BKT for children

[lusciousladie07]

WTH? She needs to braid the child's head up and keep it moving.
First, thats way to much to spend on a 4 year old's head.
Second, the fact that she is willing to do it speaks volumes about her common sense (she has none)
Third, What will happen to her hair when that girls plays and sweats it out? I know when i was little.. i would leave looking nice and come home looking a hot mess! Thats what kids do. Thats not going to last no 4-6 months.

And that stylist is a evil money hungry person to expose children to that type of chemical and fumes just to make more money. No shame
50% special my arse!

Little girls dont need to have bone straight hair. She just needs to wash/condition in plaits, Take each section, lightly blow it out, braid it up and keep on trucking.

 

[SummerSolstice]

poor baby.

 

[ms.blue]

Just because something is natural doesn't make it safe. If adults have to wear face mask to reduce the amount of fumes being inhaled and it still cause reactions why expose that to a child especially the fumes may cause scars in the lungs leading into breathing problems. Also $175 is too much to spend on a child's head let alone some adult won't even spend that much on their head. Just put some braids on the child head and leave it alone.

 

[soulfusion]

ITA with luscious lady. That or a relaxer wouldn't even be under consideration if it were me. That is so unecessary. If she knows nothing else about hair care, I would think she's familiar with grease, water, & a brush. Goodness!

 

[Chameleonchick]

Please advise her not to. When I did my first BKT even with the mask I felt like I was in the gas chamber at basic training.

 

[BostonMaria]

Her rationale for considering it is this:

1. She really doesn't know much about it. Her stylist told her about it and told her it was 100% natural
2. Her daughter is 4 and has extremely thick coily hair which she is struggling to maintain and manage. They both end up crying by the end of the hair session (mother and daughter)
3. The stylist told her she has done this on a young child before and it is safe
4. She won't have to touch up the child's head for 4 to 6 months
5. She won't have to mess with hot combs either

I hear what you're saying, but it sounds to me like she will need to learn how to take care of her daughter's hair. A chemical at the age of 4 can't be the only answer.

Here is a GREAT website for little girl's with afro-textured hair
http://beadsbraidsbeyond.blogspot.com/

She might be using the wrong techniques or products on her daughter. I wish her well.

 

[30something]

Thats too much money to spend on a 4 year old for hair. The traditional 4 year old hair style is so much safer, cuter, and cheaper. Besides the same old same old straight hair on a little kid argument like why would you even want a BKT for a 4 year old. Maybe she thinks it safer than a perm.. or she wants it to be semi perm?

 

[laurend]

Her rationale for considering it is this:

1. She really doesn't know much about it. Her stylist told her about it and told her it was 100% natural
2. Her daughter is 4 and has extremely thick coily hair which she is struggling to maintain and manage. They both end up crying by the end of the hair session (mother and daughter)
3. The stylist told her she has done this on a young child before and it is safe
4. She won't have to touch up the child's head for 4 to 6 months
5. She won't have to mess with hot combs either

Why don't you show her what to do. I showed my girlfriend, she thought her daughter hair was so kinky and unmanageable. The girl's hair was so easy to detangle. Now my girlfriend has not problems with it and her daughter's hair is thriving.

 

[Foxglove]

Also http://www.happygirlhair.com/

 

[Blessed2bless]

No never! my girls are 14 and 17 they are still in braids (naturals).... no chemi's for them until they are older enough to decide. As for now... I'm the decision maker. I've had the bkt and the fumes are to strong for me! I would never expose those fumes to my baby's...

 

[doll-baby]

Aren't BKT fumes cancer causing ? This is what's preventing me from trying it .

 

[NIN4eva]

smh.

 

[Nasdaq_Diva]

This is really disturbing. BKT is still up in the air when it comes to long term effects correct. That baby...is too young to be getting any sort of chemical process in her hair. And her stylist should be ashamed of herself for even offering that type of service to a child.

I really hope your friend goes through another alternative to care for her daughters hair. Pay someone to braid it up..and put beads in it or something..let that baby be a little girl.. A salon, surrounded by chemicals, fumes, etc is no place for a toddler imo.

 

[Ediese]

I've had it done, and wouldn't recommend it for a 4 yr old. Even with the fan blowing, my chest burned a little and my eyes were watering.

 

[addaboutmyhair]

I have a friend who is considering the BKT for her 4-year old daughter. Her hair stylist is the only one in her area who offers this service and trying to convince her to do it for her daughter.

Thoughts?

I love BKT, I do it myself. And I still absolutely would never do it on or near a child. Those fumes are no joke.

