4 yo and hair brushing woes (update in thread) - Page 2

[sapphire_chan]

Try a boar bristle brush. Dh can drag it through my hair and it doesn't pull even when a comb is painful at the ends. It does take a lot more brushing for it to get all the tangles, and you have to get underneath the hair as well, but for me (and dd judging by her reactions) it pulls less than other options.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by mom2happy

My dd has thick wavy hair to her thighs.
We braid it every night. I never use spray conditioners and we only wash it once a week.
The Mason pearson brush is the only brush in the whole world that DOES not hurt. Even if you have to rip it through pretty roughly to get the knots out.
I know they are around $150. They are made of natural rubber and boars head bristles or mixed with nylon. I have had the same one for 15 years because I have the same hair. It is absolutely amazing and a must have for long hair. My DD never has to have pain when getting her hair brushed.
I would recommend saving up for this brush and it will last until she is an adult. I know it sounds to good to be true but its like magic.
I was lucky to find a sample for sale in a beaty salon. Maybe try ebay.
Id love to hear if anyone else has one. No one seems to know about them around here.

You could always try a knockoff from Target which I just saw on the shelf there today.

Things tend to go down in price when they start expecting to sell more of them.

[mom2p.m.]

I can sooo relate to this thread. My DD1 had long fine straight hair that was always tangle and looked stringy, unless brushed out nicely. But she has the most tender head. hair brushing was a battle. One I was not willing to fight. I told her we can either cut her hair to her shoulders OR she could not fight me about brushing it. One day when I told her we needed to brush her hair, so announced, "I'm ready to cut it off" I was really surprised and a little sad. Cutting her hair did make her look older and more grown up, and I admit I love long hair on little girls, but she made her decision and, her hair does look really cute, and she is still very much her girlie girl self.

When her hair had grown out a bit I asked if she wanted to let it grow out or get it cut again, she wants to keep it short. She is happy and no more hair battles. Worked for us. Good luck to you and yours.

[pmiriam]

I also highly recommend the Mason Pearson brush.
no more tears or conditioner and it really lasts a long time

[texmati]

I'm indian (south asian)... If you keep it braided most of the time, would you consider putting coconut oil in it. It's a totally different look, I know, but it's nice to get a break for the weekend or so. And I was always told it was good for your hair!

[camelfam]

My DD's hair isn't too difficult to brush, but she is extremely sensitive to the pain. What works for us is a homemade detangler spray (conditioner and water in spray bottle) and distraction. The key for me is to make her laugh and get her mind off the pain. It works wonders for us.

I started by teaching her some rhymes. She was focused on trying to listen to me and repeat what I was saying instead of thinking about the brushing. We did the "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck" and she loved it. Then I started being silly and made up a song that went something like this:

I'm gonna brush your hair, and not your back
Brush your hair and not your back
Brush your hair and not your back
And certainly not your ears.

I'm gonna brush your hair, and not your belly
Brush your hair and not your belly
Brush your hair and not your belly
And certainly not your ears.

With every body part I mentioned I would gently brush it and it made her so giggly.

Now I often do things with numbers. I'll say, "I'm going to brush your hair 23 times. Can you count with me?" or "I think there are 15 knots in your hair. Shall we see if I'm right? Uh-oh, there were 16! I didn't know there were 16. That knot must have been hiding!" If there is a stubborn knot and she starts freaking, I say "Uh-oh, this knot doesn't want to leave. You tell that Mr. Knot to get out of your hair!"

Anyway, that is what works for us. It makes hair brushing much more peaceful and fun.

[rumi]

My dd has very long hair and we keep it in two braids. Still it is hard to comb if I only do it once / day. Twice a day - then it is a breeze. If it is very tangly then I put oil on it and that makes it very easy to comb.

Now we have had our share of screaming while I combed, and still do if it is tangly, or if she has reasons to scream not comprehendible by me. Things that have worked for us:

1. Making up stories about kids with diffrent hairstyles and how they did things (I can't remember the stories excatly, but I do remember that I had to do this regularly just around the time dd was 4-5)

2. Providing snack and entertainment while I brush.

3. Comb with fingers to de-tangle before using the brush.

4. Use oil if there are too many tangles. I use olive oil or coconut oil. Olive oil tends to get absorbed better.

We have dealt with lice in the past as well. Oil and a really fine lice comb (that we got from India) got rid of all of them.

My daughter is looking at this thread and wants to say: "ask if there is something the child really likes to do and let her do that while you are brushing her hair."

[Neera]

My dd has v. short, wavy hair and it's still a pain to brush/comb it. She is going to be 4. She has been wanting long hair. We tried to grow it but it was completely out of shape and control so we ended up trimming it twice last month, so that it's more manageable. A pp said that the only solution was to keep it short. I am wondering will she ever be able to enjoy long hair and not feel so much pain. And thanks for the conditioner and water solution tip. It helped us as well. What is the ratio of conditioner to water u use?

Thanks.

[hopefulfaith]

I haven't read the rest of the thread, but I wanted to comment on the original post.

My dd has a bob, I guess you would call it. It's very short, just below her ears. I think she's adorable. My dh would vastly prefer she had long hair - he likes it much better long, and we've had several arguments over short vs. long hair for our dd.

However, I made the decision to have it cut like this because my dd is also extremely sensitive to having her hair brushed/styled. She cannot tolerate barrettes/headbands/ribbons/rubber bands/ANYTHING in her hair, at all. We have attempted now and then, but they're forcibly removed within minutes, if we even make it out of the bathroom with them on.

I feel like I do not want to battle over hair with my dd, so we went short to spare us both the daily agony of hair brushing/styling. It is more important to me that we can accomplish a peaceful and happy morning than it is to have long hair for my dd, who hasn't really expressed a preference yet. Peaceful mornings are very important to me; they really set the tone for our family's day.

If she ever decides she wants long hair, then we will have to mutually agree that she will have to keep it brushed and tidy (i.e., with a ponytail or barrettes, etc., when necessary). When she feels like she can get through this, then she can grow her hair. Until then, she has short hair.

She is totally fine with having it cut -her only stipulation at the salon is that she gets to wear the alphabet kids' cape when they cut. When she changes her mind, she just has to understand that having long hair is a little more of a responsibility to maintain and she has to agree to that.

I don't know if that approach would work for your dd, but I figured I would throw my .02 in. Good luck, mama.

[vannienicole]

We brush in the shower. I have one of those large toothed combs (you know, the blue and white $1 ones). I put a bunch of conditioner in her wet hair and slowly comb through. then I gently rinse the conditioner, do a gently dry and comb again.

[MMGerard]

Another vote for the Mason Pearson brush. It is ridiculously expensive, but I finally broke down and bought it and it totally works. It gets through tangles and somehow doesn't pull. I got mine when Drugstore.com was offering 20% off of all hair care products. The one we have is called "detangler handy size" and it looks like this: http://www.amazon.com/Mason-Pearson-.../dp/B0002Z0UNU