My youngest DD has pretty curly hair and I love it but my hair is straight as a stick and I have no idea how to take care of it. It's straight for the top 4 inches and then makes almost perfect spirals almost to her shoulders. We have only trimmed the ends in a few places but it seems to just get curlier as she gets older. She cries everyday when I comb it out with a wide toothed comb and its tangled no matter how often its combed. It always looks nice but it hurts so much! Are there any products that might keep down the frizz and detangle without looking like she has anything in it? I've tried all the children's products and none really seemed to help. I'm not really willing to spend salon product prices on a 3yo's hair so any drugstore product suggestions?

By Kellyj on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 07:52 pm:

Perhaps a leave in conditioner would help with the tangles? My college roommate had the same hair type and she used Aussie's Sprunch Spray to contain the frizz. Good luck.

By Kate on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 08:08 pm:

Condition it each time you shampoo and thoroughly comb it out when wet. You say the first four inches are straight and then go to spirals. Both my girls had/have this hair, but as you see it isn't really growing IN curly, so these baby curls may be all she'll have. Enjoy them in case they go away with that first haircut!! As soon as my eldest's hair was cut high enough to cut off the curls, that was it, no more curls.

By Mommyathome on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 08:27 pm:

My 4 y/o has naturally curly hair. Everyone always says how beautiful it looks.....but I'm the one stuck in the bathroom trying to comb it out every day!
We use hair wax to take away the frizz. Also biosilk silk therapy. Bed Head Tigi "Control Freak" shampoo and conditioner also helps her hair a lot. (it's my favorite for my hair too!) All of those items are for sale at most salons for an OK price.

Have you tried the Johnsons No More Tangles stuff? I haven't ever used it, but have heard that it works good.

By Amecmom on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 08:42 pm:

Go to www.ouidad.com Their products are the best (speaking as one who has alternately cursed and blessed my curly hair). They are not cheep, but you use so little of them that they last a long time. I wish my mom had learned how to care for curly hair, instead of letting me be a frizz head!
John Freida has some good products, too, but they contain silicone, which can be damaging over time.
I use the Johnson's no more tangles on my son, who has curly hair. It's fine for hair that is thin and soft.
Don't comb it out or brush it too often. Wash it, and get the tangles out with conditioner, then use whaterver gel or leave-in product you like. Then just let it dry naturally.
In the morning, spritz it with a little water and use whaterver gel or anti-frizz product you like. Don't brush or comb it. It just makes the frizz worse!
The most important thing is a good hair cut. Curly hair needs shape, or it frizzes.
Good luck!
Ame

By Melanie on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 08:42 pm:

My 3 year old dd's hair is just like that. I use Pantene leave in spray conditioner every time I comb through her hair. It still takes me a solid ten minutes, but the spray does make a difference as far as not hurting her so much. I've used the kid's detangle sprays and have not found them to be as effective on her hair.

By Colette on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 09:29 pm:

You can also just take a little bit of regular conditioner and rub it in your hands and then through her hair. Good luck.

By Annie2 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 09:56 pm:

My oldest dd, who is turning 13 this month, has the same type of hair. Absolutely beautiful. Spiraling ringlets.
I suggest that you buy a straighting iron NOW because she will hate her wonderful curls when she gets older. LOL
To tame the curls now, I suggest a leave in conditioner and come out while wet.

By Tink on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 10:01 pm:

Thanks, everyone! It's nice to hear from someone who's been in the trenches, so to speak.I have tried the Johnson's and I really didn't like it. I use the biosilk on my hair, and on hers also, and this helps sometimes. I don't want to use gel because it shows and I don't like it when toddlers walk around with shiny crunchy hair. I think the real problem is when she sleeps or is in her carseat and turns her head back and forth, it just knots it up terribly. I can have it look perfect and when we get somewhere, the back is a mess of frizz from being rubbed back and forth. There may not be a lot of help for that. Do they make satin carseat covers? The best thing I've found so far is just Infusium 23...maybe I should just stick with that.

By Marcia on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 11:24 pm:

Dollar General sells and excellent detangler. It's in a white bottle with a yellow lable. We don't have DG in Canada, so I buy everything they have each time we visit. It's amazing!
A couple of my kids sit in wheelchairs, so their hair rubs all day. This is the one thing I've found that helps.
I also put them to bed with a loose pony tail, to keep it from knotting up at night.

By Tink on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 11:50 pm:

We don't have a Dollar General here, either. I've never heard of it. We have a Dollar Tree but I think it just carries other brands extras.Thanks, Marcia.

By Amecmom on Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - 01:34 pm:

Tink,
The ouidad gel is so light that it does not show or crinkle. It just tames the hair and makes it less fizzy and prone to tangles.
Ame

By Missbookworm on Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - 05:10 pm:

okies here goes lol...

I'm now an adult with naturally curly hair...yeah I hated it when I was little now I love it...I use a zero frizz (product name) Daily conditioner on my hair every day...but I don't shampoo every day and I use a zero frizz stage 3 corrective hair system with a moussing gel after washing it...

some things to never do don't towel dry it lol don't use a blow dryer on it...at least in my experience it worsens it...as for combing it without it hurting too much use a spray on leave in conditioner while you comb it out...try one of those toothy hair brushes and try not to pull it entirely through her hair but do a part at a time...also if you can (not sure on the exact length) try braiding it while it's wet and leave it to dry....ummmm try not to use anything too heavy nor too lite in the way of styling stuff. Once you've managed to comb her hair you could try pinning it up with clips they're hard to find to hold curly hair well believe me and she's little too so that could be hard but it would help reduce tangles at least in the day. As the others said this could be temporary she could lose them when she gets her first hair cut I never had it straight on the top I'm just curly all over lol...

