Kindergarten is a big deal for our little ones, and Lord knows its a big deal for parents because it is the first time our babies are venturing out into the world on their own.
Of course, it isn’t that dramatic but I have a three yr old and I am not ashamed to say I will be a mess that day and I am sure he will be just fine and excited to go (SMH)
A few vloggers/bloggers have been sharing the hair routines of their little girls and I have noticed one important thing that I want to share with you here. They keep things simple! Here are my top 5 tips for mommies who have little princesses headed to Kindergarten.
1. Long term styling during the week
My approach to styling is always with recess in mind, that period of the day when free play is their top priority and our children’s hair start to unravel out of control.
Twists for a large proportion of the week, corn rows or braids are all great options for the little ones. For the first 4 days, she can wear her braids with little barrettes and all you have to do is style the front and the edges to keep the hair neat.
On Thursday or Friday, you can unravel the twists or braids for a neat bun or twist out because than likely Saturday or Sunday is wash day anyway.
I have written about the LOC method before here. This is a great way to keep your kindergartner’s hair moisturized during her weekly protective style.
Start out on clean hair and to moisturize use a great liquid leave in first, then a healthy oil, (Olive oil, coconut oil) and follow up with a cream last. If you must use a styler, use a creamy styler so that you do not have to use a 4th product as you do the braids or twists.
3. Work on stretched hair
If your child has hair that tends to shrink and you want to be able to make buns or ponytails using her twists or braids then stretch her hair on wash day. Use the tension method to stretch or set her hair in bands (the banding method) to keep the hair stretched for styling.
Once the hair is stretched, use the LOC method to moisturize the hair and then do the twists or braids.
4. Invest in cute bows and headbands
Bows, barrettes, and headbands can help you to keep the style looking great as your child gets through her week. Purchase only accessories that are gentle on her hair and that do not cause any sort of tension or discomfort.
5. Maintain her parts
This is a neat little trick that many of us use when we do our own simple protective styles. If you typically separate the hair in six using clean straight lines, maintain those parts for weeks at a time. This makes things easier for detangling, for washing and for styling.
Watch this video to see what I mean:
Obviously, this is a video showing an adult but the technique can easily be applied to your little princess.
Finally, I wanted to show you this video that was done on little Yoshidoll by mom Ellarie. Yoshi just started Kindergarten and this is how mom is maintaining her hair weekly:
Product recommendations
1. As I Am Double Butter Rich Daily Moisturizer
2. Carol’s Daughter, Mimosa Hair Honey
3. Shea Moisture Mango & Carrot Kids Shampoo and Conditioner Set
4. Oils — Coconut oil, Olive oil
Click here for a simple spray bottle recipe that you can use on your little one as well, for hair growth and moisture.
If you want to watch Yoshi’s entire vlog for her first week back to school, click play below:
For an even more comprehensive guide on child hair care, please do not hesitate to pick up our new digital guide below:
Great article! Any tips on maintaining hair for kids between the ages of 1 and 4?
Thank you Elle, I will do a separate post for babies but my advice is to keep it simple with very little ones because their hair tends to be very fine and most times very porous (doesn’t hold moisture well) — use a gentle shampoo to keep the scalp clean, a little conditioner, a healthy natural oil and protective styles, little twists or braids depending on how long the hair is. Your top priority is to keep the scalp clean and the hair soft.
I would definitely love tips for a 1 year old. Especially products that can be used on their hair.
Hello Tina, I am not a fan of using a ton of product on baby so you just need a few things. A great gentle shampoo I used the shea moisture kids line for my little one when he was one. I loved how gentle the shampoo is and he had cradle cap so I had to remove it quite often. They also have conditioner, you do not need alot. Then use oil last to seal in the moisture, Olive oil, coconut oil or even raw shea butter are all, all natural and keeps babys hair soft.!
Hi! What are you putting in her hair when you do the twists?
She is using As I Am Butter — Click the links in the article you will see what it looks like!
So informative! Thank you!! I am a white mom and my 8 yr old daughter is mixed. Can you recommend a product line. I read what you write in the article. I want to try coconut oil. I buy products, but it’s trial and error and I really don’t have a regimen that’s great for her. Help! Please!
Hello Dina, it is so important to have a regimen and techniques that work so that you are not just trying a bunch of stuff. There is an article I wrote for another blog about mixed children, it had a complete regimen — check it out here –>http://www.blackhairinformation.com/beginners/finding_a_regimen/the-ultimate-guide-to-taking-care-of-your-mixed-childs-hair/
I have a 2 ur old daughter who has very tight coils when hair is dry. When wet it stretches down her back and I try to do twist but after it drys again severe shrinkage. What can I use to keep her hair a nice stretched length after twist or style after wash?
That can be difficult, but there are ways to stretch her hair!You can add bands along the length of the hair as it dries. (the banding method) — You can stretch the twists by pinning them to the opposite side of her head as the style dries, so the left twists are pinned to the right side as far as they can stretch and the right twists are stretched to the left side (I hope that makes sense). Another method is African threading which is easy if you know how to do it, look up African threading on Youtube to get an example.
Hope that helps hon
Em
My 3 yr old grand daughter has mix textured curly hair. When it dries part of the curls underneath are somewhat tight but the rest are semi curled . We tend to stick with the same style and use Hawaiian silky as it works really good with her hair. I need some ides on styles but I don’t want her having to sit still for a long period of time plus her hair starts curling making it difficult to work with. Any suggestions
Hello Carolyn, for styles where she doesn’t have to sit for very long, I would suggest, double buns, or pigtails — With young children keeping things simple is always best, sometimes you can keep the same style but add different accessories that can make it seem as if you are changing the style. I am going to do a post today with a few style tutorials for little girls, come back and check it out. 🙂
Kymberly