 

[mzsophisticated26]

why wont she just get it hot combed,coconut cream relaxer, braided or something.. I have learned my lesson with listening to a stylist about what to put on my childs hair. I used the JFM texture softner based on feedback from my stylist never again.

 

[LadyPBC]

I agree - not the best idea. But ... I too was once a client who believed anything my stylist would tell me (he/she is the expert right?) and if the mother is having those kinds of struggles and is at her wit's end of course what the stylist says sounds like the perfect remedy. Her only hesitation is probably the cost. The stylist has cut the cost in half, says its all natural, says she's tried it on a child before without problems - of course the mommy is looking for some relief for her child. I'm so glad she is discussing this with the OP - you can give her some alternatives to try. Best wishes to the mommy and her daughter!

 

[NerdSauce]

Im not opposed to BKTing at all but i have to say a huge HECK NAW when it comes to ANY chemical processes on children, especially under the age of 12/13 or so.

 

[belldandy]

Her rationale for considering it is this:

1. She really doesn't know much about it. Her stylist told her about it and told her it was 100% natural
2. Her daughter is 4 and has extremely thick coily hair which she is struggling to maintain and manage. They both end up crying by the end of the hair session (mother and daughter)
3. The stylist told her she has done this on a young child before and it is safe
4. She won't have to touch up the child's head for 4 to 6 months
5. She won't have to mess with hot combs either

I don't care how you slice it, its a dumb idea and borderline selfish!

What is so wrong with braiding it up? If its so kinky maybe a mild yogurt or coconut milk treatment. will this madness ever end?

 

[belldandy]

This thread is actually upsetting me!
What is next, sew-in weaves for four year old because we "just cant manage to deal with the kinky hair" !
ok let me take a breath....wooooosaaaaaa

 

[me-T]

i do bkt, and if i had a daughter, she'd be natural until high school.

 

[SweetSpirit86]

I understand Mom's frustration, but please talk her out of it. Show her the children's hair thread on here, and refer her to the websites BostonMaria linked. She's probably at her wits end because she doesn't know what to do, and it may help her to see better ways to approach her child's hair. Harsh chemicals like that should never be used on a child. I don't even think that gap in their skull is completely closed at the age of four.

 

[ms.blue]

This thread is actually upsetting me!
What is next, sew-in weaves for four year old because we "just cant manage to deal with the kinky hair" !
ok let me take a breath....wooooosaaaaaa

It has been done before. I even seen a child maybe 2 or 3 yrs old wearing a gold stud nose ring just like her mama.

 

[lovenharmony]

One word...NO.

 

[Renovating]

I say no too. You might as well perm the child if you're going to bkt. I'm not anti-bkt in general, but based on what I've read, the fumes are just too strong for a child.

 

[belldandy]

Futhermore, it would probably be much cheaper for her to pay someone to braid the little girl's hair up every 3-4 weeks than doing a bkt.

We need a Public service announcement. Why the heck does a little girl need straight hair?

 

[belldandy]

It has been done before. I even seen a child maybe 2 or 3 yrs old wearing a gold stud nose ring just like her mama.

Today, I cried.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I just came in to tell Belldandy that she has been holding it DOWN in this thread.

Kinky hair is only difficult if you don't bother to figure out how to handle it.

Can little girls be little girls for a second?? Slap some neat twists and braids in there and call it a day....it doesn't have to be fancy.

Folks are trippin for real. Slappin relaxers and BKT's full of fumes too strong for grown folk on a baby's head

You have to ask if thats a good idea???? Seriously????

I am too through.

 

[Lola Laughs]

This thread is actually upsetting me!
What is next, sew-in weaves for four year old because we "just cant manage to deal with the kinky hair" !
ok let me take a breath....wooooosaaaaaa

Grown folks can do what they want, but I get irate with ish like this.

I haven't seen the sew-ins on girls that young, but I have seen plenty of baby girls, barely walking, getting box braid extensions at the shop where my DDs get cornrows. SMDH.

 

[Pat Mahurr]

Oh, the stylist is running a 50% off special from $350 to $175 for limited time only.

Yikes!

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, but BKT is not smart for a 4 year old.

If the hair situation is that stressful for both of them, I think your friend should cut her DD's hair to a TWA (I'm serious) and spend that $175 doing something they'd both enjoy, like reading or tee ball or something.

They'll both be less stressed. The mom can then take her time to learn how to take care of natural hair before her DD's TWA grows out. (Provided the mom is not simply adverse to her DD's natural hair anyway...)