my toddler son's curly hair routine

 

Y'all my toddler son has the most beautiful curls in the world and he has no idea. We have had a lot of trial and error to find what works for him, both with his routine and products. 

For context, his dad is Black and I am white with naturally curly hair and he has three distinct curl patterns in his hair. As someone who grew up hating their curls, it's important to me that my kids feel confident about their hair and know how to care for it. Here is our routine:

@lhtempleton sharing my toddler's curly hair care routine - it's taken some trial and error but this is what works for us. remember the key is to keep it moisturized! we love @Mixed Chicks Hair and @SheaMoisture products for him. #ftm #curlyhair #curlyhairtutorial #curlscheck #toddlerhair #toddlerhairtutorials #biracialhaircare #fyp #mixedkidshair #curlyhairtips ♬ original sound - Lindsay Templeton

Wash Day

While he takes a bath every night, we wash his hair once a week. Minimizing washes is important to not dry out his curls. He HATES getting his hair washed in the tub, and this suggestion from a friend to lay him out on the counter and wash his hair in the sink while Ms. Rachel distracts him on the phone has been a game changer. 

First we shampoo with a sulfate free shampoo. We use this Shea Moisture shampoo. 

After I thoroughly rinse out the shampoo, I apply this Deep Conditioner from Mixed Chicks, comb his hair, let it set for a few minutes, then rinse it out. 

Next I squeeze excess water from his hair and apply a small amount of this Mixed Chicks Leave-in conditioner (sample size here) comb, and let his hair air dry.

All in this takes less than 10 minutes and my son spends the entire time enchanted by Ms. Rachel. 

Non Wash Days

As part of his morning routine I wet his hair with a spray bottle (when he's in a bad mood about it I let him spray my hair first, he also enjoys spraying himself in the face 🤷‍♀️). 

Once his hair is wet I spray this Mixed Chicks Detangler all over, then apply this Cantu leave-in conditioner to the drier textured spots in his hair. Then I comb through his hair and let it air dry. 

Realistically we get to this 3 days/week. Mornings can get chaotic, toddlers have tantrums, and in this season of life nothing is going to be 100%. 

About the products 

I prefer using a wide tooth comb because it's easier and less painful on tangles.

While you can buy Mixed Chicks products from Target and Wal-Mart, I prefer buying directly from the Mixed Chicks site because they offer sample sizes of everything which is CRUCIAL when trial-and-erroring multiple textures in a kid's hair, and every order comes with a bag of free samples (bonus is that some products that don't work for my son do work for me). Shipping is fast and they have a points system that gets you discounts.

Dos and Don'ts

Curly hair takes trial and error, and it takes time to figure it out. I always get the smallest possible sizes to try, and think of the process as data collection. 

It's ok to feel frustrated, but we need to watch how we express this around our kids because it's not ok for them to feel bad about their hair because we are frustrated.

If you see kids whose hair is similar in texture to your child's, ASK the parents what they use! We're all in this together and happy to help!

Our goal is to retain moisture- that's what makes the curls so shiny and bouncy and prevents itchy/flaky scalps. 

NEVER brush your child's hair dry.

For tangles make sure their hair is nice and wet with plenty of detangler/cream and start with a small section of hair. Hold it at the base of the scalp, and comb starting at the very end of the section. Keep a grip on the base of their hair to keep from pulling on their scalp - curly headed kids can have tender scalps.

If they say it hurts, you don't need to power through. Take a break. Try smaller sections of hair. Let them know you believe them (avoid "it's not that bad").  

Use distractions: toys, screen time, books, whatever you need.