Long hair care q's

[Cascadian]

If you have a child with long hair:

1) How often do you wash their hair?

2) Do you shampoo and condition? What brands do you use?

3) Do you blow dry?

4) Any other hair-care extras? (eg. leave in conditioners, braid at night, not get it wet during showers other than for washing)

My DDs have long hair and I've noticed that we maybe need to move on from their 'baby' haircare methods, as its beginning to look a little stringy from the kiddie shampoos. Just curious to see what other people do...

[bmcneal]

Originally Posted by Cascadian

If you have a child with long hair:

1) How often do you wash their hair?

2) Do you shampoo and condition? What brands do you use?

3) Do you blow dry?

4) Any other hair-care extras? (eg. leave in conditioners, braid at night, not get it wet during showers other than for washing)

My DDs have long hair and I've noticed that we maybe need to move on from their 'baby' haircare methods, as its beginning to look a little stringy from the kiddie shampoos. Just curious to see what other people do...

My daughter is 4, and her hair goes almost halfway down her back, just for reference.

1. She gets a bath every night before bed, but I only wash her hair every other day, unless she plays hard or gets something in it.

2. I normally use just Johnson's and Johnson's, but I am starting to use "big people" shampoo more often, specifically Suave. I have not used conditioner on her yet.

3. I don't blow dry her hair.

4. I try and braid it for bed, though I don't always. I don't get it wet unless we are going to wash it.

[SkyMomma]

My DS is 6 - his hair is down to his shoulderblades.

1.) We wash about 2-3x a week in the winter, much more often in the summer (sunblock, sweat, salt-water, chlorine, etc.). But he likes to go under water in the bath, so he 'rinses' his hair almost every day.

2.) We use shampoo and conditioner, we changed from 'baby' shampoo to grown-up when he was about 4. He uses the same as DH & I, either Nature's Gate or the Whole Foods brand (365). We feel strongly about limiting his exposure to harmful chemicals - something you might consider when introducing stronger adult products.

3.) Nope! But then I don't blow dry my own waist-length hair either

4.) We condition more often than shampoo (pretty much anytime he gets his hair wet), particularly in the back & on the ends, to help prevent tangles. Just the regular, rinse out, kind.

[TEAK's Mom]

Both of my dds have long hair. Dd1 is almost 8 and her hair is down to her tailbone and dd2 is 5.5 and her hair comes just below her shoulder blades.

1) We usually wash their hair 2-3 times a week.

2) Most of the time, we use Mane and Tail shampoo and conditioner. It's cheap and it works well.

3) The only time we've ever used a blow dryer on their hair is to set dye when they colour their hair pink.

4) I do like to have some de-tangler on occasion, but it is not a necessity. We do braid their hair for bed at night.

Some days, I kind of wish that they would go for shorter hair, but they love it and are very good about having it tended to.

[pigpokey]

I don't wash DD's hair with detergent. She is in the pool 3+ times a week. When she is in the pool, there is cheap conditioner in her hair and it is under a latex cap. So it is then rinsed out in the shower when she gets done. It is not horribly thick and blow drying isn't necessary.

I try to remember to throw a fast braid in it before bed.

[LynnS6]

1) How often do you wash their hair?

About once a week.

2) Do you shampoo and condition? What brands do you use?
Johnson's Baby Shampoo

3) Do you blow dry?
No.

4) Any other hair-care extras? (eg. leave in conditioners, braid at night, not get it wet during showers other than for washing)

Lots. We use leave in conditioner (Fructis something) after every bath, when I carefully detangle it and braid it before she goes to bed. We use spray on detangler (Suave) as needed during the week. I try to braid it every night before she goes to bed, but I'm not so great at getting it done.

We brush it carefully every morning. About every other day I make sure that I comb all of the tangles out (which dd hates). We brush it most nights before bed.

If the weather is cold, dd likes to wear her hair down. if it's warm, she'll consent to a pony tail or braid, which keeps it neater. We end up with a lot of tangles on the days she wears it down.

[Cascadian]

Q - why the braids at night? Does it make it stronger/healthier? Or just tangle-free?

You'd think I'd know this, having grown up with long hair that was braided for bedtime.

I have found that letting my DDs wet their hair without shampoo makes it clumpy and stringy when it dries naturally. I started using a tourmaline blowdryer (mine) on the 'cool' setting, pointing 'downwards' as it makes the shaft lie flat and makes it very shiny. But that's just once in a while...

Do all drugstore brands have sulphates? I used a JASON kids' brand on them and it turned their hair into straw.

1) How often do you wash their hair? 1x a week. Their hair doesn't get very dirty in the winter. FWIW they tend to rinse their hair every night in water.

2) Do you shampoo and condition? What brands do you use? L'Oreal kids shampoos + cond in one. I'm thinking they need something 'better'.

3) Do you blow dry? On cool/low, just started to get rid of the 'stringy' look - makes it fuller and shinier.

4) Any other hair-care extras? (eg. leave in conditioners, braid at night, not get it wet during showers other than for washing) I've been trying to not let them wet it at night with water as it ends up clumpy/stringy - shower caps have come out for that.

[KatWrangler]

2-3 times a week in the winter. Paul Mitchel Baby Shampoo and then Paul Mitchel Detangler.

J&J I have used in the past and it is extremely drying to my kids hair. I would get a huge cryfest if I used that.

DD#1

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ber2009005.jpg

[zjande]

I wash my long haired 4 yr old son's hair about once a week. I've never used chemical shampoos or conditioners in it, only castile soap or homemade herbal shampoo. We don't own a blow dryer.

[~*max*~]

Two of my girls have long hair. We wash every other day for my 8 year old and twice a week for my 6 year old. I use both shampoo & conditioner. We also use a spray conditioner between washes when their hair is tangled. If we are going to have a busy outdoor day, like camping, or if someone is not feeling well, I braid their hair when wet and leave it in for the day & night. They get a good trim every few months. Long hair is so pretty, but a lot of work!! HTH.

[limette]

How often do you wash their hair?

Never.

Do you shampoo and condition? What brands do you use?

Nope. Actually if they ever got something in their hair that required soap to get it out I'd shampoo.

Do you blow dry?

No.

Any other hair-care extras? (eg. leave in conditioners, braid at night, not get it wet during showers other than for washing)

Just daily showers and regular brushing. I've been doing the no poo thing for a couple of years now and our hair is lovely. Especially the kids.