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Raising children is one thing, but looking after their hair is a different ball game. Prisca McGuire looks into haircare products for little darlings
It’s never a good time when you suggest that your kid’s hair needs a good wash, and they immediately start screwing up their face at the very suggestion. However, exasperated parents can take some comfort in the fact that manufacturers and salons are now more aware of the 'difficulties', and are trying to make life easy with a range of products specially formulated for little ones.
What's available?
If your child has fine or mixed-race hair, you can try L'Oreal Kids 'no tears' range. The fun looking range is suitable for children with fine, normal and curly or wavy hair. The colour coded, fish shaped and fruity fragranced products, are designed to make children enjoy having their hair washed. The range also includes a Two-in-One Shampoo & Conditioner, an Extra Gentle detangling Conditioner, and a Styling Gel. All just £2.29 each.
Children with afro hair, and some children of mixed-race parentage, may be better off using products specifically designed for their hair type. For instance, Luster Products do a PCJ range for children, which includes No-Lye Children's Relaxer (£3.75), Conditioning Hair Relaxer (£3.75), Cream Oil (£1.99), and a Detangling Spray (£1.99).
Dark and Lovely offers the Beautiful Beginnings range, also targeted at kids. The range includes Kids Cholesterol (£2.25), a conditioning treatment with a bubble gum fragrance, an Oil Moisturiser (£2.69), and a Scalp Conditioner (£2.19), which is light and non-greasy.
If you’ve decided to relax your child's hair, then Dark & Lovely do two types of relaxers suitable for kids, one for normal and thick hair, and the other for fine hair (£4.29 each).
For babies and young children Phytologie's Phytopure Baby Almond Oil Shampoo (£8.50/200ml), is a natural shampoo, which cleans hair without tears. The shampoo has been tested for safe ingestion, meaning that if it’s accidentally swallowed, it won't make them ill. The range is available from Space NK and leading salons.
Alternatively, Softn’free offer a kiddies range called Whispers, which uses aloe vera in its ingredients to help with deep conditioning. The range includes a No-Lye Creme Relaxer (£3.49); Shampoo (£1.99); Conditioner (£1.99); Conditioning and Detangling Sheen Spray (£1.99); Hair Food (£2.29) and Hair Pomade (£2.29). The range is available from all good afro retailers.
Johnson's baby range has almost achieved cult status amongst new mothers, who use the products both for their children and themselves. For young children with coarse hair the Detangling 'no more tears' Shampoo (£1.89) is worth checking out, but if you fancy giving your child a bath and washing their hair at the same time, then the soap-free Top-to-Toe Wash (£2.99) is what you need.
How often should you wash your child's hair?
Tough as it sounds, you should wash, dry and condition your children's hair regularly, with top salon stylist Errol Douglas suggesting every five days or so. Go easy on the grease though! Manufacturers nowadays tend to use lighter products, so it shouldn't be too hard to find a hair and scalp conditioner that won't clog up your child's hair. Choose one that's suitable for your child's hair type - the finer the hair, the lighter the conditioner needed.
If your children go swimming as part of their regular school timetable, then you’ll need to get into the habit of washing their hair after each swimming session. Chlorine in pool water is damaging to any hair type, and needs to be washed out at the earliest opportunity, as left in for too long, it weakens hair. Is it safe to relax a young child's hair?
Most stylists will recommend that you don't relax your child's hair until they are at least 14. However, stylist Marjorie Bellanfonte from Dominoes in Huddersfield regularly treats young clients. ‘We offer a full advisory and consultation service before treating any young children. The parents are invited to come along with their children, especially if they find it difficult to manage their child's hair. Although we don't promote relaxers for young children, we do suggest texturising if a mother of a mixed-race child comes in and wants the hair to be manageable, but not necessarily chemically treated. We use texturising on boys and girls because it softens the hair.’ To contact Dominoes call: 01484 531944. Can head lice live in afro hair?
One very popular myth is that afro hair is a no-go area for head lice and nits. Unfortunately, this is not true. Head lice may find it more difficult to move around in thicker coarser hair, but as long as the head remains warm, they'll survive in it.
Nits are the eggs of lice, which stick to the hairs closest to the scalp. They can vary in colour from greyish white to brown, and produce eggs, which hatch after just seven days. Lice are the actual insects that lay the eggs, and pierce the scalp for blood to feed. Each lice is capable of laying around eight eggs a night, within a seven to ten day period. If you find head lice in your child's hair, it isn't anything to be ashamed of - head lice are attracted to both clean and dirty hair. Research also shows that the occurrence of head lice cuts across all social-economic groups, rich and poor.
Another myth that needs to be dispelled is that lice can jump around classrooms. Quite simply, they don't. They're quite content to stay on one warm head until that head comes into close contact with another head, and they are transferred to new pastures. How can I prevent my children getting lice?
The only thing you can do is to be alert, and carry out a weekly check of your child's hair. The best way to check is by using a special “nit comb” or a fine toothed comb, and its easier to see and find nits and lice when the hair is wet. If you do find lice one of the safest and most effective treatments is daily wet combing for three weeks, followed by washing and conditioning the hair using a chemical or insecticide based lotion.
For further information contact your local community health centre, your local community health centre, or call Community Hygiene Concern Tel: 020 8341 7167.
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