How to Moisturize Your Child’s Natural Hair When It’s In a Protective Style

Picture this. You’re deep in the detangling process of doing your child’s hair. Your child may be squirming uncontrollably or, gasp, tender headed, and it’s making the process go a lot longer than expected. We’ve all been there! But you made it though and somehow managed to get your precious one’s hair into some beautiful twists or braids. Ah, relief. Now what? The next step is for you to maintain the health of your child’s hair by keeping it moisturized. You didn’t think the process was over did you? Just because you have your child’s hair in a protective style does not mean that you still don’t have to keep it conditioned. So here are some tips on how to moisturize your child’s hair while it’s in braids or twists.

Spray Bottles Are Your Friend

The first thing you’re going to want to do is purchase a spray bottle. Fill the spray bottle with water and a couple of drops of a leave-in conditioner. Any leave-in conditioner will do. The key is to make sure you have more water than you do conditioner. You want to do this for two reasons. One, having it in a liquid format will allow you to spray easier. Think about it. If you have a thick concoction in the bottle, you won’t exactly be able to spritz. And two, you don’t want to leave thick substances in your child’s hair because you could risk increasing build up on their hair and scalp. Once you’ve got your mixture, you may also want to add a few of your favorite essential oils or glycerin to the mix. Experiment to find out what works best for your child’s hair.

Moisture Often

Now that you’ve got the perfect moisturizing mix, you want to be sure to spray your child’s hair and scalp often. We recommend doing this every other day, or daily if your child is particularly prone to dry hair. Lightly spritz the braids/twists and gently work into the sections of the hair. Do not do this roughly, as you don’t want to disturb the curl pattern of the hair in the protective style. Lightly spritz the scalp and give your baby a gentle massage. It’s super relaxing and they’re going to love it!

Seal The Hair

After you’ve adequately moisturized their locks, you should apply a light coating of oil. The oil helps to seal in the moisture. Stick to light and odorless oils like coconut oil, grape seed or jojoba oil. Depending upon your child’s needs, you may want to utilize a heavier oil like olive oil, but we caution against it. If you do, take care to use the lightest amount possible, as the olive oil can significantly weigh the hair down and clog pores. We also strongly advise against using any heavy oil with an odor like castor oil. The smell is potent and if you put on your child’s hair, the smell may magnify since they aren’t able to wash their scalp.

A protective style can be a great aid in helping your child’s hair to grow, but it shouldn’t be a substitute for maintenance. Remember that protective styles should only be kept in the child’s hair for a few weeks at a time. We promise that if you moisture and seal on a regular basis, then your dear loved one will have beautiful locks that they can be proud of for many years to come. Happy growing!