Hair Care

How to safely blow dry your child’s natural hair

My youngest daughter is 4 years old and has never had heat applied to her hair. After seeing her older sister get her hair blow dried, she wanted me to do the same to her hair.

I was a little apprehensive about it because she really didn’t need it, but, if she was willing to sit through the process then I would give it a shot.

Preparing hair for blow drying

I recently purchased a new blow dryer after seeing another popular Youtuber blow dry their daughter’s 4C hair quickly and with ease. (Yes, I am one of those people that impulse buys and likes shiny new toys). After seeing how quickly she was able to dry her hair, I was sold!

Once I received it in the mail, from Amazon of course, I couldn’t wait to test it out.

Before blow drying my daughter’s hair, I had to make sure that I protected it properly in order to minimize heat damage. Here’s what I did:

1. Section hair into 3-6 large sections

This part was easy because her previous style was already parted into three sections, so I just used those as a guide and clipped each section into place. If your child’s hair isn’t already sectioned, use your fingers or a rat tail comb to part the hair into sections.

2. Cleanse hair thoroughly

There are a lot of great cleansing shampoos for kids with natural hair available that will do the job. You will have to find one that works for your child’s hair type. I personally like to keep it simple and use a homemade Apple Cider Vinegar & Tea Tree Rinse from our DIY Natural Hair Recipe Book.

3. Detangle hair using a cheap conditioner with a lot of slip

I use Herbal Essences Hello Hydration because it’s cheap and makes it easy to detangle her hair without tears. Even though hair is already sectioned, I split those sections into even smaller sections when detangling to prevent damage. Once the section is detangled I double strand twist it and clip it out of the way.

4. Deep Condition

This step is crucial! Deep conditioning hair before blow drying strengthens, softens and moisturizes the hair strands. I use a homemade Super Mayo Deep Conditioning Treatment but you can use your favorite deep conditioner.

5. Partially Dry the hair

After my daughter’s hair has been properly washed, detangled and deep conditioned, I cover her hair with a t-shirt. The t-shirt removes excess water and keeps hair from dripping when blow drying.

How to Blow Dry Your Child’s Hair

Now, you are ready to blow dry her hair! Check out this quick and easy to follow tutorial on how I blow dry my four year old daughter’s natural hair without heat damage.

Products used:

Wild Growth Hair Oil: https://amzn.to/2M8rQqS
This is to protect her hair from heat damage.

All in One Hair Dryer and Styler by Hot Shot Tools: https://amzn.to/2LMUwZo
I’ve used it 4 times already and I’m in love with this dryer. It cuts my drying time in half.

All in One Hair Dryer -VS- other hair dryers

When it comes to hair dryers, I’ve probably tried them all. This All in One Hair Dryer was hands down the best out of all of them. It cut my drying time in half and my four year old really enjoyed the experience. It seriously was the best $50 I’ve ever spent.

Some things to note:

This hair dryer gets HOT if used on the highest setting. Blow dry your child’s hair in sections to prevent it from overheating. I’ve never had issues with it over heating, but that’s probably because I blow dry her hair in sections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to blow dry your child’s hair?

It is absolutely safe to blow dry your child’s hair provided you protect and prepare the hair for blow drying. Making sure the hair is properly washed, detangled, deep conditioned, and sealed with a heat protectant will ensure that it doesn’t get damaged during the blow drying process.

Should you blow dry your child’s hair?

The choice is really up to you. Some parents have found that blow drying their child’s natural hair makes it easier to style and maintain. Other’s blow dry their child’s hair in order to press it with a flat iron. Regardless of the reason, you should always make sure to protect their hair using the steps below to minimize damage.

We don’t recommend blow drying your child’s hair if they are younger than 4 years of age.

Is there a way to straighten my child’s hair without using heat?

There are many alternative ways to straighten their hair without heat using the banding method or curlformers.