Tear free combo shampoo/conditioner for young children?

[Dazedstella]

Any recommendations on a tear free combination shampoo/conditioner for my 28 mo DD?

Her hair is really long and I don't really want to cut it but it gets super snarly, really hard to brush and has become a real pain for both of us. I only wash it every other day but by day 2 I can't get  the snarls out without using a ton of detangler - which makes it look really greasy and dull all day long- so I often put it up in a bun, but that just increases the number of knots by the time we get to bath time.

Just this week I have started using some of my conditioner on her after shampoo but she HATES having her hair rinsed and rinsing out shampoo and then conditioner takes a long time.

Any other thoughts for keeping the snarls at bay?

I don't put it up in a pony-tail at night because it is usually up all day but part of the problem is she rolls around so much the latter half of the night that her rats nests grow like crazy.

[Mulvah]

Originally Posted by Dazedstella 

Any recommendations on a tear free combination shampoo/conditioner for my 28 mo DD?

Her hair is really long and I don't really want to cut it but it gets super snarly, really hard to brush and has become a real pain for both of us. I only wash it every other day but by day 2 I can't get  the snarls out without using a ton of detangler - which makes it look really greasy and dull all day long- so I often put it up in a bun, but that just increases the number of knots by the time we get to bath time.

Just this week I have started using some of my conditioner on her after shampoo but she HATES having her hair rinsed and rinsing out shampoo and then conditioner takes a long time.

Any other thoughts for keeping the snarls at bay?

I don't put it up in a pony-tail at night because it is usually up all day but part of the problem is she rolls around so much the latter half of the night that her rats nests grow like crazy.

I don't have any shampoo/conditioner recommendations, but have you tried a Tangle Teaser?  They sell them at Sally's Beauty Supply if you live near one.

[anichka]

Madre Labs, Mild by Nature are good products for children - very soft and gentle, I use it on my own hair too and my hair is more hydrated and manageable than ever.

Edited by anichka - 8/24/11 at 9:27am

[snanna]

This thread is a little old, but I thought I'd chime in-- my daughter also has long hair, curly, and it gets fairly tangly without management. What I do is conditioner-only washing, maybe once a week (probably less frequently, really), and put it in braids at night. I only brush it when it's wet (I spray it down to brush it in the morning), and if the tangles are bad I'll add a little conditioner to my palms and rub it through her hair before I brush. We use a Denman brush-- it has strong, seamless plastic teeth in a rubber base, and does by far the least damage of any brush I've used. I find detangler spray to be useless. I use the cheapest conditioner-- usually Suave Coconut because it doesn't have buildup-causing ingredients like silicones. HTH!

[mytwomonkies]

I have started doing the baking soda wash and lemon juice rinse on my daughter's hair and it works great! I don't use a lot of baking soda since it can be a little drying but the lemon juice rinse is GREAT for the tangles and makes their hair so shiny and soft! I just squeeze out a half a lemon and mix with about 2 cups of warm water, this is enough for both of my girl's hair. I'm also looking into some shampoo bars.

I think the buildup from regular shampoo can sometimes cause the tangly hair.