Shampoos and Conditioners
When To Deep Condition Your Child’s Hair
Lack of moisture is usually one of the top reasons why most adult naturalistas can grow their hair. The same issue could be the reason why your child isn’t able to retain any of their length. Moisture is a key component to natural hair care and optimal hair growth and health. But sometimes, there are times when the regular methods like water, oil and cream (AKA the L.O.C. Method) don’t do the trick. Sometimes you need a heavy-duty moisture situation and that’s where deep conditioners come in.
Why
There will be tell tale signs of when you should deep condition your child’s hair. But if you’re noticing that your young one is experiencing an excessive amount of breakage, or their hair seems to be drier than normal despite regular moisturizing efforts, then it may be time to incorporate a deep conditioning practice. Even if your child is not experiencing any of these issues, it’s best to stay proactive and deep condition. Deep conditioning helps keep the hair soft and shiny.
When
In terms of how often, well that totally depends on your child’s hair, as every head of hair is different. But ideally, you should incorporate deep conditioning anywhere from twice a month to once a week. You can look at your child’s hair type to determine which method is best. Monitor your child’s hair from week to week. Start off with once a month. If notice that your child’s hair tends to drink up moisture, then you may want to increase the amount of deep conditioning treatments. Use your best judgment.
How
There are many ways to deep condition your child’s hair, and the method you choose may depend upon the age, hair type of the child or your child’s personality overall. In terms of the type of conditioners, you have 2 choices: store bought or DIY. If you choose the store bought option, look for conditioners that don’t contain large amounts of alcohol, which can be drying. If you opt to make your own deep conditioner, try mixing honey, coconut milk, olive oil, or mayonnaise. Mix about ¼ of coconut milk or mayonnaise with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and honey to make your own healthy treatment. There are some really great DIY recipes in our DIY Natural Hair Recipe Book.
Step One: Soak your child’s hair with water and section the hair off into 4 – 6 smaller sections. If your child’s hair was styled in ponytails then use those sections.
Step Two: Cleanse your little one’s hair with a moisturizing shampoo. Take down one section at a time and wash thoroughly. Rinse hair completely once you have finished shampooing.
Step Three: Apply the deep conditioner generously to the sections of hair, working from root to tip making sure to coat every strand.
Step Four: Secure the hair under a shower cap or a plastic bag.
Step Five: Allow the conditioner to sit for 15-30 minutes, with 30 minutes being the ideal. Incorporate heat, so the conditioner can be better absorbed. Either use a blow dryer on a low heat setting or sit them underneath a hooded dryer 15 – 20 minutes, or as long as your child will allow.
Step Six: Do a cold-water rinse to help seal the cuticles. Rinse out all of the conditioner with cool water.
Step Seven: Style the hair. Viola. You’re done.
Whatever you do, don’t skip the deep conditioning process. It’s vital to the success of healthy natural hair. If you’re little ones have trouble keeping still, you could always deep condition prior to actually washing the hair. You simply do the steps above, but save the shampoo and conditioning for last. It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just pick one. Happy styling!
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