the frizzies.
If she takes naps on a pillow switch to a silky (satin type) pillow case. My little ones hair does that after rolling around during nap time.
When you find the answer, can you let me know? I’mm 44 and my hair STILL does this, and I just don’t know why! I keep thinking it’s from my head going back forth on the pillow while I’m sleeping. I remember my mom always getting mad cause she had to comb out my “rat’s nest” when I was little. And man that hurt!
almost all of my girls have curly hair (6 of the 7)for the snarly little fuzzy knots we use a pin size drop of paul mitchells leave in conditioner after bath time and in the mornings it really helps!
Mine was always tangled when I was a little girl. It HURT to have it de-tangled, too, even with Johnson & Johnson's No More Tears (such liars Johnson & Johnson were).
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