Baby / Toddler (Child) Hair Care‏

Ok,

Back, Once Again;

ThaBadbrey Cosmetologist Says;
The question you may have alluding to where I have been will be answered in the next sentence. I haven’t had a lot of time on my hands as of late, and have thus been unable to “scribe” the usual Hair Care Updates, as I have done so in the past, on a regular basis.

At this point, I feel that it is necessary for me to state that it is not my intention to forcefully influence you into completely altering your hair care practises which would, in turn, liken ThaBadbrey Cosmetologist to some type of dictatorial governmental body who forcibly imposes their will upon the people like a mandatory military conscription. Instead, I only seek to enlighten you to the many useful facts that exist within the world of “Good Hair Care Practises” of which are the very building blocks that contribute massively to a healthy head of hair. As far as I am aware, these tools have been tried and tested over many years of research (and development via trial and error) carried out by a vast amount of individuals within the “Black Hair Care Community” on a global scale.

Anyway, now that the pleasantry introduction (Or Re-Introduction…as it were) has been uttered (Or shall I say..I mean write rather and more to the point …Written, above in the previous paragraph), let me get straight to the point….No Long Ting………..Rude boy.

This edition is more geared toward those of you who may find yourself in a position where you’re responsible for the well being of a small child, be they a baby, toddler or even older. With regards to the hair ‘pon the young individuals “head-top”, it is important to take the same special care of the hair strands, as well as the scalp, as you would your own. This includes the usual moisture that is vital for the hair and scalp as well as the pre-requisite of keeping it clean. This aids the scalp in maintaining the growth of each strand at the optimum rate of regeneration as each is elongated via further editions of themselves from the root.

As you may or may have not noticed, most childrens hair seems to grow extremely fast. In my view, their hair grows at the rate that it is suppose to grow due to the combination of a two main internal as well as external factors.

1. They, unlike most adults, do not constantly manipulate and/or re-style their hair on a regular basis via the use of potentially destructive processes IE-: Heat, (Curling Tongs, Blow Drying, Flat Ironing), Chemical Treatment (Un-Natural Lye or No Lye Relaxers, Un-Natural Colour Treatments which contain Harmful Chemicals….etc). Their hair is usually kept in a protective low manipulation style such as Cane/Corn Rows or Plaits for relatively long periods until an adult, usually the parent, feels the need to re-style it. This low manipulation regime allows the hair to grow and thrive naturally as intended to do so by design.

2. Again. unlike most of us, they have not yet been present within this world long enough to have been POISONED by the various harmful artificial additives and preservatives present within the food we eat, the water that we are supplied and even the air that we breath. They are therefore, in most cases, healthier than most of us adults who have mostly been POISONED by the so-called civilised lifestyle practises adopted by most individuals within mainstream western society.

Now,

The usual developmental path (if you could call it that , although the choice of words is highly oxymoronic within this context) would be that as the child gets older and slowly becomes poisoned both physically, via the channels already mentioned above, as well as mentally with regard to how they think that their hair should look based upon the ideals they are bombarded with by the mainstream media, the health of their hair begins to dwindle until they become the all to familiar typical black adult who exhibits “Bad Hair Care Practises”.

However, before this happens, you, yes YOU, can step in at this tender stage and ensure that you are doing all you can to ensure that their hair STAYS within good health tolerances.

This includes;

Keeping the scalp clean

It is recommended that baby’s as well as toddlers have their hair Co-washed (Washing the hair using conditioner only) with a gentle pH balanced conditioner rather than using shampoo as most are WAY too harsh upon a young scalp and may lead to excessive dryness after each wash. If the latter is to be utilised, it is recommended that it is only adopted in practise once the child reaches the age of about 4 to 5 years, and even then, it should be a gentle sulphate free shampoo that SHOULD be applied.