I hope some of this helps I've just kind of rambled on...I think a good conditioner is the best bet at least for the combing part...when I get out of the shower with the conditioner I have I have no tangles Good Luck dear!!

By Mommyathome on Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - 05:23 pm:

I also wanted to mention that it helps my DD a lot if she sleeps with a braid. Her hair is long, and we just pull it gently to a ponytail at the bottom of her neck and then braid it down the back. When she wakes up, it is so much easier to deal with. If we don't take the time to do this, then it's a screaming fit in the bathroom!
Also, she spends a lot of time with ponytails because I don't want to deal with the curls

By Karen~moderator on Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - 05:47 pm:

Tink, you can get the stuff Robin mentioned at a WalMart supercenter with hair salon. It's much cheaper there than a salon and will probably last you a very long time.

By Tink on Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - 08:08 pm:

We don't have a supercenter, just the usual, no salon. Unfortunately, her hair is long enough to pull back for a little while but most of it fall out before the day is over. It would never make it through the night. She pulls out her "pretties" during her nap so I assume she would at night if I tried to leave it in. There are rarely tangles after her bath but mornings are when we have the most trouble. I think the biggest problem is that it's too short to pull up in a ponytail or braid but long enough to really tangle. Maybe this will just be a temporary problem. I will really be surprised if she loses her curl because Dad had the same hair and it's so curly now that I tease him about looking like Justin Timberlake if he lets it get too long. I had no idea I'd get so many suggestions when I posted. Thanks, all you curly-cues!

By Mommyof4 on Saturday, May 8, 2004 - 09:53 pm:

I think someone alreay mentioned this but I'll do it again...Biosilk..it works miracles. My 8 year old and myself both have VERY thick hair that tangles very easily we would not be able to get a brush or comb through our hair without Biosilk. It is kind of expensive but you don't use very much at all at a time and you put it mostly in the ends of the hair not near the scalp.

By Mum2abbynpnut on Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 02:54 pm:

I have really curly hair and I use this Aloe Serrum... You can buy it at Walmart, Walgreens and Eckerds... it's like $4.00 a bottle and it keeps your hair looking healthy and also easier to manage... and then if she gets it frizzy from her carseat... just carry some with you and put a tiny dot in your hand rub it in her hair... and comb it real quick...

By Yjja123 on Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 03:37 pm:

I have very curly hair and so does my daughter. We use sauve conditioner that I water down and put in a spray bottle. After we wash our hair we spray it with it. It gives just enough conditioner to comb through the curls but not weigh down the curls. I have tried a ton of products but this works the best. Every month I deep condition both of us. I think curls and conditioners go hand and hand. Of course, we are in Florida so the humidity tends to really dry out our hair.
I never brush our hair when dry. Just run a comb through it when wet and then finger style it (with a curl gel) and off we go.
I also never blow dry. I would have an afro if I did.
When my daughter was younger I put her hair up a lot. It prevented the rats nests that happened by her hair rubbing on car seat. It also looked cute.
And yes---my daughter is 9 and often complains about her curls. She wishes for straight hair. I keep trying to tell her how much money people pay to have curls like hers and she thinks I am crazy.
Good luck!

By Tink on Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 05:31 pm:

Thanks. I can't wait until it's long enough to put up and have it stay up for any length of time. I can put it up and by the time we get some where I have to try to make her stand still so I can refasten everything. I use a daily conditioner after her bath each night. It's really in the morning that there is a problem. I don't blowdry it and I use a leave-in conditioner with a wide-toothed comb. I wonder if she cries now, even though it's gotten easier because she is just so used to it hurting. I know it would be easier if I gave her a bath in the morning but I don't think I can make it work. Thanks again

By Amyk on Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 06:06 pm:

Hey Tina -

I also grew up with very curly thick hair - hated it and was made fun of!~ Love it now. You may want to invest in some salon products if they work well - you wouldn't have to use much. I suggest: Rusk Smoother leave-in conditioner and L'Anza Smoother (fights frizz)

Also, how about wetting her hair down with a spray bottle in the morning - adding leave-in conditioner, and then combing thru?

Good luck.

Amy

By Claire on Friday, May 14, 2004 - 03:41 pm:

My youngest has VERY curly hair and the sauve conditioner works the best on her as well.

By Coopaveryben on Friday, May 14, 2004 - 10:36 pm:

My niece has very curly hair, if you stretch it out her hair comes to her waist but it curls so much it is about 2 inches below her shoulders.

We have gone through the hair brushing thing for years. When she was very young about 3(she's 14 now), I would hold out my hand and tell her we needed to sprinkle the "no hurt Powder" and I would pretend to sprinkle it all over her head and then spray it with detangler from JOhnson and Johnson (but when you wash it make sure you use a strong conditioner). I would very very carefully brush it and try to talk to her like she was in a "beauty" shop. She would go for it everytime. I would always put hair gel in it too to keep it from frizzing.

By Bellajoe on Saturday, May 15, 2004 - 06:16 pm:

My dd's hair is straight but used to be very tangled even just after her bath using shampoo and conditioner. We just got this Loreal kids shampoo 2 in one, it's "fast drying" it works wonders! Its in a yellow bottle. I don't even care about the "fast drying" part, but combing her hair after her bath is SO easy now! Its so smooth and silky! Anyway, like i said, she doesn't have curly hair but it does work with the tangles so i thought i would suggest it.

By Karen~admin on Thursday, July 20, 2006 - 07:50 am:

Thread was spammed 07-20-06