First off, don’t use shampoo when you wash your child’s hair. Shampoos may contain harsh chemicals, which scientists are now discovering are absorbed through our skin! They have identified dozens of toxins in the umbilical cord blood of newborns, believed to have passed through the mom to the baby from her shampoo and other common household products. Shampoos may sting the eyes, or make baby-fine hair more unmanageable than ever.

I never use shampoo. I haven’t for over years, and I wash my granddaughter’s hair the same way. I wash my hair with baking soda, and about every third or fourth wash, I rinse with an apple-cider-and-water rinse, which restores the natural pH balance of the hair. (Lemon juice will do, too) My hair is cleaner, healthier, longer, shinier than ever, and baking soda costs pennies to the dollars of fancy shampoo. It doesn’t sting the eyes, or contain harmful chemicals. If you want more info on baking soda shampoo, it’s all over the web. It’s often referred to as “no poo” or “no shampoo”. I have a previous post here, Never Shampoo Again.

I make my own “conditioner” too. I float a tablespoon of light olive oil in a small amount of water in a spray bottle. I shake well, and spritz this on my granddaughter’s hair in the morning before brushing. It helps make the hair shiny and tames down the frizzies. It even helps with detangling.

I bought a super-soft hair brush. Don’t get something stiff and scratchy and made of plastic. For your preschooler’s hair, you can get a natural boar’s bristle brush, which is often very soft. It may seem like it doesn’t do the job, but it will, and it won’t pull. Your child may enjoy having her hair brushed again when she learns it doesn’t hurt.

Making Dolly's Hair Beautiful

Finally, I let her brush my hair. I let her see how much I LOVE to have my hair brushed. I let her put funny hair things in my hair. I’m modeling preferred behavior for her, the way I want her to act.

This is a “killer combination”. You use modeling, positive reinforcement, and make it a really enjoyable experience, and the hair battles should end. If after you’ve tried everything else, and it’s still a problem, then you may want to discuss a very short hair cut with your child. Don’t cut her hair without her permission- she may never forgive you! But she can help to be part of the decision making process. Either she lets you brush her hair, or she needs to have it cut short.

Good luck!

For Further Reading:
Meal-Time Battles
Traveling with Tots
Nail Biting

Photo Credits:
Top: http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonlooks/ / CC BY 2.0
Bottom: http://www.flickr.com/photos/table4five/ / CC BY 2.0

What if your hair becomes fly-away, like you just licked an outlet, or rubbed a balloon up against your scalp? You have two options.

1. get a small spray bottle. Add 1/2 cup tap water, and a teaspoon of olive oil. Shake the bottle well before each use! After washing your hair and towel drying, spritz some of the olive oil and water on your damp hair and brush it through. This works great for me!

2. if you still have hair conditioner left from your old shampooing days, you can delute a teaspoon of the conditioner in 1/2 cup of water and follow the steps the same as above.

I found I only needed to use the olive oil and water combo during the winter months, when my house is dry and I’m pulling a hat on and off all the time. I may need to use it later, once the swimming pool warms up, but I’ll let you know!

Then, once in a while, you may want to do a hot oil treatment. This is not necessary for shiny hair, but is recommended for dry, itchy scalp.
You can use any type of vegetable oil, but olive oil is the one most recommended. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons of rosemary leaves (use a microwave, or heat in a bowl over water on the stove). Don’t get it too hot! It’s going on your scalp!

Next, strain the rosemary leaves. Wrap a towel around your shoulders, and apply the warm oil to your scalp, massaging gently. Next, wrap your head in a plastic bag or wrap, and cover with a heated towel (warm it in your microwave, or wet it with hot tap water and wring out). Wait fifteen minutes, then shampoo out the excess oil.

The first time I tried this, I had to shampoo several times to get out the oil. Another blogger suggested that I used too much oil, or left it on too long. I haven’t re-oiled my hair, as I haven’t needed it for anything. But I will try again, just so I can report the efforts here.

If you want more information on making your own hot-oil treatments, here is a darling how-to video.

Here’s to no more bad hair days!

Related Articles:
Never Shampoo Again
The Battle of the Hair Brush
Bath Time Blues

Photo Credits:
Top: photo by Gezelle Rivera