Children's Hair Care

In terms of major differences between a child's hair, when compared to that of an adult's hair, there are not too many differences where basic hair care is concerned. However, one issue that tends to be more prominent with children's hair is that their hair is typically more greasy than that of an adults.

This is largely a problem with children's hair before they reach puberty. This being said, children often need to wash their hair once a day, especially if they spend a great deal of time playing outside. The environment can cause dirt and grease to build up in their hair and can be an uncomfortable situation for your child.

Basic Children's Hair Care Tips

While most hair care is almost identical to adult's, there are some special things you need to consider with a child's hair. Follow these basic tips to help your child develop good cleaning habits.

1. Always wash hair using a mild shampoo, especially with younger children. Tear-free shampoo contains a chemical called Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, which limits eye and skin irritation. This is a vital component to baby shampoo. While young children can be instructed to keep their eyes closed when shampooing, infants will not understand these instructions.

2. When applying conditioner to longer hair, be sure to condition only the hair below the ears, not the scalp.

3. If there are tangles in your child's hair, detangle before washing using a comb or detangling spray. Using a wide-tooth comb, brush out the tangles beginning at the bottom of the hair and working your way back towards the scalp. If your child is in pain, hold the hair tight when combing to lessen pulling at the scalp.

4. The old myth of brushing your hair 100 strokes a day can actually be harmful to your scalp. Excessive brushing can cause glands in your child's scalp to secrete even more oil than normal, resulting in overly greasy hair. If hair is dry, use a brush; if it's wet, use a comb. Using a comb on wet hair gives it a healthy shine and minimizes possible breaks and split ends.

5. Oily hair is not oily hair at all, but an oily scalp. To reduce oil on your child's scalp, try to reduce the amount of times each week you wash your child's hair and only apply conditioner to the lower half of long hair, not the scalp itself. With excessively oily hair, you can apply talcum powder to the roots to help dry the scalp.

6. Shampoos that add "shine" to hair will actually add more oils, which is problematic for those with oily hair.

Dry Hair Care Tips

Dry children's hair will have a crunchy feel and look brittle and is caused by a variety of factors, including inactive oil glands and genetics. One of the best ways to alleviate the effects of dry hair is to wash your hair fewer times each week, especially with teenagers' hair. Hydrating and moisturizing shampoo can also be helpful in treating dry hair.

With dry hair, blow drying can cause hair to become puffy and out of control -- children with dry hair will need to let their hair air dry or towel dry their hair rather than using a blow dryer.

If it's cold outside, make sure that your child waits until his or her hair is completely dry before going outside. Going out in cold weather with wet hair can cause it to freeze.

Although popular, electric hair straighteners can cause significant damage to dry hair. Also harmful to hair are harsh chemicals found in relaxers, hair colors, perms, and other dyes. Avoid chemicals that contain peroxides or bleaches, as they can result in split ends and brittle hair.

Finally, children with dry hair must pay careful attention to their locks during the summer. If swimming in a chlorinated pool, it's best to use extra conditioner in your hair before entering, and take a shower in fresh water after leaving the pool.