Please help with daughter's hair!!

[lilchanel]

Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

My 6 year old daughter's hair is so dry and brittle. It's shoulder length. I wash it weekly, keep it greased. Nothing seems to work.

I have tried everything and I don't know what I could possibly do to make it less dry. She has an extremely dry scalp also.

It's so weird because my 5 year old's hair is just like mine, so I know exactly what works for her. Her hair is mid back length..

I never thought in a million years, I'd have to maintain 3 heads!!

Any suggestions?

 

[sassygirl125]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

Another board member had a little girl with dry hair. Check out this thread . The humidifier and diluted shampoo tips worked for my dry hair.

 

[lilchanel]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

Thanks!!

 

[Nonie]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

The first thing that came to mind is that she might need to treat her dry scalp and hair from inside out. Does she drink lots of water? I personally don't like water but will drink it in apple juice (which doesn't have added sugar yet is very sweet). So I just dilute apple juice with water and thus get my 8 glasses. Perhaps you could do the same. Also her food might be low in Omega oils. Is her skin dry too? If so, then she definitely is lacking sth in her diet that's causing the dryness and may need to up her Omega oils. Check out this link:
http://www.mercola.com/2003/dec/27/dry_skin.htm

If it's just her hair and scalp that are dry, it may be from whatever products you are using on her hair. Ammonium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate and Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulphate found in most shampoos can be harsh and drying so you might need to get something a little gentler, say one of the natural shampoos found in health food stores. Emu Oil Shampoo is said to be great for dry scalp and hair so it might be a good place to start. Here's a link to one type of this shampoo and conditioner:
http://www.healthyhairplus.com/dry_hair.htm

The other thing I noticed is you use grease on her hair. Grease doesn't moisturize hair. Water does. So whatever moisturizer you use, it should either have water as one of its ingredients, or you should apply the moisturizer to damp hair to seal in the moisture from water. I recently heard wonderful things about Shea Butter or Shea Oil. They are supposed to really soften hair. The other thing you could do is get some jojoba oil or coconut oil or avocado oil. These oils actually penetrated the hair shaft instead of just sitting on the hair and are very nourishing to the hair. After washing her hair and conditioning (For the conditioning, put a plastic cap on her head and leave the conditioner on for a while. If it's a warm day, have her sit or play in the sun with the cap on to allow the conditioner to penetrate her hair. Adding olive oil to her conditioner before applying could improve results. When you rinse her hair, use lukewarm to cool water, then apply one of the three oils I just mentioned while her hair is damp to help seal in the moisture. Then braid her hair and allow it to dry. At night apply some shea butter or oil and if she doesn't mind, have her sleep in a plastic cap or Saran wrap. Sounds crazy but I'm yet to find anything else that gives hair a perfect moisture infusion than this. If shea butter is as great as I've heard, with the plastic cap treatment, her hair should be baby soft in the morning. Softness is proof that hair is well moisturized.

A lot of us have also found that washing the hair often helps with dryness. So you could try that if it's do-able. In other words, whenever her hair feels dry, instead of layering it with grease which isn't adding moisture, give her a conditioner wash...where you wet her hair, then apply conditioner to her hair like you would shampoo, comb through and rinse. Focus on hair not scalp coz you don't want her having residue on her scalp that could cause itches. If this becomes a problem (residue) a final rinse with an apple cider vinegar solution, massaging her scalp, should help leave the scalp squeaky clean. After you rinse, while hair is still wet, apply an oil or shea butter and braid it to airdry or if it's relaxed, but it in a bun. You'll be surprised at how much better her hair will be with added water (moisture) and regular conditioning.

If you decide to give her supplements for the omega oils, do a search for kid vitamins and you should find fish oil pills that have safe amounts for kids.

HTH

 

[lilchanel]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

Wow! Thanks so much for all the great information!!

She does have very dry skin. She has Eczema really bad in the winter months. I have tried giving her cod liver oil but she hates the taste of it..she gets sick on the stomach..LOL I have to make her drink water! All she wants is juice, juice, juice!

I am going to try some of these tips and I will give you an update! Thanks again!

 

[Allandra]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

[ QUOTE ]
lilchanel said:
I wash it weekly, keep it greased.

[/ QUOTE ]
Are you only using grease on her hair (after shampooing and conditioning)? If so, I would try a cream moisturizer.

 

[lilchanel]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

I've tried the mango butter, leave-in conditioners and S-curl. I think S- curl dries it out even more...

 

[Nonie]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

S-curl contains a humectant whose characteristic is to draw moisture into itself. For most pple, this means that their hair stays moisturized and that is usually the case if you're living in a very humid place. But if you're living in a dry area, or if you've got a sealant (like a serum or grease) on top of the S-Curl preventing the humectant from getting water from the air, then it'll will draw water from wherever it can get it. This unfortunately would be the hair, and that might be why your daughter's hair felt drier with S-Curl. If the climate isn't humid, I think you'd need to frequently spritz the hair with water to keep both the hair and humectant happy.

Mango butter is great for sealing in moisture but on its own, it doesn't provide moisture. A good moisturizer will list water as one of the first ingredients. I think KeraCare Hairdressing Creme (a cream moisturizer) does. Mango Butter might work better if you apply it to damp hair so it can seal that moisture in, but I suspect it does nothing to add moisture if applied to dry hair.

 

[Tee]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

Have you tried hot oil treatments? I recommend hot oil treatments with unrefined Avocado Oil.