Keeping the Hair and Scalp Moisturised

After washing conditioning and drying has taken place, as I have covered in previous emails, it is important to keep the hair and scalp pH balanced and moisturised.  I recommend this, prior to styling, via the utilisation of Purified or Distilled pH balanced (4.5 – 5.5) water (usually diluted with Organic Aloe Vera Juice or Organic Apple Cider Vinegar)  applied using a spray bottle. This should then be followed up with an oil of choice (Extra Virgin Coconut Oil “EVCO” or Extra Virgin Olive Oil “EVOO” or Cold Pressed Virgin Avocado Oil…etc) applied to the whole head, with special regard given to the “Ends” as a means to seal in the moisture that you have just applied. This process can be re-touched up at any time after the initial styling process at various intervals as and when YOU feel it is necessary to do so based upon the look and feel of the child’s hair throughout the day (or night). In other words “If the hair looks and/or feels dry, spray and seal that ‘head-top’ A.S.A.P.”

Also during the summer months, it is advisable for children to protect there hair from the sun via the utilisation of a hat or by coating the hair with a protective natural sunscreen such as Shea butter or Cocoa butter. This will stop the sun from drying and/or, in some cases, BURNING the hair.

Reducing the amount of Breakage

It is almost impossible to reduce the level of breakage to zero. Especially with children as they like to play and have fun doing all sorts of madness which usually involves their hair coming into contact with harsh and abrasive materials that may be too rough upon the already fragile hairs upon their heads. Whilst breakage can not be eliminated completely, there are measures that can be adopted to reduce this far too well known phenomena.

We are all familiar with the issue of babys and toddlers who have thinning hair or, in some cases, a bald spot at the back of their heads (or as I call it “Ball-Patch-Head-Back Syndrome”). Although most don’t realise, the cause and solution are relatively straight forward in explanation. Babys and toddlers spend a large majority of their time sleeping, usually upon their backs. This is where their “Head-Backs” come into contact with harsh or abrasive materials that may contribute to breakage and thinning hair within that region. One solution is to wrap their heads in a Satin Head wrap whilst they sleep and the soft material will reduce breakage throughout the whole head as well as the back area.

I am, however, aware that this may be completely impractical for many young children as children tend to pull things of of their heads if it feels like it shouldn’t be or doesn’t belong there. In this case, the alternative method of solution would be to cover the child’s sleeping area with bed clothes that are made entirely of a soft satin material inclusive of bed sheets, duvae covers and pillow cases. This can also be applied to the childs seating situations. IE-: in the car or upon a chair where the material on the back of the seating apparatus may be too abrasive for the hair upon the child’s head. In this instance, the satin material can be placed between the abrasive material and the child’s head. This would assist in the reduction of childhood breakage significantly.

Additionally, when combing the hair, it is advisable not to comb or brush the delicate edges or nape area but to use your fingers instead. If a brush is used, ensure that the bristles are extremely soft in a tactile sense. Similarly, any comb used should be wide in the tooth area. Narrow tooth combs are the main culprits of childhood breakage and parents are usually the ones who, unbeknownst to them, administer the all to brutal treatment of the already delicate hair strands possessed by those of us who have been blessed with textured hair.

In Conclusion

I have seen, in my experience, that most adults with young children have a somewhat faint idea of how to properly care for the hair of their child, but it always seems to deteriorate at some point during the process. This is usually due to the fact that “Bad Hair Care Practises” are usually passed down from generation to generation, but at long last, I can see an improvement.

We seem to be in the midst of a “Good Hair Care Revolution”. Almost En masse (in partial thanks to the digital and instant information age or era we now live in) , black people seem to be returning to their ancient roots and re-Realising how to take good care of their hair. Hopefully, this trend will filter across to all who have textured hair and hopefully, very soon in the near future, I wont have to cringe everytime I see a beautiful black women with a badly styled weave that has been GLUED into her “Head-Top”.

Yours Truly

ThaBadbrey Cosmetologist !

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