 

[slwe415]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

Good info! My daughter's hair is natural...she's almost two. I just started using the Keracare products on her hair...Her hair was amazingly soft and moisturized after washing and conditioning her hair!

 

[shinyblackhair]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

I feel for ya, I have to maintain 4 heads of hair!

Is your daughter natural or relaxed?

 

[lilchanel]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

[ QUOTE ]
Tee said:
Have you tried hot oil treatments? I recommend hot oil treatments with unrefined Avocado Oil.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I haven't tried hot oil treatments. Good idea!

 

[lilchanel]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

[ QUOTE ]
shinyblackhair said:
I feel for ya, I have to maintain 4 heads of hair!

Is your daughter natural or relaxed?

[/ QUOTE ]

Bless your heart!! 4!!

It's natural...but my goodness, I'm about to break!!

 

[moneychaser]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

[ QUOTE ]
nonie said:
S-curl contains a humectant whose characteristic is to draw moisture into itself. For most pple, this means that their hair stays moisturized and that is usually the case if you're living in a very humid place. But if you're living in a dry area, or if you've got a sealant (like a serum or grease) on top of the S-Curl preventing the humectant from getting water from the air, then it'll will draw water from wherever it can get it. This unfortunately would be the hair, and that might be why your daughter's hair felt drier with S-Curl. If the climate isn't humid, I think you'd need to frequently spritz the hair with water to keep both the hair and humectant happy.

Mango butter is great for sealing in moisture but on its own, it doesn't provide moisture. A good moisturizer will list water as one of the first ingredients. I think KeraCare Hairdressing Creme (a cream moisturizer) does. Mango Butter might work better if you apply it to damp hair so it can seal that moisture in, but I suspect it does nothing to add moisture if applied to dry hair.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you so much nonie for posting this information about mango butter. I have been using it as a moisturizer

! I really have been enlightened since reading your post.

 

[Valerie]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

[ QUOTE ]
lilchanel said:
Wow! Thanks so much for all the great information!!

She does have very dry skin. She has Eczema really bad in the winter months. I have tried giving her cod liver oil but she hates the taste of it..she gets sick on the stomach..LOL I have to make her drink water! All she wants is juice, juice, juice!

I am going to try some of these tips and I will give you an update! Thanks again!

[/ QUOTE ]

Codliver oil does take getting use to mixing it with juice, that will help. Also I would suggest mixing aloe vera gel and castor oil, that would definetly help her hair. Try giving her some Evening primrose oil, that may help with the dryness and eczema on her skin.

 

[shinyblackhair]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

[ QUOTE ]
lilchanel said:
[ QUOTE ]
shinyblackhair said:
I feel for ya, I have to maintain 4 heads of hair!

Is your daughter natural or relaxed?

[/ QUOTE ]

Bless your heart!! 4!!

It's natural...but my goodness, I'm about to break!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks! When I say 4 I mean mine and my 3 daughters (not 4 daughters). My younger two are still easy cause they are only 1 and 2 years old. It's the 7 year old that stresses me out.

 

[lilchanel]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

[ QUOTE ]
shinyblackhair said:
[ QUOTE ]
lilchanel said:
[ QUOTE ]
shinyblackhair said:
I feel for ya, I have to maintain 4 heads of hair!

Is your daughter natural or relaxed?

[/ QUOTE ]

Bless your heart!! 4!!

It's natural...but my goodness, I'm about to break!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks! When I say 4 I mean mine and my 3 daughters (not 4 daughters). My younger two are still easy cause they are only 1 and 2 years old. It's the 7 year old that stresses me out.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know how you feel. My oldest will be 7 in Feb. (she has hair like her daddy's people)

 

[lilchanel]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

[ QUOTE ]
Denali03 said:
[ QUOTE ]
nonie said:
S-curl contains a humectant whose characteristic is to draw moisture into itself. For most pple, this means that their hair stays moisturized and that is usually the case if you're living in a very humid place. But if you're living in a dry area, or if you've got a sealant (like a serum or grease) on top of the S-Curl preventing the humectant from getting water from the air, then it'll will draw water from wherever it can get it. This unfortunately would be the hair, and that might be why your daughter's hair felt drier with S-Curl. If the climate isn't humid, I think you'd need to frequently spritz the hair with water to keep both the hair and humectant happy.

Mango butter is great for sealing in moisture but on its own, it doesn't provide moisture. A good moisturizer will list water as one of the first ingredients. I think KeraCare Hairdressing Creme (a cream moisturizer) does. Mango Butter might work better if you apply it to damp hair so it can seal that moisture in, but I suspect it does nothing to add moisture if applied to dry hair.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you so much nonie for posting this information about mango butter. I have been using it as a moisturizer

! I really have been enlightened since reading your post.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, her info is VERY helpful!

 

[lilchanel]

Re: Please help with daughter\'s hair!!

[ QUOTE ]
Valerie said:
[ QUOTE ]
lilchanel said:
Wow! Thanks so much for all the great information!!

She does have very dry skin. She has Eczema really bad in the winter months. I have tried giving her cod liver oil but she hates the taste of it..she gets sick on the stomach..LOL I have to make her drink water! All she wants is juice, juice, juice!

I am going to try some of these tips and I will give you an update! Thanks again!

[/ QUOTE ]

Codliver oil does take getting use to mixing it with juice, that will help. Also I would suggest mixing aloe vera gel and castor oil, that would definetly help her hair. Try giving her some Evening primrose oil, that may help with the dryness and eczema on her skin.

[/ QUOTE ]

thanks for the suggestion of castor oil and aloe vera gel..I am going to have to try this out!